SIX NATIONS: Wales face a dilemma this weekend as they face two options going into the fourth round against Scotland in Murrayfield.
Option number one; do they field their strongest starting fifteen and secure the win in what can be a tricky place to travel to, thus opening themselves up to the risk of picking up injuries in the lead up to facing Ireland on the last day of the championship.
Option number two; do they make a few squad rotations and risk having to go toe to toe with the Scots on their home turf. Although the Scottish looked nothing short of abysmal last round against the French they do seem to be able conjure up some special passion and energy whenever they play in front of their home crowd producing some legendary matches and some upsets to go along with them. If Gatland keeps his team sheet similar to the one he used against England it’s fair to say that Scotland may be in for a bit of a battering but if he rests some of the key players in his team such as Liam Williams or Alun Wyn Jones to name two there is no reason why Scotland should write themselves off just yet.
Looking across the rounds other fixtures Ireland face a tricky one at home against France. Yes it’s fair to say apart from the first half against Wales on the opening day and their last game against Scotland the French have being pretty average when it comes to their match day displays, but they will have a new lease of life going into this fourth round game as they secured a big win against the Scottish with everything seemingly clicking on the day for them. Huget who during the early stages of the competition endured some mediocre performances and specifically his defence of the backfield was non-existent, but against the Scotsmen he finished off quite a nice try and then his young team mate Ntamack even dotted one down getting his first of his senior career. All that being said Ireland won’t exactly be shaking in their boots even if it was a messy display against the Italians, they are back on home soil and will be looking to use the advantage of the crowd to put in a strong performance against a team who have caused them some embarrassment in the past.
Lastly, the Italians travel to Twickenham for what can only be considered as an exhibition match. It’s likely Jones will rest the majority of his squad to guarantee a strong finish to the championship against Scotland on the last weekend. Then again it is important that the team picks up bonus points in both of their last games to keep the pressure on Wales in the fight for the number one spot. It wouldn’t be surprising to see maybe one or two of the starting fifteen left in the squad just to solidify a performance on the day but I wouldn’t be surprised to see upwards of 10 changes.
Josh Graves, BETDAQ
This is the outright market.
