Rugby Union: Henry's summer jaunt into high-risk country

ALTHOUGH THE Rugby World Cup is still more than five months away, the serious business starts now as various countries begin what they laughingly call their warm-up matches. For "warm" read "red hot" because no one is going to be holding back. Scotland, who are off to the South Pacific, and Wales, who fly to Argentina today, are facing action in areas where grievous bodily harm is an ever-present risk. England, Ireland and France have also got formidable dates Down Under.

It is not only the Five Nations teams who are afraid of the consequences of this bruising build-up. I was in Australia last week and apprehension about the effects on squad strength of no-holds-barred matches are just as strong.

I spoke to the Australian stars John Eales and Andy Slack about their forthcoming programme and while they are convinced of the value of a tough preparation schedule for the World Cup they are also well aware of the dangers. And, don't forget, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa will all face the formidable Tri-Nations tournament during July and August.

You can be sure that there will be no let-up in the usual intensity of that series and it will be a vital form yardstick because the team who win will hit the World Cup running. But in fact the psychological victory that would bring might not be as important as which players end up in the treatment room. In many ways, the countries that already have key players on the injured list may prove to be the most fortunate. The players will get a good rest and their replacements will receive some valuable experience.

As it happens, the Wallabies do have a few long-term casualties at the moment. Steve Larkham, their top outside-half, comes into this category with an injured knee that will take some time to mend and Eales himself has a damaged shoulder that might keep him out of action for a while.

But injury problems are no excuse for being half-hearted about the games which are coming up between now and October - and this is a point that is being hammered home by the Wales coach, Graham Henry, as he takes his team off to Argentina today. Even though Wales lack the strength in depth of most of their rivals, they cannot afford to relax the effort that has brought so much progress over the past year.

The victories over France and England in the Five Nations were great confidence-boosters and wiped out a few bad memories. But I am sure that Henry will remind his touring party that the last three Welsh trips have been disastrous, and they have been slaughtered all round the world. Argentina may not have the pedigree of those other destinations but we can be assured that the physical challenge will be brutal and the pressure intense.

Henry has been developing a pattern of play that suits his players and has the ability to vary his tactics to suit the opposition. He knows that against most countries the Welsh cannot compete physically up front but he compensates by creating quick ball and making swift and sure use of it. If they can sharpen up this way of playing against the forward power of the Argentines, the tour will be beneficial. If they can return without loading the plane with too much plaster of Paris it will be a double success.

For all their success in Paris and at Wembley, Wales have to improve the quality and depth of their squad. There are some encouraging pointers, for not only did the first team finish up in winning form, the A team won their Grand Slam and the Under-21s also did very well. There is confidence coming through the lower ranks and this tour could further that development.

Henry is taking 37 players on this trip and he warned them before they left that no one is guaranteed a game. With only three matches outside the two Tests, opportunities will be limited so that when a player gets a chance he has to take it with both hands.

The coach has promised that his selection for the Test will be made purely on tour form and not on reputations, so that gives a big incentive to players who have recently slipped out of the reckoning such as the stand-off Arwel Thomas, hooker Jonathan Humphries, second-row Andy Moore, prop David Young and centre Allan Bateman. The better these players perform, the stronger the squad will be.

The real advantages of a tour like this are that a coach can study at first hand the attitude, depth of resilience and hunger for success of his players. This makes even the training sessions important and it would not surprise me if one or two fringe players came back with their chances of a World Cup place very much improved. Part of Henry's strength as a coach is the open mind he brings to job. He will bring back a better squad than he left with - the main worry is how many will still be in one piece.