Dragons coach questions Mike Ruddock

Australian Chris Anderson coaches the Dragons for whom lanky Luke Charteris plays. Anderson has attacked Mike Ruddock, the Welsh coach, for picking Charteris for Wales.

Anderson accused Ruddock of cheapening the value of an international cap by picking a player before he had started in a Heineken Cup or Celtic League match for the Dragons.

"You need to earn the right to wear your country's jersey. I don't think you earn that right because you are 6ft 10in," Anderson told the Western Mail.

"I don't think that rests easily with all the other blokes who are trying to make the Welsh side. There has to be a selection criteria where you should be playing rugby for your regional side to qualify for you a Welsh cap.

"There are blokes, week in, week out, trying to do the best they can for a Welsh cap and here is a bloke who is not playing, walking into it. I don't think that is a healthy situation for anyone."

When asked if Charteris should be picked for Wales's opening Six Nations match against England, Anderson said simply: "No."

Charteris has not played any rugby since injuring his toe against Romania on November 10. The Saturday before he won his first cap when he came on as a replacement. Against Romania he started for Wales for the first time.

Anderson said of Charteris's future: "I hope he plays for us and earns the right to make the Six Nations. I hope he gets seven games in for us before that." The coach finds it incomprehensible that a toe injury can keep a player off the field for more than a month.

Ruddock said in reply: "In the case of Luke, I was at the Dragons for a whole season as head coach and he really impressed me.

"He earned the jersey if you look at him in terms of playing for Wales at Under-21 level, but also for the way he trained and conducted himself, and the potential he showed through that whole year.

"He can take opposition line-out ball. He can scrummage strongly and catch kick-offs."