Three Wise Men Looking For A Star On Judgement Day

CARDIFF, WALES - MARCH 15: Warren Gatland, Head Coach of Wales, looks on during the Wales Captain's Run, prior to the Guinness Six Nations Round Five match between Wales and Italy, at Principality Stadium on March 15, 2024 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images)

Three Wise Men Looking For A Star On Judgement Day

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By David Parsons

There will be three very interested spectators at Cardiff City Stadium at Judgement Day on Saturday all hoping for different things out of the regional double-header.

The traditional derbyfest ends the season for the four Welsh teams in the United Rugby Championship – unless the Ospreys can squeeze into the play-offs.

But for Warren Gatland, Richard Whiffin and Filo Tiatia watching from the stands, it won’t be so much about who comes out on top, but more about the performances they see.

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It will be the last chance for Wales head coach Gatland to run the rule over the last few candidates for his summer squad, which is due to be announced on Monday, 3 June. Wales play South Africa at Twickenham on 22 June and then head to Australia for a tour that takes in two Tests and a game against Queensland.

For Wales U20 coach Whiffin, who takes his squad to South Africa next month for the World Rugby U20 Championship, the games will give him the chance to assess the progression and fitness of players like Ryan Woodman, Lucas de la Rua, Morgan Morse and Macs Page.

They are all penciled in for the trip to South Africa and Whiffin will be pleased to see last year’s skipper, Woodman, now fully fit and firing after overcoming a thumb injury.

“It’s great to see those players have filtered into the regional teams and Ryan has come back well from his injury. He made an impact for the Dragons against the Ospreys last week,” said Whiffin.

“It was sad for him that he missed the U20 Six Nations and a good block of rugby, but the upside for him was that he was able to use it to fit in a massive physical development programme. He’s put on a few kilos and he is ready to make an impact in South Africa.

“Macs has developed really well this season playing alongside some good players at Llandovery and learning from playing senior men’s rugby. He made a huge impact with the Drovers and became their biggest strike player.”

Those players involved in Judgement Day, and still eligible for the U20 team, have been included in an initial 44 strong training squad. That will be whittled down to 30 next month.

While Whiffin is concerned about the ‘here and now’, next season’s Dragons defence coach Tiatia will be in the Welsh capital this weekend to take a live view on what he will have to work with later in the year.

Tiatia started his coaching journey at the Ospreys before returning to his old Japanese club, Toyota Verblitz. He became head coach there after only a year and he also serve d as the head coach at the Super Rugby side, the Sunwolves.

He became an assistant coach to the Japan national team and has also worked as forwards coach for Moana Pasifika and Auckland Rugby.

“Filo is coming to watch the game against the Scarlets at Judgement Day to take a look at the players. It’s not an officially visit, but it will be a great chance for him to see what he’s got to work with,” said Dragons head coach, Dai Flanagan.

“I love what he can bring to us, not just in terms of coaching the defence, but also culturally. The standards he’ll set, and the expectations he’ll have, he’s a winner,” said Dragons head coach, Flanagan.

“When he was at the Ospreys, they won, and wherever he’s gone, he’s been there to win. That creates expectation.

“He’s a family man who treats people really well, and he’s a very calm human being. He firmly believes that you have to earn what you get.

“We need to go out and earn some stuff now because in the last few years we probably haven’t earned too much. We need to restart on that.”

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