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Head coach Wayne Pivac believes that the “wealth of experience” Dan Biggar has will be a key ingredient when he captains Wales in this season’s Guinness Six Nations championship. The Wales boss has appointed Northampton fly-half Biggar to lead his country’s title defence, taking over from an injured Alun Wyn Jones.
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Jones, the most-capped Test player in rugby union history, is among a number of high-profile absentees from Pivac’s 36-man squad for the tournament. Jones’ fellow British and Irish Lions George North, Leigh Halfpenny, Ken Owens, Josh Navidi, Justin Tipuric and Taulupe Faletau also miss out due to injuries.
It has left the Wales boss turning to Biggar, who has won 95 caps during a 13-year international career and started all three Lions Tests against South Africa last summer, for this Six Nations. “We have lost 680 caps (to injury) and that is a lot of experience gone,” Pivac said. “Dan brings a wealth of experience, a wealth of experience in this competition.
“Also, we are looking at form, at players who are competing in different positions, and the captain has to have a guaranteed position in the team bolted on. Dan, at the moment, is the form ten, and there is a lot of competition in the other positions. We have gone with Dan. He brings that experience. It [captaincy] will add to Dan’s game.
“It is well-documented that Dan is a highly-motivated player, he is very competitive and he speaks his mind. We don’t want to change him as a competitive player. We want him to take on the role as a captain and the duties that go with that with referees.”
Recent injury scare Dupont back in the French mix#France #SixNations
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The squad includes three uncapped players in hooker Dewi Lake, his Ospreys colleague Jac Morgan and Cardiff number eight James Ratti. Flanker Ross Moriarty, who has not played since the autumn due to a shoulder problem, makes the group and is on course to feature for his regional team the Dragons a week before Wales’ February 5 Six Nations opener against Ireland in Dublin.
Pivac added: “We are in close contact with the clubs and their medical teams. Ross is on track to play, not this weekend as the Dragons don’t play, but the following weekend. He will be released from camp to get a game under his belt, and if he comes through that then obviously he will be available for selection for Ireland.”
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Jones, meanwhile, has undergone two shoulder operations since being hurt during Wales’ Autumn Nations Series opener against New Zealand in October. Hooker Owens has a back problem, Tipuric and Navidi have shoulder issues, North and Halfpenny are recovering from knee injuries and Faletau has not played this season because of ankle trouble.
When injuries are added to a number of coronavirus-related cancellations and postponements – the four Welsh regions have only played 17 games between them in eight weeks – it has been far from a straightforward Six Nations build-up. “Preparing this squad is going to be the most challenging for us to date. Just selecting the squad was an interesting exercise,” Pivac said.
“It is well-documented with the Covid cases in clubs and being stuck in South Africa (as Cardiff and the Scarlets were), it hasn’t been ideal for a lot of players. I know they have been doing a lot of hard work behind the scenes, and we will be doing our best over the first few weeks to put as much volume into them as we can without breaking them.
“It’s a fine balance. We have got to get them up to playing Test rugby, and we know that takes a bit of work. Those players, through no fault of their own, have been put in that situation. So it is working together with the clubs, making sure we have got the right information about them in terms of the selection we have made, and we will see where we go from there.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
Great article. No insights to add, just wanted to say that. :)
1 Go to commentsLeinster are going to win the world cup.
13 Go to commentsSuper Rugby desperately needs to lose at least 2, but up to 4 teams. Rebels quietly going bankrupt would have made that a bit easier. Teams like the Rebels and Force serve only to weaken Australian Rugby and Super Rugby more widely. In 13 years in the comp the Rebels are yet to win more games than they lose in a season, have never finished in the top half of the competition, and have come dead last a number of times. The Western Force, barring a brief stint of mediocrity under John Mitchell from 2007-2009 have been even worse. Sadly it’s hard to see a future for Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby. Likewise I think the writing is on the wall for the Highlanders, it’s hard to see how NZ rugby can continue to support 5 SR teams, and population distribution suggests one team in the south island would make the most sense.
42 Go to commentsNice that Connor Evans is happy to stay on here, that JD Schikerling is returning and Steven Kitshoff. Dobbo is careful to bring back just anybody but having a new financial lease of life, it has made the Stormers a more attractive club. On top of being good quality, having the financial backing helps a lot
1 Go to commentsEngland-qualified too, I believe.
1 Go to commentsThis might turn out to be emblematic of a real issue in Irish rugby. Ireland have one of the best -if not the best - senior sides in the world, and one of the best under 20s sides as well, but don’t seem to be giving graduating under20s players many opportunities to break through into URC starting lineups. There is a risk that a lot of the junior talent they are developing will either be wasted, or lost to other nations.
