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Wayne Pivac sheds light on why he is sticking by Dan Biggar and not starting Callum Sheedy for Wales
Rejuvenated Wales boss Wayne Pivac has explained why he decided against handing Callum Sheedy – the second-half hero off the bench the last day against England – the first Guinness Six Nations start of his career versus Italy this Saturday in Rome.
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While Dan Biggar has recovered from the leg injury that saw him limp off shortly after half-time at the Principality versus the English, the meagre calibre of an opponent in Italy presented Wales with an opportunity to give players who are not usually starters for their country the chance to play from the start at Stadio Olimpico.
Two years ago, when Wales last won the Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam, then coach Warren Gatland made ten changes to his XV following the round one away win over France, handing the first championship starts to Thomas Young and Jonah Holmes and giving the captaincy to Jonathan Davies as Alun Wyn Jones was benched for the round two fixture in Rome.
This much reshuffled Wales only managed a low frills 26-15 that came minus a four-try bonus point – they scored just tries, their first coming on 53 minutes – and in contrast, Pivac is heading to Rome with all guns blazing having made just two changes to the XV that defeated England 40-24 on February 27.
Cory Hill and Gareth Davies have come in for the banged-up Adam Beard and the injured Kieran Hardy, with no promotion for Sheedy who stepped off the Wales bench to nervelessly fire over 13 points off the tee against the English and steer his team to their third successive win of 2021.
"We don’t want to undo the good work that has been done in the first three matches"
– It's three down, two to go and Wales boss Wayne Pivac has been speaking about what lies ahead next for his Grand Slam chasers#SixNations #ITAvWAL
https://t.co/VaBJI2p3aj— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 9, 2021
However, rather than hand Sheedy the No10 jersey for the Italian job, Pivac has stuck with keeping him in reserve and starting the long-serving Biggar whom he says is fit to play. “Where we are going with the games, the way we want to play, the way we want to start games when there is a lot of intensity, a lot of fresh bodies around, defences are in your face, it suits the way we want to play through that period of the game having Dan there.
“When Callum comes on, Willis (Halaholo) comes on, it gives us opportunities to probably play slightly differently and mix it up a little bit more. Certainly, they are two very good players. We are fortunate to have them both and they are different types of players. That is the way we are running it at the moment and it’s working so far.”
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While Biggar didn’t feature for his club Northampton in either of the Six Nations down weeks, Sheedy appeared twice for Bristol and while some Wales fans might worry about this workload for a 25-year-old who only made his Test level debut last November, Pivac has had no concerns about his back-up out-half being kept ticking over in the Gallagher Premiership.
“We talk to the coaches each week and we exchange information on how they have trained, the volumes, that sort of thing, and each coach is slightly different in how they take that information and work with it,” continued the Wales coach. “Pat Lam is very good. Obviously, we know each other very well. Callum’s training week is tailored so that he can get through these games of rugby. He is important to Bristol and they have the right to use him.
“Going back there he knows he has got his work-ons from us and he continues to do that under the guidance of Pat and his coaching group. We’re comfortable with him going back there because it is a good environment and he is still learning his trade. But he has got such a level head on him for a young man he takes it in his stride, to be honest, and some players would struggle more than others really but he is one who takes it in his stride.”
"He is going to come to training this week but it would be a big call. We’ll just see how he goes"
– Premiership leaders Bristol have turned to a school-going rookie to see if he can measure up this week #PremRugby #BRIvWAShttps://t.co/4jATYXa67i
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 9, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks 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.
20 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.
8 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!
72 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
20 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
8 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
2 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…
15 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.
20 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. 🥴
20 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 comments1. True, if that “free” ticket means access to all but the prized exhibit - EVIP only. SA cannot host semis, even if they’ve earned it (see Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne at… Twickenham Stoop). 2. Why no selective outrage over Lyon doing the exact same thing a week earlier? Out of all the countries France send the most “B teams”, why nobody talking about “disrespect” and “prioritising domestic leagues” and “kicking them out”? 3. Why no mention of the Sharks fielding all of their Springboks for the second rate Challenge cup QF? No commitment? 4. Why no mention of all the SA teams qualifying for respective euro knock out comps in the two seasons they’ve been in it? How many euro teams have qualified for KO’s in their history? Can’t compete? 5. Why no mention of SA teams beating French and English giants La Rochelle and Saracens? How many euro teams have done that in their history? Add no quality? The fact is that SA teams are only in their second season in europe, with no status and a fraction of the resources. Since joining the URC, SA has seen a repatriation of a number of players, and this will only grow once SA start sharing in the profits of competing in these comps, meaning bigger squads with greater depth and quality, meaning they don’t have to prioritise comps as they have to now - they don’t have imports from Pacifica and South America and everywhere else in between like “European” teams have - also less “Saffas” in Prem and T14, that’s what we want right? 'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in' True, and we have to ensure we give them the same status and resources as we give everyone else to do just that. A small compromise on scheduling will go a long way in avoiding these situations, but guess what, France and England wont compromise on scheduling because they ironically… prioritise their domestic comps, go figure!
20 Go to commentsthe success of the premiership can be summarized by : only 10 teams. It makes a huge difference with the overcrowded top 14 (let us not talk about Leinster and URC…)
2 Go to comments