Dwayne Peel has won 64 Wales international caps

Dwayne Peel has been given an 11th hour call-up to Wales' Six Nations squad due to an injury scare to Gareth Cooper.

Wales coach Warren Gatland caused a shock when he omitted the Sale Sharks scrum-half from his initial squad.

But Cooper aggravated a knee injury in training and may miss the tournament's opening two rounds and Peel reports to the Wales camp on Tuesday.

Mike Phillips is likely to start as Wales' scrum-half in their opener in Scotland with Peel as cover.

Peel reacted to his omission from Warren Gatland's squad by scoring a fine solo try to help Sale beat Clermont Auvergne 26-17 in the Heineken Cup before vowing "to do my talking on the pitch".

606: DEBATE Does Dwayne Peel deserve his call into the Wales squad?

Ospreys star Phillips and Gloucester's Cooper were chosen ahead of for Scarlets man Peel in Gatland's initial 28-man squad for Wales' Grand Slam defence, which starts at Murrayfield on Sunday, 8 February.

Wales assistant coach Rob Howley bemoaned Peel's "limited amount" of rugby this term after the scrum-half's big-money move from the Scarlets to Edgeley Park last summer.

Peel had shared Sale's number nine jersey with England international Richard Wigglesworth has, who has only started two successive matches once.

But the 64-times international has been given an international recall but Cooper remains in the Wales squad.

A Welsh Rugby Union statement confirmed: "Cooper picked up a knee injury in training on Saturday and is currently undergoing assessment and treatment.

"With only two scrum-halves in his 28-strong squad, Gatland has asked Peel to join the group next week as they build towards the game in Edinburgh."

Wales fear Cooper could miss the first two Six Nations games while Peel starts for Sale in their Guinness Premiership match at Worcester before linking up with his international colleagues.

Peel was one of the few Lions tourists to return with their reputation unscathed from the unsuccessful trip to New Zealand in 2005.

The two-time Grand Slam winner started all three Lions Test defeats against the All Blacks and was expected to join fellow number nines Phillips and Scotland's Mike Blair on this year's tour to South Africa.

Forwards (16): Gethin Jenkins, John Yapp, Adam Jones, Rhys Thomas, Matthew Rees, Huw Bennett, Ian Gough, Alun Wyn Jones, Luke Charteris, Bradley Davies, Ryan Jones (capt), Jonathan Thomas, Dafydd Jones, Andy Powell, Martyn Williams, Robin Sowden-Taylor.

Backs (13): Mike Phillips, Gareth Cooper, Dwayne Peel, Stephen Jones, James Hook, Gavin Henson, Andrew Bishop, Jamie Roberts, Tom Shanklin, Shane Williams, Leigh Halfpenny, Mark Jones, Lee Byrne.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version