1 Go to commentsYou ask good questions, Nick. The group who have put together the proposal to play out of Tarneit and participate in the growing of the ground’s capacity are not a bunch of white knights who have been dragged in post-crisis; they were around whilst the Rebels accummulated $23m in debt. Why do we come up with ideas that might make the franchise affordable after it’s broke and not when it might have prevented the trainwreck this offseason was? As for Gordon/Kellaway v Lolesio/Wright, they are both good options. I think the former are better rugby players but the goal kicking of Noah may be decisive when Schmiddy makes his choices. I know Harry Jones has the hots for Edmed but I think it’s one of his few poor choices and he and Jorgensen aren’t close to the other pairs. By coincidence, the wife and I went into town over the weekend to watch Brian Cox and Patricia Clarkson in Long Day’s Journey into Night. Beautifully acted but it was 3.5 hours in the chair and very hard work. Like the Rebels, there were only small bursts of joy to go with a lot of bad news and a depressing story line. In the end, I was hoping it would end and I could give my sore butt a break. Again, familiar.
42 Go to commentsGood decision, very good player but not international quality. But so was Jamison Gibson Park …..
3 Go to commentsLoose forwards always look good going forward and winning. It’s the same loose forwards for the Crusaders and the Canes this year as last year. Too much of the shiny new things getting noticed here while older consistent ones getting bagged. It’s early days. Calm the farm.
6 Go to commentsThanks Nick, and on the money. We tend to be apathetic until something REALLY BAD happens, then we aren't! At least this applies to the Reb players and coach, if not the spectators. They seem to be getting very quick ball at times. Have they altered something, or is it just all of the skills coming together at the right time? It seems almost the opposite of the Reds, who started the season with quick ball, but haven't been showing that in the last 3 losing games. Is it attitude (McDermott hasn't looked “right” to me for 3 weeks), or something else?
42 Go to commentsGood summary. As said, Sevu Reece has been electrifying for the Crusaders. Great try and he has been everywhere. Amazing he is now equal with Caleb Ralph , club record of 52 tries for the Crusaders. That record beckons. Good to see Dallas McLeod getting regular starts at last. A big few weeks are ahead.
6 Go to commentsGood article/interview.As was said Christian Lio-Willie was barnstorming when he came on for the Crusaders. What happened at the end, self-explanatory.Captain fantastic Scott Barrett is due back soon as well, once they are back from Aussie. Great to see Ethan Blackadder back last week.
1 Go to commentsYou must have been watching one team, Andrew - and even then you missed the brightest star in the Chiefs pack - Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 2 turnovers, genuine line-out presence and grunt around the field, and the soft hands of a back.
6 Go to commentsHaha what a crock of sh!t these headlines are. Moorby’s best year was that first. Still doesn’t seem to have the same game about him as when he was fresh but has bounced back well this season to be playing consistent tight accurate footy
3 Go to commentsIt’s even dumber than Bernard Foley not kicking the penalty to touch in the Melbourne Bledisloe in 2022.
3 Go to commentsYes, they are traveling well but it’s early days. The Chiefs were in front with 20 to go while they snatched a last minute win v the Reds. Keep calm.
1 Go to commentsThe failure of the Irish system / rugby playing style to produce their own backs has them looking elsewhere for innovation and flair - not that Jordie has much flair. He’s a converted fullback. The Canes have plenty of other younger options.
13 Go to comments1.Watch Wallace Sititi be the wild card AB. A genuine full time no 8 2. Luke J like Sotutu has not delivered. 3. Chiefs have all the right cattle but badly miss the leadership of Webber. LJ is about as unconvincing as Sam Cane when under the pump. They had the winning of that game in the second half then fell apart.
6 Go to commentsYes the Rebels are showing signs of life because they are literally playing for their live -lihoods and thanks to their Australian attack coach. However they are still playing an essentially dull boring south african style for the rest of the time. And Geoff Parling must be the most useless lineout coach ever. Worse than Steve Hansen even. Interestingly we are starting to see more cheap shots and attempts to get away with cheating by Australian players, now they are being influenced by Joe Schmidt. It was exactly the same when Rennie started out as Wallaby coach and thru his tenure. Trying to teach Australians to play like kiwis doesn’t work, as the last 20 years has conclusively demonstrated. Especially when we are not as good at it as kiwis. Which of course is the whole idea …..
42 Go to commentsGreat signing, not sure where he’ll fit in though. As for him ‘playing alongside RG Snyman, that’s highly debatable given the likelyhood that the latter will spend most of the season on sick leave.
13 Go to comments