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European rugby weekends are always important but when they fall just a couple of days before a Wales squad announcement they take on extra significance.
Warren Gatland names his squad for the Six Nations on Monday afternoon and the Wales coaches were out in force this weekend to run the rule over a number of players. It was another disappointing weekend for Welsh rugby with the Scarlets, Cardiff and Dragons all losing but the Ospreys did win to move closer to the last 16 of the Challenge Cup.
Here are your winners and losers from an action-packed weekend.
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Winners
Olly Cracknell
The 30-year-old can’t have done much more to impress Gatland after an outstanding first half of the season. Cracknell was outstanding yet again as Leicester Tigers thumped Ulster 38-10 at Welford Road in the Investec Champions Cup.
Packing down at No 8 Cracknell brought huge physicality, finishing the game as joint top carrier with 16, while he also put in 13 tackles. Cracknell is such a destructive presence from a defensive point of view, while he also regularly makes metres when carrying the ball in the tight, claustrophobic channels.
The backrow is one area where Wales have some depth with Jac Morgan, Tommy Reffell, James Botham, Aaron Wainwright and Taulupe Faletau almost guaranteed selections. Wales also have the athletic Taine Plumtree and Christ Tshiunza.
Neither are on top of their game but Gatland is likely to keep faith with the players he has recently invested in. But Cracknell does offer something a bit different with his physicality, huge engine and his habit of winning collisions, while also doing the unseen dirty work.
Dan Edwards
The 21-year-old has been playing well at regional level for the past 18 months and has long been identified as a player with international potential. Edwards is a triple-threat player who is a danger with ball in hand, has a good kicking game and the vision to put others into space.
The Ospreys playmaker is a very confident player who does not let mistakes bog him down, while his problem solving on the pitch under pressure is a big tick in the box. Sadly, Scarlets number 10 Sam Costelow sustained what looked like a nasty shoulder injury on Friday night, while Gloucester’s Gareth Anscombe is also carrying an injury.
This opens the door for Edwards to make his first senior Wales squad.
Freddie Thomas, Josh Hathaway and Max Llewellyn
Gloucester’s Challenge Cup clash with the Scarlets got billed as an unofficial Welsh trial and it was the Cherry & Whites who won the battle hands down. Gatland will surely have been very impressed with the performance of second-row Freddie Thomas who has been outstanding in the Gallagher Premiership this season.
Thomas, who won his first Wales cap against South Africa last November, carried hard and won the physical confrontations against the Scarlets. The 23-year-old plays lock for Gloucester but during the autumn Gatland said he could see him moving to the backrow in the future.
Elsewhere, Josh Hathaway had a lively game against Wales squad contenders Ellis Mee and Blair Murray. Hathaway is not the finished article but what he does bring is top-end speed which is something Wales lacked last season.
Powerful centre Max Llewellyn also enjoyed a solid evening and combined well with former British & Irish Lions midfielder Chris Harris. Llewellyn has been on top form for Gloucester this season and while he didn’t shine for Wales in the autumn, deserves to stay in the squad.
Josh Macleod
Friday night was very much one to forget for the Scarlets who suffered a heavy 31-7 defeat to Gloucester at Kingsholm. But even in defeat Scarlets captain Josh Macleod stood out like a beacon.
The 28-year-old has enjoyed a strong season to date and would almost certainly have won more than two Wales caps if it wasn’t for a series of injuries. Unfortunately for the Monte Carlo-born backrower he plays in the strongest position in Wales with Jac Morgan, Tommy Reffell, James Botham and Taine Basham, among others, in the equation.
But Macleod couldn’t have done much more to force his name into the conversation with a couple of impressive turnovers against Gloucester, while his physicality, leadership and defensive work rate are also big plus points for the Scarlets man.
Taine Basham and Elliot Dee
It was another poor result for the Dragons against Top 14 strugglers Pau but Gatland will have been relieved to see experienced hooker Elliot Dee come through unscathed. Wales are facing an injury crisis at hooker with Dewi Lake ruled out for the Six Nations and Ryan Elias struggling with a neck injury.
But Dee played well against Pau putting in 12 carries and seven tackles. Taine Basham missed out on the previous two Wales squads and it is touch and go whether he is included tomorrow.
But the 25-year-old put in a strong performance with one explosive 45-metre break the standout moment. The backrower also put in an impressive 13 carries but faces stiff competition if he is to get back into Gatland’s squad.
Losers
Scarlets
The west Walians arrived at Kingsholm with roughly 2,000 supporters cheering them on but they froze on the big stage. Dwayne Peel selected a youthful side with a backline which had an average age of just 22, but this was a step too far.
Gloucester brought an intensity and a consistent level of physicality the Scarlets just could not cope with. They had plenty of territory and field position but the half-backs were poor while their skill levels let them down at key moments.
The Scarlets have improved significantly in comparison to last season but this was by far their worst performance of the season.
Sam Costelow
There is nothing worse than picking up an injury so close to a national squad announcement. Despite what his critics say Costelow was in good form for the Scarlets and was a very likely to be included in Gatland’s squad before injuring his shoulder against Gloucester.
The 24-year-old may still make the squad but it didn’t look good for the Scarlets playmaker. “He’s with the medics so we don’t know how bad it is, but Sam is a tough boy and doesn’t usually come off unless it’s something bad,” said Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel after the match.
Fingers crossed he’s fit and available in time for the start of the Six Nations.
Dragons RFC
This was another difficult afternoon for the Dragons who slipped to a 24-15 home defeat to Pau. There was plenty of effort and some decent individual performances from the likes of Harri Ackerman, Joe Westwood, Aaron Wainwright, Elliot Dee, Rio Dyer and Taine Basham.
But the Dragons got outmuscled by a stronger Pau pack, while they lacked quality and accuracy at key moments. They now need a minor miracle to qualify for the knockout stages of the Challenge Cup because they have to beat the Lions in Johannesburg at high-altitude in just six days’ time.
The Dragons have won just twice this season in all competitions, while they also parted ways with former head coach Dai Flanagan. Yes, they are operating from a playing budget of just £4.5m, which will rise by circa £600k next season, but their squad needs a complete overhaul.
It’s all well and good getting rid of the coach but the harsh truth is they haven’t got as many high-class players as the other three Welsh clubs, let alone most of the other sides in the United Rugby Championship and Europe. They’ve talked the talk for a long time about becoming more competitive and competing for play-offs but it has never materialised.
Let’s hope that changes in the near future.