CARDIFF : Wales interim coach Matt Sherratt looked for familiarity as he made nine changes to the starting line-up for Saturday’s Six Nations match against Ireland.
Wales were beaten 22-15 by Italy in their last Six Nations outing, a result that extended their record run of defeats to 14 and precipitated the departure of veteran coach Warren Gatland.
Sherratt said some changes had been motivated by injury but he was also looking for cohesion in the side when they face Ireland, who have won their opening two matches of this year’s tournament.
“They’re very Leinster-heavy and have been together a long time. So it’s important to pick a team that had some familiarity with 9-10 or numbers 12-13. I don’t think the game against Ireland is a time to experiment,” Sherratt said.
Gareth Anscombe has been brought in at flyhalf to team up with Tomos Williams while Anscombe’s Gloucester teammate Max Llewellyn comes straight back into the starting side and will partner Ben Thomas in midfield.
“Obviously, with (the injured) Liam Williams and Owen Watkin going out of the squad, I felt we needed players who had relationships with each other.
“I’ve coached Gareth and Max so they know my style. I’ve got relationships with them and Gareth is very good at driving things in the week,” added Sherratt, who handed a debut to wing Ellis Mee.
“He’s looked brilliant this week. One of the reasons you coach is to name the teams and see a young kid who has dreamed to play for his country. He’s had a good week so I hope he goes out and enjoys it.”
Sherratt, who is the coach of Cardiff, stepped into the job after Gatland departed days after the Rome defeat and will stay for the rest of the Six Nations campaign.
“It’s about getting the mindset right and then putting in a framework where the players feel comfortable. Things will be missing, but I’m happy we’ve got a framework and the players feel comfortable. Hopefully we’ll see some signs of that.
“For us, the challenge is to stand for something. We need to be brave. If there’s an error, there’s an error. The teams I coach like ball movement. Hopefully it shows up this week, but it’s probably in a few weeks that we’ll see a better identity.”
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town)
