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Jamie Roberts names 3 Welsh Lions standouts with message for rookies

Jamie Roberts during the International Test match between the Australian Wallabies and British & Irish Lions at ANZ Stadium on July 6, 2013 in Sydney, Australia.

“I’m speaking from experience.” A 21-year-old Jamie Roberts started the 2008 season with just three Wales caps to his name. He ended the season a British and Irish Lions player of the series. If anyone knows what a difference a year can make, the Welsh great does.

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So, with Warren Gatland selecting 15 players with five caps or fewer for Wales’ Autumn Nations Series, there are many that find themselves in the same position that Roberts, a two-time Lions tourist, did heading into the autumn of 2008.

The 97-cap international therefore has a message to those players with the Lions tour of Australia on the horizon: “It can all change very, very quickly.” While he returned from South Africa in 2009 recognised as one of the most destructive centres in the game, it is easy to forget that Roberts was only just establishing himself as an inside centre at the beginning of that season, let alone a Test player.

Speaking to RugbyPass recently, the 37-year-old discussed the change in atmosphere in a Lions year, while singling out which compatriots he believes are likely to make Andy Farrell’s squad come the end of the season. While Wales, without a Test win in 2024, do not appear to be in a position where swathes of players will be sporting another red jersey in 2025, Roberts has three in mind.

Flanker Jac Morgan, scrum-half Tomos Williams and hooker Dewi Lake are the three that “stand out” to the former centre, who described the Ospreys’ Morgan as “truly one of our world-class players.” But he had plenty of words of encouragement for Gatland’s rookies who may feel a Lions tour is nothing more than a pipe dream.

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“I think Dewi Lake is in that conversation, a wonderful player who’s shown some great form” TNT Sports pundit Roberts said, adding “those are the three that stand out now.

“Dare I say it, but a couple of these two-cap lads can have a huge impact. I’m speaking from experience there. I had three caps going into the autumn of 2008 ahead of the Lions in 2009, it can all change very, very quickly.

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“Warren will make sure he makes his players aware of that to these young lads- go out there, put your hand up, keep the jersey.”

But Roberts was quick to stress that it is a collective effort which will see Wales well represented in Australia next year, so arresting their nine-match Test losing streak will be of paramount importance over the next month with visits from Fiji, Australia and South Africa.

“You don’t do this enough alone,” he added. “You do it as part of a collective, you do it as part of a good side, playing well in a good side. So it’s definitely a carrot there for the players, but they have to do it together and it’s a great motivation for the lads.

“It gets me super excited, in those Lions years there’s always an extra motivation, every session, whether in the gym or on the pitch, there’s extra motivation because you know the reward that’s potentially on offer.”

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Related

Every match of 2024 Autumn Nations Series is exclusively live on TNT Sports and discovery+ Watch The Autumn Nations Rugby Show, free-to-air on Quest every Thursday at 10pm

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J
JW 1 hour ago
'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

Well a) poor French results doesn’t seem to effect the situation much. In fact one of the reasons given for this selection policy is that the French don’t tune in for foreign rugby content on the other side of the world, at a time when theyre not having their vino. So who would know the results? And b) this is the crux of the matter, they are legally abided to play them as part of WRs tier 1 reciprocal tours programme. The only real choice for the SH team is to treat it the same, which is fine when teams are happy to do that, but the AB’s have a totally anthesis policy/mentality so would never use the games in the same way.


So alligned with b) the only real option is to complain to those in control. I suspect that’s why weve seen France reneging on the practice, and you can only be left to think that if they hadn’t reneged, WR would have done something more drastic about it. Which of course would mean not just telling them to bugger off when they want to tour, it’s no one playing them (from t1 at least) at all (assuming they have no interest in scheduling match’s outside the windows, like Ireland and NZ are doing).


Then of course that means no involvement of France in the Nations Championship. Which means they are automatically the last ranked team in 6N to qualify, so the actual worst team in 6N gets to compete in it, making a mockery of the promotion and relegation WR wanted to happen between T1 and T2 for qualifying purposes. Yup, b) is just something nobody wants to happen. Well done FFR and LNR for making the tour work instead (how well is yet to be seen).

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