Discarded players

Jonathan Thomas and Andy Powell are two experienced Wales back-row players Jonathan Thomas, Andy Powell and Richie Rees have been omitted from Wales' World Cup training preparations, BBC Sport Wales understands.

The three will not be making the trip to Poland on Saturday with the rest of coach Warren Gatland's squad for the last of two 10-day training camps.

Ken Owens, Lou Reed and Andrew Bishop will also be left behind.

But Stephen Jones, who missed the first training camp for the birth of his first child, will be travelling.

Gatland selected an initial 45-man training squad, but the Wales coach has trimmed the numbers down to 35 as he takes the players for a second week of intense training in Spala.

Thomas' omission comes after the versatile Ospreys forward played in all but one of the Six Nations matches last season, and played the full 80 minutes in the autumn internationals against Australia, South Africa and Fiji.

The 28-year-old, who has won 66 caps, was a stalwart of the 2008 Grand Slam team.

Rees, 28, was suspended for the whole Six Nations campaign, but the Cardiff Blues scrum-half started two games in the 2010 tournament.

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The camp has been tough mentally and physically, but the next challenge will then be to perform on the pitch

Wales prop Gethin Jenkins

Powell has not featured since starting against England in the 19-26 defeat to England in last season's Six Nations opener.

Of the other three to be omitted, only centre Andrew Bishop has been capped.

Wales are carrying a number of injured players in the training squad, with Leigh Halfpenny's ankle injury of particular concern for Gatland.

But prop Gethin Jenkins, who missed the entire 2011 Six Nations campaign after having foot surgery, is approaching full fitness and hoping to return for the three warm-up games against England (twice) and Argentina in August.

"It's important for our final preparation, to get a place in that squad and to get a place on the plane, to do well in Poland," Jenkins said.

"We want to be at our fittest and most powerful, but we also know that unless we can play rugby as well it won't matter a jot.

"The camp has been tough mentally and physically, but the next challenge will then be to perform on the pitch.

"We will be strong and fit, but we need to convert that into performing in games.

"There is only so much you can learn about a rugby player from a fitness test and these games against England and Argentina will be the opportunity for the coaches to assess the players in a match.

"Those Tests will be the acid tests. Hopefully, if I get my chance, it will go well and I can go to the World Cup, but I'm not taking anything for granted."

After the three warm-up Tests, Gatland must name his 30-man squad for September's World Cup in New Zealand by 22 August.

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