Jeremy Guscott’s column: Wales won’t be weakened with Liam Williams and Mike Phillips
Halfpenny and Webb will be missed, but in my book anybody who says that Warren Gatland was wrong to play them against the Italians has either never done a coaching job, or has forgotten how random injuries can be.
Halfpenny and Webb could just as easily have been injured in training as during a game, because that is, and always has been, the nature of a physical contact sport like ours.
In Halfpenny the Welsh have lost a world-class player. His place kicking is the best in the world, and that on its own will be a huge loss. He is also a very brave player, as any modern full-back has to be, and although he is not the tallest he certainly gets up there and attacks the high ball.
There has been a lobby in Wales over the last year to switch him to the wing to accommodate the greater counter-attacking options offered by Liam Williams, and recently I felt Halfpenny had responded by attacking more.
Webb cannot yet be called world-class, but Welsh supporters had high hopes that he would be by the time the World Cup was over. The Ospreys scrum-half had a sensational season, and was rightly named Welsh player of the year because he gave Wales a point of difference in attack.
We were about to find out how good he is, but that’s been taken away from him, and us, for the time being, and all we can do is wish both players speedy recoveries.
Wales have to put it behind them quickly, and move on – and a coaching unit that has been together as long as Gatland, Shaun Edwards and Rob Howley knows the territory. From the final whistle of the 2011 World Cup to the start of the 2015 tournament every coaching team has known that there will be injuries, and the likelihood of key players who won’t make it.
Part of their job is to deal with injuries and plan new strategies, and never to let energy levels and focus drop because of them.
Gatland is also fortunate in being able to call on players with proven pedigree because Liam Williams has made a timely return from injury, while veteran Lions Test No.9 Phillips gets another chance having been cut controversially from the original 31-man tournament squad.
It’s no mystery why Liam Williams was reserved a place in the squad despite a foot injury. He’s a very skilful footballer who you always expect to beat any player he faces one-on-one with his footwork and acceleration. I expect Wales to counter-attack more frequently with him at full-back, and he is also good in the air defensively and offensively, and an effective cover tackler.
If Phillips forces his way in as the starting scrum-half it will not change the structure of the game that Wales play, although it will alter the dynamic.
The difference will come when there is the opportunity for the scrum-half to break, because Phillips will use his power and size to muscle it, where Webb would use his agility and speed to dart through. That means that the ball from the 33-year-old Phillips will be a bit slower, but he could be deadly behind the sort of driving maul that Wales employed recently against Ireland.
We haven’t seen Phillips play a lot because he was on and off the bench during his three seasons in the Top 14 with Bayonne and Racing Metro, and he’s been a bit anonymous because he was also on the bench during the Six Nations.
So, while a forward arm-wrestle suits his game, he’s not been the integral part of the Welsh squad, and he was left out because he did not fit the pattern the coaches wanted in the way that Webb, Lloyd Williams (Cardiff Blues) and Gareth Davies (Scarlets) did.
The question now is whether Phillips can go from fourth choice scrum-half to first. It will be down to his form, but with over 90 caps his depth of experience could count heavily in his favour.
Set against that, the Wales game is based on quick ball, and hard, physical runners getting over the gain-line. That pattern has thrived recently thanks to Webb’s ability to play at high-tempo, and that fast-track aspect is why Lloyd Williams – who was the coming scrum-half a couple of seasons ago – and Davies were picked.
Lloyd Williams played well for the Blues last season, while Davies is less experienced but very fast – which is why he may be seen more as an impact player off the bench. However, it’s such a key position, that I expect Gatland to keep the scrum-half race as low profile as possible, and not reveal his starting No.9 until he has to.
As far as the psychological impact of the injuries on the squad is concerned, news becomes old news incredibly quickly – a week in international rugby is a long time, and even longer in a World Cup. The only time that Halfpenny and Webb will be brought up is if Wales lose.
As a player at this level you cannot afford to deal in ‘what ifs’ and ‘maybes’. It’s different for supporters and pundits, who can talk about them as much as they like, because debate and discussion is what it’s all about.
What we do know is that the guys who replace injured players very often come in and take their chance by doing a brilliant job. For instance, Jonathan Joseph would probably not have got a chance to play at 13 for England if Manu Tuilagi had been fit.
Pool A is still a knife-edge as it was, but I see England winning the group because of the advantage of playing at home. I can also see them winning all their games.
Wales have got to start well and rack up a big score of at least 60 to 70 points against Uruguay, because, with England playing the South American part-timers in their final pool match, they will know exactly what they have to do to qualify.
Australia are coming to the tournament on the back of good form, but Wales are more at home here than the Wallabies – and that’s why, despite the injuries to Halfpenny and Webb, I still lean towards Wales qualifying for the quarter-finals with England.
