Brent Cockbain Q&A

Brent Cockbain Wales lock

Ospreys and Lions second-row Brent Cockbain is on the Wales bench for the game with France in Paris.

He took a break from unpacking his bag in his Rome hotel room to answer some of your questions.

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Do you think we need another fighter on the floor like Colin Charvis to ensure more possession?
Dave Edwards, Exiled in Somerset

New Zealand really exposed a lot of team when came over to the Northern Hemisphere in the autumn and gave us all a few lessons.

Everyone now is really focused on counter-rucking and the contact area so it's becoming one of the most competitive aspects of modern rugby.

Most of the guys are scrappers in this team and it's often down to a bit of luck and the bounce of the ball in those situations.

We didn't get that against France or Ireland, and that was more of a factor than having someone scrapping for the ball on the floor.

Good to see you back in Red Brent! After seeing some BIG hits being put in the last few matches I was wondering who tackles hardest in the Wales team? My guess is it between Alix Popham, Goughy and you. Am I right?!
Rod Williams, 24, Cardiff

Oh I don't know about that. Ian Gough is a very good tackler, so is Alix and Ryan Jones puts in some good hits. Gethin Jenkins puts himself about as well.

The forwards are all solid players, but I don't think anyone stands out as massive hitter at the moment.

Hold on, Mike Phillips, my room-mate, is putting his hand up to say he's a big hitter! I'll let you be the judge of that one..!

Does it smell in the scrum and which opposition team smells the worst?
Hannah Thomas, Brentwood, Essex

Well, you don't get time these days to worry about smells or even the noise in there sometimes, you just get on with the game.

It's so hard to bind down and push that you just concentrate on one thing, and that's going forward.

Hi Brent, a fact that seems to un-noticed by pundits is that we are continually giving away penalties from the lineout by pulling down mid air. Why are Wales forwards giving away stupid penalties away in that area, game after game?
Dylan Davies, 22, Loughborough Uni.

I think all team are doing the same. The lineout is becoming a very competitive area.

There is a fine line, a brief moment when you've got an opportunity to legally sack a lineout when the jumper lands back on his feet.

The driving lineout is an effective weapon these days and we do our best to try to nullify that, especially against a team like Italy.

We are very keen to stop teams gaining momentum from a lineout so I guess that's why we seem to be penalised.

What kind of a reception do you think you'll have in the Stadio Flaminio considering Italian rugby is buzzing after the win over Scotland?
Gareth James, 33, Hope

We haven't had much opportunity to go out and sample the atmosphere around Rome, or read the newspapers.

But I'm sure there'll be a carnival feeling in the stadium before the game on Saturday and we'll have a pretty hostile reception.

Italy would expect the same if they were coming to Wales and we know what to expect.

We had great success in 2005 when we last played out here so we've won't have any fears about going out there to play.

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