Will has the tools to be international star
‘HAVE you heard about Will Rowlands?’ was the message I received on my Wednesday day off. Straight away my first presumption was the Wasps lock was on his way out. His destination, my mind speculated, was ringfenced to a top club.
Because, if the 28-year-old was to leave the Ricoh Arena any time soon (there’s no suggestion he is, by the way) it would be upward movement only. He is proven Premiership performer, perhaps operating in the afterglow of the spotlight that’s often trained in on his second row partner, Joe Launchbury.
Alas, it wasn’t a transfer rumour or a departure announcement. Rowlands, of Hammersmith, London, had been selected by Wales for their Six Nations squad. Wow. Nobody saw that one coming. Who knew he had Welsh connections? Obviously somebody did within the corridors of Welsh rugby power.
That’s where the shock ends. While the country that called for him may have raised some eyebrows, those who have watched Rowlands regularly, played with him or against him, know he is a quality performer.
His wasn’t a name I was too familiar with when I first commenced covering Wasps. Launchbury, James Gaskell, Matt Symons (now at Harlequins), yes, but Rowlands, despite having signed his first deal in 2014, was an infrequent and largely unfamiliar name on a Wasps team sheet. Symons’ final season with the Black and Golds, the 2017/18 campaign, was plagued by injury giving Rowlands the chance to stake his claim. It was an opportunity he grabbed with both hands as Wasps progressed to the play-off semi-finals, before falling to eventual champions Saracens. He signed a new deal with the club in February 2018.
That summer, the lock added 6kg of lean muscle to an already formidable physique. The hard work paid off. The 2018/19 campaign was when the Oxford University graduate concreted his status as a front-line Premiership second row. Of the 65 players who pulled on Wasps colours across three competitions last season, only one (Josh Bassett) played more competitive minutes than the giant second row. He clocked up 1,736 minutes (67.81%) and featured in 21 of Wasps’ 22 Gallagher Premiership games.
That wasn’t his only impressive statistic. He finished in the top 10 for tacklers across the division with 257 and in the top 15 for lineouts won (53). He did creep into the top 25 for penalties conceded, just, with 17 across the season, but this, perhaps is more of a reflection of his playing style. Yes, his near 20-stone mass helps anchor the scrum and his 6ft 8in frame make him a presence in the lineout, but Rowlands offers far more than setpiece solidity. He’s a presence on both sides of the ball and seeks involvements in games, to make an impact. This attitude and ability was epitomised by his 55-metre try away at Bristol Bears in February 2019, when he scooped up a loose ball, evaded some flimsy tackle attempts before cantering home from inside his own half. An eye-catching moment of a season that also saw him make a combined 60 tackles across three consecutive games against Leinster, Bath and Gloucester. Efforts that no doubt helped him secure Wasps’ players’ player of the season accolade.
The durability that defined his 2018/19 hasn’t extended into this season, unfortunately. A calf muscle tear disrupted his pre-season ruling him out of Wasps’ four Premiership Cup games and the opening two rounds of the Gallagher Premiership.
On his return, Rowlands made an immediate impact. In a close-run affair against Bath and in first-half stoppage time, a perfectly timed and angled run from depth latched perfectly onto Dan Robson’s pass on the 22 to stride home for another showstopping try. He also made 19 tackles in the 30-22 victory.
Four further appearances in November followed before succumbing to a knee injury against Exeter Chiefs.
That knock has seen him miss six games but a recent return to training has placed him in contention for the European Challenge Cup clash against Bordeaux Begles. It also presents an opportunity to get minutes in his legs before embarking on a chapter of his career he must surely have thought had passed him by. Wales are gaining an intelligent operator, inside and outside of rugby (he has a degree in Economics and Management), a physical specimen who appears to be getting better with age. Like his possible lock partner at international level, Alun Wyn Jones, he’s a player that offers 80 minutes of attrition and endeavour.