Four players Wales must drop – and who should replace them 

Rugby News
Saturday, 01 February 2025 at 00:14
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Wales endured a nightmare start to their Six Nations campaign, suffering a record 43-0 defeat at the hands of a rampant France side led by the sensational Antoine Dupont.
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With Warren Gatland’s team completely outclassed in Paris, questions are already being asked about his selections. Here are four players who should be axed ahead of Wales' next match.

Ben Thomas

Rugby Pass 5/10: "Cannot be faulted for trying to play with width, but he was not without errors in doing so and a few poor decisions- particularly a strange first-half chip when Wales were in a promising position. Looked more comfortable when shifting to inside centre, where he proved to be slightly more threatening when attacking the line."
Wales Online 5/10: "Showed glimpses of his attacking threat in the first-half with a couple of half-breaks while his kicking out of hand was decent. But Wales' attack ran out of ideas in the second-half, albeit behind a beaten pack."
Planet Rugby 5/10: "You can see the potential but once again it was a mixed bag from the playmaker. There were a few good moments early on but he became ragged and took some poor decisions as Wales unravelled in the Six Nations opener, despite getting more playmaking support when Dan Edwards came on for Watkin in the first half."
Replacement: Dan Edwards

Josh Adams

RUCK 5/10: "Adams hit a milestone, running out for his 60th appearance for Wales. The 29-year-old is another player who has been a welcome return for Gatland’s squad for this Championship. The Cardiff Rugby player is a scoring machine, having crossed the whitewash 21 times for 105 points. But he couldn't make much of an impact as he never really got given the ball."
Rugby Pass 3/10: "Huge shot on Pierre-Louis Barassi showed he was up for the fight, but that attitude boiled over at one point as he screamed at the referee. Was caught out of position by Dupont, who chipped over his head to set up Attissogbe’s opening try. Found himself similarly exposed for Les Bleus’ second try, but that was just a result of wave after wave of French pressure. Will be sick of the sight of Attissogbe’s heels and backside."
Wales Online 5/10: "The Cardiff wing got exposed defensively on a few occasions and missed an early tackle on his opposite number Théo Attissogbé which put Wales under severe pressure"
Planet Rugby 5/10: "Was given a bit of a torrid time on his wing, although it wasn’t really his fault. Put in one big hit on defence but was then slightly embarrassed by Thomas Ramos for Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s first try."
Replacement: Blair Murray

James Botham

Rugby Pass 5/10: "Shifted to No. 8 in Aaron Wainwright’s absence and made some astute carries from the back of the scrum when France were trying to exert pressure. Couldn’t replicate the attacking output that Wainwright would provide though."
Wales Online 5/10: "Tried hard and offered himself as a carrier while he put a shift in defensively. But failed to slow down the speed of the home sides ruck ball."
Planet Rugby 5/10: "Quiet from the blindside, who struggled to impose himself. Was more evident in the second period but he couldn’t quite compete physically."
Replacement: Tommy Reffell

Evan Lloyd

RUCK 4/10: "Cardiff Rugby’s Lloyd couldn't have asked for a much harder first start for Wales as he was thrown straight into the deep end at the Stade de France. In the Autumn Nations Series, Wales’ lineout success was at 85.4%, the second-best of all competing Six Nations sides. However, the hooker was shown the Championship’s first yellow card after making a high tackle, and that sin bin proved costly. Despite all this, he was decent at the lineout but let himself down with the yellow card."
Rugby Pass 4/10: "Yellow carded for a dangerous tackle- Wales with 15 players were struggling, 14 made it almost impossible for them. Did not seem to be in sync with his lineout jumpers at times, but took on a lot of the ball-carrying responsibilities."
Wales Online 5/10: "Started well with a couple of powerful carries while his darts were accurate. But was very lucky not to receive a red card after his shoulder made direct contact with the face of Louis Bielle-Biarrey."
Planet Rugby 5/10: "Lineout went smoothly but his yellow card for his high shot on Louis Bielle-Biarrey proved costly as France scored two tries while he was off the field."
Replacement: Elliot Dee

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Think you know your rugby history? The Six Nations Championship has seen some of the game's most iconic players rack up incredible points over the years.
From pinpoint goal-kicking maestros to dynamic try-scoring machines, these legends have left their mark on the competition.
But how well do you know them? Can you guess who sits atop the leaderboard and who just sneaks into the top 10? Take the quiz and prove your rugby knowledge!

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