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Wales shed light on why they have chosen uncapped Halaholo rather than recall popular veteran Roberts

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by Kevin Barnes/CameraSport via Getty Images)

Wales have insisted they had no qualms about including uncapped 30-year-old Willis Halaholo on their bench for this Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations away to Scotland even though it will likely lead to criticism over an overseas player who has qualified under the 36-month residency rule getting chosen ahead of veteran midfielder Jamie Roberts. 

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There had been mounting support among Wales fans in recent months claiming that the current form of Roberts, the 34-year-old last capped in November 2017, was worthy of recognition by Wayne Pivac.

However, despite Wales suffering a midfield injury crisis that has seen George North and Johnny Williams replaced in the starting line-up at Murrayfield by Owen Watkin and Nick Tompkins, Roberts missed out when Pivac called up cover in midweek, the coaching instead opting to pick Test level rookie Halaholo for his bench versus the Scots.  

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Eddie Jones on England’s non-selections of uncapped Paolo Odogwu and Harry Randall

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Eddie Jones on England’s non-selections of uncapped Paolo Odogwu and Harry Randall

Explaining the logic behind his decision, Pivac explained: “We go through loads and loads of stats, we look at a lot of footage and we look at the skillsets and the way we want to play the game and Willis was at the top of the tree.  Jamie has a power game and Willis, funnily enough, is by far the best in the collision area because of his footwork, he beats defenders and gets over the gain line so that is what we are looking to utilise. 

“Also his offloading game and I think where we haven’t been ruthless on the edges and where we haven’t created opportunities, he is very good in that department of the game, straightening up the attack and putting people into space. We think that is what we need at the moment. We had a good long chat around Jamie and I have been in touch. Jamie has contacted me and I contacted him back and he knows exactly where he sits and if we need his services.”

 

While ex-Scarlets coach Pivac would not have had any previous dealings with Roberts, who last year joined Dragons after many years of playing his club rugby outside of Wales, the New Zealander has known Halaholo for quite a considerable time as he coached the midfielder while he was part of the Auckland academy. “To get into the Auckland academy you have been identified from a young age,” said Pivac. “He was one of those players who just had fantastic feet, something that you can’t coach. He has just got natural ability and skill. 

“With Willis, it was always a matter how much he was prepared to put into the game and how hard he wanted to work and getting the work ethic required to play at the top level.  He worked hard at that over a long period of time and did well at the Hurricanes and then on the back of that getting a contract at the Blues. He has fought back from a serious injury so he has shown a lot of character there as well. He could be a special player going forward.”

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Asked might the controversial 36-month residency rule, which qualifies the Auckland-born Halaholo to play for Wales, be used as a criticism against the Cardiff player receiving his Test call-up, Pivac continued: “Hadleigh Parkes [another Kiwi who played for Wales] scored two tries on debut and everyone was pretty excited about his eligibility. 

“Willis has got fantastic feet. He has most defenders beaten, he wins most collisions out of any of the Welsh players in the middle of the field. He has got something that other players don’t have and that’s an ability to break the line, to beat defenders and a very exciting skillset which hopefully at some stage on the weekend we will get to see.   

“I’m a good one to talk to him and Toby Faletau as well. They are both Tongan boys and they are having a catch-up and talking all things Welsh rugby. I coached Willis in the Auckland academy years ago. I know him very well. He is a talented bloke. He has got a good head on his shoulders.

“He has had a tough upbringing so he is a very level-headed young man. At 30 years of age, you’re still a young man and he has got a lot of rugby ahead of him. He brings to us an exciting skillset. He is going to bring something a little bit different which we don’t have in the squad and that to me is exciting.”

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J
Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

34 Go to comments
A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

34 Go to comments
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