JAMIE ROBERTS TO CAPTAIN WALES TOUR:
JAMIE Roberts will see a dream realised after he was unveiled as Wales captain for next month’s Tests with Tonga and Samoa.
The 30-year-old had always wanted to lead his country into battle and gets the opportunity after having missed out on a place in the Lions squad for the best of British and Irish rugby’s tour of New Zealand.
“It’s a huge honour, for my family as well,” said the 91-times Wales capped centre.
Caretaker coach Robin McBryde and defence chief Shaun Edwards had opted for Roberts ahead of his fellow centre Scott Williams.
“I would like to thank Robin and Shaun for giving me this opportunity,” said the delighted Harlequins centre.
He will skipper an inexperienced squad, which contains 13 uncapped players in the 32 named by McBryde, during what will be demanding assignments with Wales without their Lions class of 2017.
But Roberts reckons the trip will aid Wales’ quest to build more strength in depth for the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
“I’m so excited for the young players in the squad, the young uncapped players who are coming in,” he said.
“It’s an opportunity for them to experience the Test environment, to find out what it’s like at the next level.
“And it’s not just that, there’s a lot of senior players in the group who maybe would not have had an opportunity to start over the last few years, so they have the chance to step up and lead this team.
“There’s going to be two very tough games. The match against Tonga at Eden Park is going to be pretty special as it’s being played before the All Blacks face Samoa.”
The match with Tonga is taking place in Auckland in a double-header because medical facilities on the Pacific island haven’t been approved by World Rugby.
But, eight days later, Wales take on Samoa in their Apia stronghold - they were heavily beaten during their lat visit to the country in 1994 after travelling as European champions – with Roberts saying: “We know they are going to be very tough to beat without our Lions.
“The tour is going to be a huge challenge but I can’t wait to get stuck in with the group of players that are involved.”
Roberts was left out the Lions – he was a key player in South Africa eight years ago and in the winning third Test decider against Australia in 2013 – squad by coach Warren Gatland after failing to make Wales’ starting line-up during the Six Nations.
“I was as disappointed an any player who missed out. You mope around for about a day, then you dust yourself off, get back to training hard and trying to play your best,” continued Roberts.
“That motivation (Lions) will always be there but the focus is now on Wales winning two games and preparing this group as much as possible.
“There’s a great talent pool in Wales.
“We will have, I suppose, one eye on the tour and the other on 2019.
“It’s about making sure that these young players step up to the plate quickly.
“They are developing quickly and hopefully, come that next World Cup, we have got 40 players and two quality players in every position.”
Tours in Lions years are notoriously tough for Wales, with the 2013 trek to Japan ending up as a complete misadventure: the visitors suffering a firstever defeat at the hands of the Brave Blossoms.
Acting head coach McBryde was in charge for that trip and he was asked what went wrong.
“What I did wrong then was agree to play a game under the midday sun,” said McBryde after announcing a 32-man squad for this summer’s tour.
“What’s better this time is when we play Samoa we have an evening kickoff. That gives us a fighting chance.
“That said, it’s not going to make it that much easier.”
In self-critical mode, McBryde reflected further on the disappointing effort in Japan, saying: “I don’t think I allowed enough time to be spent on rugby.
“We went to an army camp for our preparation and perhaps didn’t allow for the lack of experience that the group needed. “But that’s being self-critical.” As a player, he was part of the squad destroyed 34-9 by Samoa in Apia in
blast furnace conditions in 1994.
“I was on the bench that day and we actually changed in a tent on the side of a pitch,” said McBryde.
“They took us to the top of a valley and there were a few big tackles.
“It’s just one of those things you’ll never forget.
“Without doubt, that message needs to get through to the players, that it’s going to be a mighty, mighty task.
“They are going to be fresh from a game against New Zealand, so they will be ready and raring to go. “We have to match that. “That’s the challenge for this group.”