Wales have been provided the luxury of an extra week at their training base in the Vale of Glamorgan, ahead of racking up the air miles next month.
Before travelling to the southern hemisphere to face Argentina and South Africa in their opening Nations Championship contest, Wales face Fiji in an ‘away’ fixture at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Join the RUCK’s WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
Ahead of that fixture against the Pacific Island nation, Wales announced a 33-player squad on Tuesday afternoon as Exeter Chiefs’ skipper Dafydd Jenkins will miss the summer through injury.
The 23-year-old suffered a shoulder injury in the Gallagher PREM final against Northampton Saints and requires surgery before a lengthy rehabilitation period.
“Really disappointed to lose Daf as a player and a person,” said Wales’ attack coach Matt Sherratt.
“He’s a massive part of this squad. He’s one of the lynchpins in the pack, and if anyone epitomises what a Welsh forward looks like, it’s Daf. He’s all in.
“So he’s a big loss, but it’s something he needed to have done. Everyone here wants it to be right for Daf in the long term.
“He needs an operation. He’ll get a rest off the back of it as well because, how he plays, he is all in. Big loss but an opportunity for someone else to step into his shoes.”
Sherratt also confirmed that speedster Louis Rees-Zammit is carrying a ‘niggle’, and was training by himself on Tuesday morning.
“Only a niggle. He’s available,” added Sherratt.
The Bristol Bears player is now available following not being eligible to play against the Barbarians, in which Wales got their summer off to a winning start.
However, even outside of Welsh camps, he’s been making headlines as he wants to make a return to being a ‘world-class’ winger following a substandard Six Nations campaign.
With that said, does this cause problems when it comes to who starts at fullback this summer for Wales?
“I think there’s competition there and they’re very different,” said Sherratt.
“Zam is still open-minded to play 15, sees himself as a wing who can play there.
“Josh Adams can play there, potentially Ellis Mee, and we’ve got Blair among a couple of others.
“Highlights the competition in that area, but that’s a good problem to have.”
For the opening weekend of the tournament, Wales have been given the most generous of starts when it comes to travel. They faced the Barbarians last Saturday, before returning to their Vale Resort training base ahead of facing Fiji in the Welsh capital.
The pair met during the 2023 Rugby World Cup, a remarkable tournament in Bordeaux. Then in their next meeting, Fiji claimed a first-ever win over Wales in Cardiff with a 24-19 triumph during the 2024 autumn internationals campaign.
“The Barbarians game was good practice because there’s an air of unpredictability about how they play,” continued Sherratt.
“Fiji are a team whose transitional stuff is a massive weapon. Statistically, they’re the best in the world transition-wise in terms of when they receive a kick or turn over attack.
“They’ve got so many good athletes, and it’s about trying to control that.
“The game will break into that occasionally because that’s how the game is at the moment.
“We’re going to have to be pretty structured about how we kick and put a game Wales need on the field rather than something that’s too loose.”
However, the Flying Fijians, albeit on paper, are playing their summer fixtures as ‘home’ games, but will play Wales, England, and Scotland all in the UK.
Wales, after their opening fixture, head straight to Argentina, where they’ll arrive on Monday ahead of facing Argentina in San Juan five days later.
The logistical challenges Wales faces over the next three weeks will undoubtedly lead to rotation among the starting XV.
“There’s going to be a lot more rotation,” Sherratt said. “We get to Argentina on Monday after leaving on Sunday.
“There’s a bit of a time difference and 13-hour travel, so it’s going to be a bit more difficult to recover for some players.
“We do want to look at the wider squad as well, so I predict a bit more rotation than usual. There’s some science to it: GPS, collisions and wellness scores.
“But on a case-by-case basis as well, depending on the age and injury history of the player.
“Any travel the players get value out of it because it takes them out of their comfort zone and they’re playing in a different environment,” Sherratt concluded.
LATEST NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP NEWS
- Wales cannot afford to waste their ‘golden’ Nations Championship opportunity
- Nations Championship Explained: Everything you need to know ahead of July’s Southern Series
- Who are the 5 Uncapped Players in the Ireland squad for the Nations Championship?
- Antoine Dupont stood down with immediate effect
- Springboks favourites to win Nations Championship – latest betting odds revealed
