Wales name team short on Lions

CARDIFF - Wales rugby coach Mike Ruddock has named just six of his 12 Lions tourists in the team to face the All Blacks here on Sunday (NZ time) after Dwayne Peel and Martyn Williams were confirmed non-starters today.

Captained by fullback Gareth Thomas, Wales are without half their Lions contingent either through injury or, in Williams' case, grieving over the death of his mother last weekend.

Halfback Peel was today the latest of five big injury blows, joining fellow Lions Ryan Jones, Gethin Jenkins, Gavin Henson and Tom Shanklin.

That leaves Thomas, wing Shane Williams, pivot Stephen Jones, No 8 Michael Owen, lock Brent Cockbain and reserve halfback Gareth Cooper in the side from those who toured New Zealand with the Lions this year.

Thomas, who led the Lions in the second and third tests of the 0-3 series whitewash in July, will captain Wales for the eighth time in his 84th test.

A notable returnee is veteran Colin Charvis, who will take Martyn Williams' No 7 jersey to mark All Blacks debutante Chris Masoe.

Charvis, 33, missed last season's Six Nations won by Wales due to injury, but returns for his 78th test.

Despite their injury woes the team still have an experienced look, with Cardiff halfback Michael Phillips, with six tests to his name, the only starter with less than 15 tests.

Hooker Mefin Davies, prop Adam Jones, lock Rob Sidoli, Cockbain and Owen in the forwards, and Stephen Jones and Shane Williams in the backs, figured in all of Wales' Six Nations matches last season.

Two newcomers are on the reserves bench -- newly qualified English-based prop Chris Horsman, who today likened playing rugby for Wales to playing soccer for Brazil, and Llanelli back Lee Byrne.

If Ruddock was gloomy over the absence of his six frontliners he was not showing it today as Wales shoot for their ninth consecutive victory.

"We're very upbeat, very optimistic. We've got a strong squad, a lot of strength in depth," he said.

"In the ideal world we'd like to have all those players available but we're very focused and very up for the challenge.

"It's a difficult week for us, we've had a European Cup round at the weekend, we've had some players training and some guys on recovery sessions ... but we've got to pull it together.

"We'll take confidence from our last eight wins on the trot, we'll take confidence that we pushed New Zealand last season, we're playing in Cardiff in front of 75,000 people, and we'll take confidence from our mindset."

The All Blacks scraped home 26-25 here a year ago.

Wales:
Gareth Thomas (captain), Kevin Morgan, Mark Taylor, Ceri Sweeney, Shane Williams, Stephen Jones, Michael Phillips, Michael Owen, Colin Charvis, Jonathan Thomas, Robert Sidoli, Brent Cockbain, Adam Jones, Mefin Davies, Duncan Jones.

Reserves:
Rhys Thomas, Chris Horsman, Luke Charteris, Robin Sowden-Taylor, Gareth Cooper, Nicky Robinson, Lee Byrne.

- NZPA