Summary
Scott johnson must go into his first game as Wales coach without both his inspirational skipper Gareth Thomas and wing wizard Shane Williams. Thomas will miss the rest of the Six Nations with damage to an artery in his neck, while Williams has been ruled out of Sunday's showdown with Ireland because of a dead leg. This has forced caretaker coach Johnson to make two changes to the side that beat Scotland in Mike Ruddock's last game at the helm. Despite the loss of two key experienced members of the back three, Johnson has resisted the temptation to throw Gavin Henson straight back into the side. Versatile Henson, who made his comeback from a seven-week suspension for the Ospreys last Friday, is limited to a place on the bench. Instead, Johnson has decided to go for international rookie Lee Byrne at full-back, with Dafydd James coming in on the left- wing to make it an all-Scarlet back three alongside Mark Jones. With Thomas sidelined, Johnson has handed the captaincy to No 8 Michael Owen in a repeat of what happened for the final two games of last season's Grand Slam.
It had been hoped that Thomas would be able to travel out to Ireland with the Welsh squad, but he has been advised to stay at home.See the full content of this document
Extract
Henson On the Bench As Shane and Gareth Are Out
Johnson said, 'We need to do what is in the best interests of Gareth in this situation, listen to the doctor's advice and leave him at home ...
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