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Wayne Pivac on why he won't go along with expectations for Wales 'to be throwing the ball around willy-nilly'

By Online Editors
Wayne Pivac has set out his stall for his new role with Wales (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Wayne Pivac says he is already building towards the 2023 World Cup after naming his first squad as Wales head coach.

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Pivac’s 35-man group for a non-cap game against the Barbarians in Cardiff on November 30 includes New Zealand-born backs Johnny McNicholl and Willis Halaholo, who both qualify on residency.

Three other uncapped players have been named in Ashton Hewitt, Shane Lewis-Hughes and Taine Basham, while 22 of the squad were involved at the World Cup in Japan.

Former Scarlets boss Pivac will encounter a Barbarians side coached by his Wales predecessor Warren Gatland, whose 12-year reign ended after the World Cup.

Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones, who has a groin niggle, is among a number of star names not included, with Pivac having already been hit by several injuries, including those to Jonathan Davies, Rhys Patchell and Tomas Francis.

(Continue reading below…)

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Pivac’s appointment to succeed Gatland was announced last year, and he said: “We’ve talked long and hard about how we can add value to what is already a successful rugby team. If something is not broken, then we move on.

“The beauty of having been in this position behind the scenes for over 12 months now, it has given me plenty of time to have lots of meetings, discuss a lot of rugby issues with a lot of people and to find the views of many.

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“The selection of this group, part of it is on the here and now for the Baa-baas game, part of it is looking at players and getting information for the pending Six Nations, but also with an eye on 2023.

“Most opponents would say Wales are a very hard team to break down and beat, so that’s not a bad position to be starting from. We are building towards 2023. We have looked at the boys’ performances at the World Cup this season. We looked at what we think we need to do to be able to knock off England, New Zealand or South Africa on a given day at a World Cup.

“I think it is going to be managing expectation early. A lot of people are going to expect us to be throwing the ball around willy-nilly. It’s going to be horses for courses. We have got to get ourselves into a position where we create opportunities and then play to our strengths, which hopefully will be a wide game and a power game to go with it.”

England-based players such as Northampton fly-half Dan Biggar were unavailable for selection. But Scarlets prop Rob Evans, who missed out on the World Cup, features in the squad and there are also opportunities for the likes of recalled number 10 Sam Davies and Dragons back-row forward Ollie Griffiths.

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On Scarlets back McNicholl and Cardiff Blues centre Halaholo, Pivac added: “Johnny I personally know a lot about. Willis I had in the Auckland age-groups when I was coaching Auckland, so I know his background. They are both very exciting attacking players.

“It is an opportunity for us to get Willis into the mix and have a look at him. We spoke to him earlier in the season about parts of his game that we like and parts we think he can work on, as we do with most players. This Barbarians game is a great chance for us as a new squad and management to get together and to set the scene for what we are looking to do.

“Having this opportunity ahead of tournament rugby in the Six Nations is ideal for us. It is also a great chance for some players to really put their hand up and show what they are about and take to the field in front of a big crowd at home.”

– Press Association 

WATCH: Warren Gatland’s shock revelation – ‘I suspected Wales player of doping’

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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 9 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.

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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

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