Don't get into pack war, urges Price (From South Wales Argus)

Don't get into pack war, urges Price

10:20am Friday 20th November 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)

GWENT rugby legend Graham Price says Wales should avoid getting into a street fight with Argentina’s scrummaging bruisers at all costs tomorrow afternoon.

And the ex-Lions, Wales and Pontypool tighthead believes Sale’s Eifion Roberts should have been included in Wales’ squad as a replacement for the injured Adam Jones.

So how can Wales counter Argentina’s much vaunted scrummaging machine?

Stade Francais’ Rodrigo Roncero and Clermont Auvergne pair Mario Ledesma and Martin Scelzo form one of the most formidable front rows in the world.

Price thinks short and sharp scrums on Welsh ball to secure possession, releasing their potent back division could be the answer to their Pumas plight He said: “We don’t want to get involved in a battle. We can’t let them pin us down. I would plan on quick scrums so as not to let the pressure come on.

“We need to hold our scrum for five seconds or less and make sure Gareth Cooper gets the ball away as quickly as possible.

“It’s important that Wales control the tempo of the game.

“We’ve got a lot of talent out wide.

“But we are going to have problems on their ball.

“They will really test us in the scrum. We’ve had a few problems there since Adam Jones has been injured.

“We’ve really missed him and will do tomorrow.

“You know exactly what you’re going to get from the Pumas. They will keep it tight.”

Price, who won 41 caps for Wales as a tighthead between 1975 and 1983, said he feels great sympathy for Paul James, playing in his old position.

The 27-year-old Osprey was brought in to fill the void left by regional teammate Jones, injured in the second Test of the Lions tour of South Africa.

Price said: “Paul James has tried hard but he is playing in an unfamiliar position for him in all fairness. He is used to playing on the loose-head.

“Warren Gatland said Eifion Roberts wasn’t fit enough but he is fit enough to hold the scrum. The scrum is so important. Look at the Lions tour. Phil Vickery was getting a good hiding (in the first Test) which put a lot of pressure on Gethin Jenkins.

“But the transformation was obvious when Jones came on.”

Price is worried for a Welsh scrum without an out-and-out tighthead: “The Samoans only had three days to prepare but they started to get the better of our boys on Friday night and went for the pushover at the end.

“Argentina are a tried and tested unit and they will look for a repetition of what they achieved in the World Cup, but they will miss the likes of (Juan Martin) Hernandez.

“They haven’t had a lot of time to prepare, they’re not part of the Tri Nations yet and a lot of their players are amateurs.

“They only had a week to prepare for the England game but I thought they did well.

“They deserved to win last week – I thought England were awful.”

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)