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Eli Walker plans to throw down the gauntlet to George North and Alex Cuthbert

Image: Eli Walker: starring role for the Ospreys this season

Eli Walker has warned Wales' established wingers George North and Alex Cuthbert that he is gunning for their places.

Attitude

"But my attitude is one week you can have a good game and the next not so good. I try to keep a clear head and concentrate on my goals." Ireland also have plenty of potent wingers to choose from. Even though Tommy Bowe and Luke Fitzgerald are unavailable, Declan Kidney can still call on Munster's Simon Zebo and Ulster's Craig Gilroy. The latter made a huge impact on debut against Argentina in the autumn, and Walker rates he and Zebo highly, but knows they themselves will have plenty to worry about, particularly after North proved a constant menace during last year's meeting in Dublin. He said: "They are very exciting players and are growing in confidence every game. Both of them are explosive, quick wingers, which you'd expect at international level, and good finishers. "But we have got our own flying squad. Alex has been around the sevens circuit and, like George, he's a big guy who can shift as well." Despite the hype that has surrounded his rise to the national squad, including high praise from former Ospreys team-mate and Wales' record try scorer Shane Williams, Walker has vowed to keep his feet on the ground. He said: "I don't read the newspapers. I try to avoid them. My grandparents have got scrapbooks of cuttings from since I picked up a rugby ball. They're always giving me a ring and saying: 'Have you seen this or that'?

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