Gatland happy to talk about Irish No.10

Mar 5 2008 by Simon Thomas, Western Mail

WALES coach Warren Gatland is more than happy to talk about the No 10 on duty in Dublin this weekend – as long as it’s the Irish one.

Gatland spent a large chunk of yesterday’s press conference waxing lyrical on the subject of Ronan O’Gara and how he will be a key man in Saturday’s Triple Crown clash.

But when it came to discussing his own outside-half, the New Zealander was far less forthcoming.

Faced with a succession of questions about his choice of Stephen Jones ahead of James Hook for the Croke Park showdown, the somewhat prickly Gatland was not in a mood to go into any great depth.

Instead, he cut short that line of enquiry by bemoaning the national obsession with the No 10 jersey.

He then sought to shift the emphasis by saying there had been the same level of internal debate over the loosehead prop selection, where Gethin Jenkins has just got the nod over long-term rival Duncan Jones.

But, realistically, it’s not that position which the Welsh rugby public are going to be debating today.

Whether Gatland likes it or not, it’s his pick at fly-half that will be provoking the most comment up and down the land.

Because the truth is, we are guilty as charged. As a nation, we are obsessed with the No 10.

It’s always been that way and I can’t see it changing any day soon. That’s just the way we are.

Gatland isn’t the first Kiwi coach to rail against our all-consuming focus on the fly-half berth. It also rankled with Graham Henry and Steve Hansen at various stages during their time in Wales.

That’s perhaps a reflection on our differing rugby cultures.

In New Zealand, there’s always been a greater emphasis on and celebration of forward play, while second-five-eights – or inside centres as we know them – have traditionally been viewed as pivotal men.

In Wales, it’s a lot simpler. There’s the No 10 and then there’s the rest of the team.

It may not be right, but that’s the way it is.

Moreover, we also have a romantic notion of what our fly-halves should be like.

We want them to be like Barry, Phil or Jonathan – men blessed with natural attacking flair and creative genius.

That’s why Western Mail readers went for Hook in choosing their People’s Team to face the Irish.

The 22-year-old has the touch of Barry John about him in the way he effortlessly glides past opponents and performs with such grace and composure.

What he has you can’t buy and we’ve seen it’s worth during this championship campaign.

And yet Gatland has chosen to go with the more prosaic talents of Jones for this weekend’s crunch class.

Jones may not fit the bill for some people in terms of being the classic Welsh fly-half, but he fits the bill for Gatland on this occasion – and ultimately it’s his opinion that counts.

In terms of experience, the 30-year-old Scarlet clearly has the upper hand, with 68 caps to Hook’s 23, plus three Lions Tests.

Yet when asked whether experience was a key factor in the selection, Gatland responded with a blunt “no.”

All he would say was he felt this was an opportunity to start with Jones and that it could be a different combination for the finale against France.

Listening to him talk, you wouldn’t think this was a game of such huge significance.

But perhaps that’s all part of the plan – to play things down and try and prevent his players from becoming caught up in all the hype.

That’s the kind of pragmatic approach we are starting to become accustomed to from this down-to-earth Kiwi and, ultimately, pragmatic is perhaps the best word to sum up his selection at 10.

Faced with the prospect of a Croke Park cauldron, Gatland has gone for the control, decision-making and game management of Jones ahead of Hook’s more instinctive gifts.

It will be seen by some as a conservative selection and a case of playing it safe rather than going for broke.

But Gatland is unlikely to come in for anything like the kind of flak his predecessor Gareth Jenkins did for making the same call this time last year.

Jenkins was pilloried for sticking with Jones at fly-half through the first four games of the 2007 Six Nations, leaving wonder-kid Hook to make do with a spot at inside centre.

There were then choruses of “I told you so” when Hook switched to 10 in place of the injured Jones for the final game against England and produced a match-winning 22-point display.

Yet, while some people may question his decision, Gatland won’t find himself in the firing line in the same way this week.

That’s largely down to the fact he’s hugely in credit, having won his first three games in charge and having not put a foot wrong yet.

As such, people are willing to back him, even if they don’t necessarily agree with his selection.

There’s also the fact that Jones is a very different animal to the wounded one we saw last season.

Back then, the captaincy was weighing heavily on him and he was struggling for both fitness and form.

A year on, relieved of his burden, he’s enjoying his rugby again and playing with renewed confidence and assurance.

That was evident in the way he saw Wales home to victory against Scotland after coming on as a replacement for Hook and in his measured all-round performance in last week’s rout of Italy.

As such, people will understand why Gatland has gone for Jones.

While the Irish are flying around like dervishes in Dublin, Wales will need a control and discipline to their game and the seasoned Scarlet offers that with his tactical precision and nous.

Then who better to come on after the break, when the match is opening up, than the mercurial Hook.

If it works, Gatland will have pulled off another masterstroke with his “toss of a coin” selection.

The choice was more straightforward at scrum-half, with form dictating that the vibrant Mike Phillips returns in place of Dwayne Peel.

Phillips has spent much of his career as Peel’s understudy, either with the Scarlets or Wales, but now his chance has finally come and he fully deserves it such is the spark and boundless enthusiasm he has offered during this championship.

Form also demanded recalls for Adam Jones and Huw Bennett in the front row, with Rhys Thomas and Matthew Rees having failed to alter the established pecking order given the chance against Italy.

Yet the big-engined Gethin Jenkins holds on to his spot at loosehead, with his huge workrate over 80 minutes against the Azzurri – on the back of his impressive impact outings in the first two games – having just edged out Duncan Jones.

It would probably have been a narrow call at lock as well, where Ian Evans loses out to his fit-again Ospreys team-mate Alun Wyn Jones despite having shown up well in the line-out and the loose in the last two games.

Yet, in fairness, Jones started the championship as first choice, so it’s a return to that order. His cooler temperament might also have been a factor, with Gatland stressing the importance of discipline in Dublin.

Yet we’ll have to guess on that subject, because the coach is keeping his cards close to his chest.

“I don’t want to debate the reasons behind the selections we have made,” he told members of the assembled press. “That’s your job to debate that.”

So let the debate begin.