Wales' cross-border reconnaissance would have made the Viet Cong proud
There is a frisson of excitement preceding any squad announcement for the Six Nations, but it has been amplified for Wales by the fact they have a new coaching set-up for the first time since 2008.
After late November’s handy dress-rehearsal against the Barbarians, Wayne Pivac knows the rules have changed for his next assignment. His picks will be pored over by an expectant public, with precious little patience for ‘squad building and blooding new players’.
With that in mind, RugbyPass are joining the melee and offering their considered view on the 38-man squad primed to defend Wales’ Six Nations title…
Thank you, England…
Yes, we’re being generous if we say the Welsh enjoy a wholly cordial rivalry with their rivals over the border, but they have in truth much to thank their neighbours for. Clearly, their selections suggest in recent months the Welsh have been conducting cross-border reconnaissance that would have made the Viet Cong proud.
The talent ID corps deserve credit for unearthing Will Rowlands and Nick Tompkins, while Sale’s mammoth tighthead WillGriff John has been plucked from the northern heartlands after taking a circuitous route to Test rugby. With regard to Tomkins, such was Wales’ head-scrambling crisis in midfield that there could be a hastily erected statue to ‘Granny Enid’ in Wrexham town centre if he realises the potential he has shown at Saracens.
(Continue reading below…)
Wayne Pivac announces his Wales Six Nations squad
Those data-driven boffins at OPTA have informed us that the centre tops the charts for tries, metres carried and defenders beaten in the Gallagher Premiership since 2018 and it appears to be a genuine steal from under Eddie Jones’ nose. A life post-Jonathan Davies has to be considered and stiff competition for Owen Watkin will prove beneficial.
In the engine room, Rowlands is the Oxford-educated bolter. At over 19st, the 6ft 8in lock tackles himself to exhaustion and has the sort of size that sees him stoop under doorways. Interestingly, he is a player Pivac has tracked since 2015 and at 28, he will be vying with the likes of Jake Ball, Adam Beard and Cory Hill to fill the cavernous Alun-Wyn Jones-sized hole ahead of France 2023.
Welcome back old friends…
For all the hoopla generated by jet-heeled back-three players in the squad – something we’ll get to that later – the inclusion of a Mr T Faletau and Mr R Webb is timely. It’s over two years since both players represented their country in tandem, and it should be noted that Faletau and Webb dovetailed beautifully at the base of the scrum.
Memories of Webb skirting around the English cover defence in 2015 at the Principality Stadium, after Faletau had scooped up a ball from a retreating scrum, are still fresh in the memory. The pair possess that coveted intangible – X-factor – and while the returning No9 has been usurped by Tomos Williams and Gareth Davies while on French leave, Faletau’s absence has been more keenly felt.
Bernard Lemaitre picking up where Mourad Boudjellal left off at RCT. https://t.co/eBZCcT1eLA
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 5, 2020
There is simply no back row with the multitude of skills he possesses – whether it’s roaming the wide channels, working the feet with short carries around the fringes or felling willing runners. There’s precious little the No8 can’t do. For many, he will be the most important name in the Welsh squad.
Webb, for his part, will have been enticed back into Test rugby for a reason knowing he has an almighty battle to pull on the Welsh shirt again and it will only lift standards. Wales’ scrum-half depth will be the envy of the tournament.
Bringing sexy back…
You’d have to possess a stone heart not to be lifted by the inclusion of Louis Rees-Zammit. The fleet-footed 18-year-old has been lifting bums off seats in Gloucester with regularity this season, scoring nine tries, and while Pivac may have agonised over whether to include him at such a tender age, he has given in to temptation.
The good thing for Wales is Zammit isn’t the only crowd-pleaser included. Josh Adams is in white-hot form, Johnny McNicholl has the skills to raise the heartbeat and the timely return from injury of Owen Williams has seen a gifted playmaker furnishing the ranks.
Wayne Pivac insists England's interest in the 18-year-old had no influence on Wales' decision to pick him https://t.co/SelJAuUeVM
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 15, 2020
With Tomos Williams a livewire box-of-tricks and Dan Biggar playing some of the best attacking rugby of his career with Northampton, the squad has no shortage of flair. You could say it is a pronounced departure from the Gatland era and very much has the stamp of a Pivac and Stephen Jones production.
While Wales’ cutting edge seems promising, a word of caution is required. It remains to be seen how watertight Wales will be in defence and questions marks remain how the squad will function without its anchor Tomas Francis at the helm.
How Byron Hayward and Jonathan Humphreys replicate the stellar work of Shaun Edwards and Robin McBryde will go some way to determining whether Wales retain their Six Nations title.
Evolution not revolution…
Any new World Cup cycle is met with a raft of new faces with the French, as usual, taking the lead with 19 uncapped call-ups. For Wales, there was simply no need to disassemble a squad that had reached the semi-finals of the World Cup three months earlier.
The likes of Rees-Zammit, Owen Lane, Aaron Wainwright and Rhys Carre are all 22 or under but Pivac’s pragmatic side will know that the Six Nations is a secular beast and momentum is key.
“The most frustrating thing (under Gatland) was that I had never been told why I wasn’t a part of the squad."
– @chrisjonespress talks to @WillGriffJ ??????? #sixnations https://t.co/rhoKZCJxqt
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 15, 2020
For that reason, it will be reassuring that Wales have an experienced spine of Ken Owens, Jones, Justin Tipuric, Biggar and Leigh Halfpenny in the squad to give quiet assurance in times of duress that will undoubtedly come against England and Ireland, far away from the home comforts of Cardiff.
While some of those stalwarts may not make France in 2023, they still have every motivation to excel for Wales with the Lions tour to South Africa only 17 months away.
Gone but not forgotten…
Without divulging specifics, Pivac said that he had made nine calls to players left out of the squad. You would be surprised if the likes of Steff Evans and Sam Davies weren’t on that list. Both have reason to feel hard done by, given their form this season.
For the likes of Nicky Smith, Aled Davies and Samson Lee, alarm bells will be ringing at their exclusion, given indifferent form and the quality that has replaced them. Unlike Scotland and France, who have had a raft of retirements, Wales’ age-profile is strong.
England fans can't fathom why Nick Tompkins has been allowed to get picked up by their Wales rivals https://t.co/BJ09qf9Jbp
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 15, 2020
While you’d be surprised to see Bradley Davies wearing red again, Wales still have players of genuine quality like James Davies, Ellis Jenkins, Thomas Young and Ollie Griffiths who could come again while first-team regulars Jonathan Davies, Gareth Anscombe and Francis all have enough quality to feature prominently in Wales’ journey towards 2023. For Wales, hope abounds.
The RugbyPass 23 for the Italian opener
15. Johnny McNicholl; 14. Louis Rees-Zammit, 13. Nick Tomkins, 12. Hadleigh Parkes, 11. Josh Adams; 10. Dan Biggar, 9. Tomos Williams; 1. Wyn Jones, 2. Ken Owens, 3. Dillon Lewis, 4. Jake Ball, 5. Alun-Wyn Jones, 6. Aaron Wainwright, 7. Justin Tipuric, 8. Taulupe Faletau. Reps: 16. Rob Evans, 17. Elliot Dee, 18. WillGriff John, 19. Cory Hill, 20. Josh Navidi, 21. Gareth Davies, 22. Owen Williams, 23. Leigh Halfpenny.
WATCH: RugbyPass have made something truly special with the Barbarians rugby team
Comments on RugbyPass
Says much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
4 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
23 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
10 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
78 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
23 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
10 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
3 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
16 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
23 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
23 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments