Wales defence coach frustrated at lack of England roof decision

Defence coach warns that keeping 15 players on pitch is vital against England at the Principality Stadium on Saturday

Wales are preparing to play under a closed roof against England at the Principality Stadium on Saturday after the visitors’ head coach Eddie Jones said he was not bothered whether it was open or shut, but the home side are frustrated the decision is out of their hands.
If Wales want the roof shut, the visiting team has to agree and if England have not said yes by today afternoon, it will remain open on Saturday when the forecast for the Welsh capital is for a cold day with the chance of a shower.
“Eddie has said he isn’t bothered if it’s open or closed,” said the Wales defence coach, Shaun Edwards. I like his attitude. That’s the kind of bloke Eddie is and good on him. We are just waiting to see what they say. It’s just an unusual situation where the opposition decide, but that’s the way it is.”
Edwards also pointed to England’s strength in depth but warned that they must keep all their players on the pitch to remain in contention against Wales. “They have a lot of strength in depth, but a big part of winning a Six Nations is keeping 15 players on the pitch for all the games,” said Edwards. “Our discipline was excellent in Italy and it is a big thing going into this game. Discipline is vital.”
In their past three matches, England have had three yellow cards and one red, Elliot Daly’s dismissal for a dangerous tackle against Argentina last autumn. The prop Dan Cole’s yellow card against Wales at Twickenham last year prompted a comeback by the visitors who were pushing for victory at the end having been 18 points down earlier in the second half.
The former Scotland coach Jim Telfer last week criticised Jones for, among other observations, not respecting opponents, but Edwards believes the Australian has been good for the Six Nations. “When Eddie said this week that his players were petrified of playing in Cardiff, it was his way of throwing down a challenge to them,” said Edwards. “It’s smart coaching and he is a clever bloke who is great for the game. You want characters like him. You have seen it in the past with football managers like Brian Clough, outspoken and good for the media.
“England are the form team at the moment, on a fantastic winning run [15 Tests]. They averaged 33 points a match in 2016 and are a formidable attacking outfit. They have good go forward, power runners to get over the advantage line, intelligent rugby players at 9, 10 and 12 and guys out wide with running ability.We had the best defence in the last two World Cups and we are slowly getting back to that.”
Wales will be reinforced by the return of their Lions No 8 Taulupe Faletau against England in Cardiff on Saturday, but they are worried about the fitness of two backs who were injured against Italy in Rome on Sunday, the outside-half Dan Biggar and the wing George North, while the second row Luke Charteris is struggling to recover from a wrist injury that ruled him out of the opening round.
“We are giving Dan and George as long as possible to make the game,” said Edwards. “They are two vital players for us. It is a matter of time as it is bruising rather than a pulled muscle and it is a question of whether they can handle the pain. We are worried about both of them but Taulupe will be available for selection.”
Biggar’s replacement, Ospreys team-mate Sam Davies, played a part in two of Wales’ second-half tries, and could potentially replace him again. Wales will announce their team today The squad’s other wingers include Alex Cuthbert, Steffan Evans and Ashton Hewitt.
England travel to Wales on a run of 15 successive victories and are unbeaten since Eddie Jones took charge. “It will be a massive, massive game, a huge occasion for everyone involved in rugby and in Wales,” flanker Sam Warburton said on Tuesday. “It’s going to take a huge game out of us to get a win out of that match.”