Jonathan Davies set for giant clash with Robbie Henshaw and Stuart McCloskey
Friday 5 February 2016 12:14, UK
Wales' Jonathan Davies could be "the midget of the midfield" if Ireland opt to pair Robbie Henshaw and Stuart McCloskey in midfield for the Six Nations opener, according to former Ireland full-back Conor O'Shea.
Although Davies boasts size and physicality, he could be dwarfed by the men in Dublin on Sunday.
At 6ft 1in and 16 stone, Davies will concede two inches in height to Henshaw and a stone in weight to McCloskey.
With Wales centre Jamie Roberts set to prove the biggest on display at 6ft 4in and 17 stone, O'Shea is predicting a powerhouse performance.
"Robbie Henshaw's massive and McCloskey's a big lad too - so Jonathan Davies could be the midget of the midfield," he said.
"That's incredible to think. Everything I've seen of Stuart McCloskey, there's a huge amount to his game.
"He has beautiful soft hands on top of being a massive, massive bloke.
"If Ireland put Robbie Henshaw and McCloskey together, that could be one hell of a battle."
Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has called Warren Gatland's Wales side "the biggest team in the world" ahead of their meeting at the Aviva Stadium.
Pairing the in-form but uncapped 23-year-old McCloskey with Connacht battering-ram Henshaw would seem Schmidt's most obvious approach to combat the visitors.
Harlequins rugby director O'Shea has had the chance to get to know Roberts well after coaxing the qualified doctor to The Stoop this season.
He admitted his surprise at the sheer size of the 29-year-old.
"I really didn't realise just how big Jamie is until he arrived here and he got stuck into training," said O'Shea.
"He's extremely hard to stop, and he's in great shape for the start of the Six Nations.
"He's a really outstanding rugby player. You can't achieve everything he has without that. You can't thrive at that level without all the skills and attributes. But he knows what his strength is."
