Welsh preparations for Saturday's clash with Scotland in Cardiff have been dominated by the eligibility affair involving their New Zealand-born players Shane Howarth and Brett Sinkinson which involves the nationality of their grandparents. Both players will not play against Scotland after an extraordinary few days when the Welsh have been accused of failing to check eligibility properly and have been called the laughing stock of the game.
It will be a tough task for the Welsh to ignore the controversy, particularly because of the contribution of the two Kiwis, even against a Scotland team who have yet to win this season and look anything but champions. Scotland coach Ian McGeechan has opted for Duncan Hodge in the pivotal fly-half position with Gregor Townsend moving to outside centre as he looks to stop the rot.
