Wayne Pivac: defending champions have ‘nothing to lose’Alun Wyn Jones and George North among those ruled outIt is an ominous omen for Wales’s Six Nations title defence that there has been more said about the players not taking part than those who are. As Wayne Pivac’s team prepare for their tournament opener in
Dublin, a clutch of important figures will remain on the wrong side of the
Irish sea.
On the injury list are Alun Wyn Jones, Josh Navidi, Justin Tipuric, Ken Owens, Leigh Halfpenny, George North and Taulupe Faletau. If you include
British and Irish Lions caps that’s a loss of 626 Tests’ worth of experience. As if to underline the spate of bad luck haunting his team, during his press conference on Thursday Pivac announced that young lock Christ Tshiunza had been ruled out of the competition with a hamstring injury. As such, not many people back the men in red to get a result on Saturday.