We’ve got to stop dangerous O’Gara, warns Priestland

ROOKIE Wales fly-half Rhys Priestland is hoping to buck a trend of losing results against opposite number Ronan O’Gara but has warned that the Ireland veteran will need to be “managed” if his side are to win tomorrow’s World Cup quarter-final.

The 25-year-old Scarlets back has not enjoyed the best of times in his jousts with O’Gara’s Munster but has seen enough of the 115-capped out-half to know he poses a real threat to Wales’s chances of progressing to a first semi-final since the inaugural tournament in New Zealand in 1987.

“O’Gara is probably one of the best kickers of the ball in the game,” Priestland said. “I have played against him a few times for Scarlets against Munster and I have always been impressed with him, just the way he organises the game and the forwards.

“He gives Ireland a lot when he plays. We are going to have to try to manage him and make sure he doesn’t keep putting Ireland in the corners and putting us under pressure.

“Usually, I’ve been at the wrong end of the result when I have played against him.

“Hopefully, it will be different this weekend.”

One thing Priestland does have over his rival No.10 is experience of kicking in the “Cake Tin”, the nickname Wellingtonians gave their stadium when its metal circular exterior first went up on the quayside arena in the New Zealand capital. Wales played here in their first pool game, a narrow defeat to South Africa which saw a James Hook penalty controversially not given as it cleared the top of the uprights.

“The conditions weren’t good when we played there in our first game so it wasn’t easy but it was the same for both teams,” said Priestland, who has great concerns regarding Ireland’s marauding back-row of Stephen Ferris, Sean O’Brien and Jamie Heaslip.

“Ireland have got a world-class back row. When I have played against Leinster for the Scarlets, we have spoken about O’Brien as a real danger man. We know how much of a threat they are and we have got to be at our best to nullify them.

“We know what they are capable of but we’ve got a pretty good back row too.”

Wales coach Warren Gatland has tinkered with his back row ahead of tomorrow’s quarter-final, dropping Ryan Jones to the bench and replacing him at blindside flanker with Dan Lydiate, who has recovered from ankle ligament damage suffered in the second pool game against Samoa.

Gatland has made four changes and two positional switches from the side which walloped Fiji 66-0 in Wales’s final pool game last Sunday and admitted: “It was probably one of the longest selection meetings we have ever had.”

Leigh Halfpenny got the nod at full-back over James Hook and Lee Byrne. This is despite Byrne starting there against Fiji and Hook having recovered from a shoulder injury that kept him out of the final two Pool D games.

So Halfpenny switches from the wing, with record try scorer Shane Williams returning from injury, while Hook takes a place on the bench and Byrne must watch from the stands.

“This was a tough selection for us,” Gatland said. “It was probably one of the longest selection meetings we have ever had, where we went through every possible permutation available to us.

“It is a great position to be in when you are struggling to find a place for players in the squad and the starting line-up, instead of having to think who can make up the numbers, which has sometimes been the case.”

Gatland’s matchday squad has a youthful feel to it with eight players aged 23 or under, at the expense of Lions trio Byrne, Stephen Jones and Andy Powell, all left out of the starting 22.

“This is RWC quarter-final time, and we had some tough decisions to make with the likes of Dan, Shane and James returning from injury and the side having done so well in their recent absence,” Gatland added.

“But this is the side we have gone with and, as a 22, we believe it is the team which gives us the best chance of winning this game against an Ireland team which not only topped their group, but beat Australia on the way.”

Meanwhile Welsh wing Shane Williams has admitted his future in Test rugby could be decided by the outcome of the Ireland game.

The 34-year-old former world player of the year has won 83 caps for his country, scoring a Welsh record 55 Test tries, but acknowledges the Ireland game could be his last for his country.

“If we don’t do well on Saturday, it could be my last game,” he said.

“I don’t want to get too emotional about it but you don’t get many wingers playing after 40!”