Geoffrey Riddle / 02 February 2010 Free Bet View Market

Visitors to the Millenium Stadium tend to come out kicking. That' something Warren Gatland hasn't quite got to grips with yet.

"We've just got to cope with the amount of kicking that teams do against us," Gatland admitted ruefully. "I think Australia kicked 100 per cent more than we did that day." New Zealand statistically kicked more ball away, as well, which perhaps goes some way to explaining why Wales have significantly increased their possession ratio over the last 12 months.

There are several reasons why teams have begun to kick significantly against the Welsh. Firstly, it is a malaise that seems to have affected the whole of rugby in Europe, but more importantly it is because Wales pose such a devastating counter-attacking threat.

The inquiry into the Osprey's fielding one player too many against Leicester in the Heineken Cup bids to deprive Gatland of Lee Byrne, the marvellously incisive full-back. If Byrne does miss out, then Gatland could well revert to playing James Hook in the No.15 jersey.

Hook was sensational at full-back against Samoa in the autumn, slicing through the Pacific Islanders like a razor. He covered over twice the amount of metres with the ball than any other Welsh player that night, although his performance at inside centre for the Ospreys against Leicester impressed Gatland. He said: "I was very pleased by how he played at the weekend. Some of the skills he showed certainly give us another option there."

Hook's Ospreys teammate Dan Biggar is ready to step in at 12, should, as expected, Stephen Jones continue at fly-half. The rumour mill has been whispering that the destructive Lions centre Jamie Roberts may well be shunted out to 13, but whichever way you look at it, with Leigh Halfpenny and Shane Williams lurking out wide, it is no wonder teams want to play a territorial strategy against the fire-breathing Dragons.

The real issue with Gatland's side, however, is in defence. The lauded skills of defensive coach Shaun Edwards yielded just two tries in Wales's Grand Slam-winning season - a tournament record. And yet in last year's tournament Wales leaked seven tries, finishing a disappointing fourth. They have conceded at least a try a game in their last seven matches, with the All Blacks skipping over the tryline five times. It's a serious concern.

On the positive side, Wales welcome back their Lions prop Adam 'Bomb' Jones from injury, and skipper Ryan Jones couldn't be happier at having the tight-head back in the squad. "It's good to have 'bomb' back," Jones said: "You can't win Test matches without set pieces, and he brings a certain stability to our scrum."

Gatland was quick to interject, and highlighted that Adam Jones was in the best shape he has been for a long time. "He's a player with a number of years left on the clock. In the last couple of years he's dropped something like 13-15kgs, which has helped his mobility and performance around the field. I'm not sure about his haircut though, but he's great."

Wales's last Grand Slam in 2008 was played out with the fixture list set out as it is this year. Lions scrum-half Mike Phillips apart, they have few major injuries and there will be punters who believe that the [5.8] about Gatland's side winning the Championship is value, particularly if Edwards can sort out the defence in time.