The new Wales head coach is convinced the decision he took to leave behind 21 senior players, many of who were carrying injuries, will bear fruit in the future as he builds towards the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
“Seeing what I saw in Argentina, and knowing the players we left behind, I feel we can be more competitive than we have been for a long time,” said Jenkins. “I think we will see the benefit of the decisions made this summer when we going into the Invesco Perpetual Series in the autumn and the 2007 RBS Six Nations championship.
“This summer’s tour was always going to be an investment in the future and, having had a few days to reflect on the trip, I still made the right decision not to take a group of 21 players. Those players we left behind will be physically refreshed and stronger for the rest. Some of them had gone four summers without having a proper pre-season training programme.
“We have definitely identified candidates for next year’s Rugby World Cup, and I believe that more than 10 of these players will figure in the 2011 plans.”
Having reflected on the series defeat in Argentina, Jenkins is convinced the first Test in Puerto Madryn should have been a victory. The second Test, however, was a different story.
“It was frustrating and disappointing to miss out on the opportunity of winning that first Test,” said Jenkins. “Argentina raised their game in the second game and we weren’t anywhere as competitive as we had been the previous weekend. What was missing were a few senior players who could manage the pressure.
“The young men we picked were gallant, but as a group they lacked experience, but what pleased me even in defeat was there was no chucking in the towel, and, even though we were second best, we were competitive to the final whistle. That showed the character of this young group of players – they refused to give in.”
Jenkins’s next assignment will be on November 4 when the Invesco Perpetual Series kicks-off with the return to the Millennium Stadium of Australia. A week later the Pacific Islands, a combined team from Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, will play their first game against Wales and Canada follow on November 17. The series concludes with the toughest Test of all, against Graham Henry’s All Blacks on November 25.
“The autumn is key to implementing our strategies with the complete group of players,” said Jenkins. “We have to build over the next 14 games and develop Welsh flair and a competitive edge. It’s a short period of time to build a team.
“The good news is that reports back from the players we left behind this summer suggest that 95% of them will be fit and raring to go at the start of the season. It looks as though only Kevin Morgan and Dafydd Jones won’t be fit by then.
“I hope that in this period before the Rugby World Cup we’re going to get two top quality players in every position competing for the Welsh Jersey. In some it will be three, which will be even better.”
