Jonathan Davies: Wales squad can cope with loss of Halfpenny and Webb
Tuesday 8 September 2015 21:08, UK
Sky Sports' Jonathan Davies says his heart goes out to Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Webb, but believes the squad is still strong enough to make it into the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
It goes without saying that my thoughts are with Rhys and Leigh at this point. I'm not sure I would refer to my own injury as fortunate, but when it came to missing the World Cup, I do feel lucky that I had a few months to come to terms with it.
The pair of them have the added heartache of having been part of the squad, attended all the gruelling summer camps and then been named in the final party. To go through all of that and fall at the final hurdle must be devastating.
Still, I know they both have a good support base that will help them through this. When news of my injury broke, I had a flood of messages coming through to wish me well in a tough time, and I know that their phones will be going off constantly with offerings of support from the wider community.
It's a tough period for any player in any sport, but knowing that you have support from strangers within the sport you love does help you through it.
Players will get injured and players will retire, and in both instances it's important to have faith in who comes along next.
There is a time initially when you just want to talk to those close to you but once you come to terms with it, the messages are a big help.
Mourning
It's not just the two players who will need to come to terms with it of course. If you had to pick your Wales team on any given weekend, they'd be up there with the first four or five on the team sheet - but that's not to say we don't have the players to come into the squad.
I am not going to get caught up in saying that the whole of Wales is in mourning because to me, that's not a fair reflection on the others in the squad.
If you look at the two players who have come in to replace them, you have Mike Phillips who is a British and Irish Lion with close to 100 caps for his country, while Eli Walker has the pace and ability to completely turn a game around.
Funnily enough, I spent the weekend with Mike after he found out that he was out of the squad and he reacted exactly as I imagined he would in that situation - he wanted to prove that he was still the best man for the job.
He now has the opportunity to prove that to the coaching staff as well as the public - he won't want to just go there to make up the numbers, he will want to make his way back into the starting team.
Warren Gatland came out recently and pointed out that we pushed the Springboks in South Africa and were beaten with the final play of the game last year and in that match, we were without Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Webb. So there is depth.
Faith
As for the kicking duties, those will likely be taken up by the two fly-halves. As fly-halves, they will also back themselves to take the kick that could take Wales to a quarter or semi-final, so again we have players who will step up when required.
Leigh is a world-class kicker but at this level, the gap between one player and another is smaller than people sometimes appreciate.
Scott Williams is proof of that - he's taken his opportunity and has been playing superb rugby. Players will get injured and players will retire, and in both instances it's important to have faith in who comes along next.
Wales' task to make it out of the pool just got more difficult, there is no doubt, but I'm no less confident that the boys will claim a quarter-final place than I was before the Italy game.
On a personal note, I'm heading to see the doctor on Friday. If he gives me the all-clear, then I will be able to start running again which would be a great relief.
As much as my own injury was tough to take, it's enabled me to see more of Clermont as a tourist, and given me a welcome mental break from the game.
I'm lucky enough to be taking a trip to New York with my dad, but I've made sure to book a place that has a gym in it! I can't wait to get back on the field and I don't want to waste any time in making sure I'm ready to go at the earliest possible opportunity.
