Try-ing times ahead

YOU sense this is a kind of watershed moment for Wales under Warren Gatland.

He has made a bold squad selection, accompanying that by openly stating there needs to be more creativity in midfield.

Wales began toying with their so-called Warrenball game plan during last year’s tour of New Zealand following a review of the 2015 Rugby World Cup by WRU powerbrokers.

“We said that our key goal was to be more competitive in the next World Cup in 2019,” stated chief executive Martyn Phillips. “We asked ourselves the question: ‘Did we think that the way we were playing would enable that to happen?’

“We realised we were tending to base that on an attritional, powerbased and fairly tight game plan. The World Cup review in its totality showed that we didn’t believe the way we were playing was going to see us succeed in the next cycle.”

Coach Gatland stressed at the time: “We are not ripping up everything we have done and been good at. It’s just evolving what we are trying to do and our skill-set.”

But he warned: “We have got to be careful in that we don’t throw everything out that’s been successful.”

Wales were more expansive against the All Blacks, competitive in the opening two Tests despite losing 39-21 and 36-22 and scoring some lovely tries.

But the wheels came off in a 46-6 thrashing in the final game, with the danger of playing a more ball-in-hand, wider game-plan highlighted as the world champions punished Welsh mistakes.

Fast forward to last autumn’s Tests and, although Wales beat Argentina, Japan and South Africa after putting a hammering against Australia behind them, they only crossed the whitewash on eight occasions.

Ireland, who played the All Blacks twice, scored 14 tries from their four fixtures, while England got 12 from three.

Come the Six Nations, Wales touched down just eight times on their way to their worst finish (fifth) in 10 assaults on the European showpiece during the Gatland and Rob Howley era.

Only Italy (six) scored less. Wales then managed just four tries while beating Tonga and Samoa during the summer.

So from the last 14 Tests Wales have scored 25 tries, at a miserly rate of 1.78 per game. So much for a more expansive game? Or one that works, anyhow?

‘Governor’ Gatland has returned from Lions duty with a will, it seems, to prompt a proper change in strategy.

That is best demonstrated by the symbolic and shock axing from the autumn squad of stalwart Jamie Roberts.

Scott Williams, who some pundits felt was being asked to play Roberts-style rugby under caretaker head coach Howley, was another big-name omission.

In have come youngster Owen Waktin, while New Zealander Hadleigh Parkes will be available for the clash with the Springboks.

Gloucester’s Owen Williams can play at 10 or 12. Rhys Patchell has the skill-set, pace, power and speed which could see him do a job at inside centre. Only Lions star Jonathan Davies and Tyler Morgan are regarded as specialist 13s.

“The game has changed. We see a lot teams with the 10-12 combination, who have ball-players at 12 based on speed of ball, decision making. So we have picked players who we feel can fulfil that role for us,” says Gatland today.

Perhaps his mind was made up by the work done by Johnny Sexton and Owen Farrell with the Lions this summer.

Whether Wales have a player of Farrell’s quality to play at 12 is open to debate, but at least the strategy of a second playmaker finally seems

England and Australia operate with a second play-maker while New Zealand invariably have a skilled passer at what they call second five-eighth with current 12 Sonny Bill Williams being an expert at off-loading out of contact while also having the power to truck the ball up.

Wales had the luxury of a footballing inside-centre under Gatland, when a certain Gavin Henson appeared alongside James Hook or Stephen Jones in 2008. They won a Six Nations Grand Slam that year and beat Australia.

But once Roberts got the role he became a shoo-in under Gatland.

So what will happen this autumn? Dan Biggar will likely start at outside-half against Australia on November 11 with either Watkin, Owen Williams or Patchell outside him. Parkes is not eligible on residency grounds until the clash with South Africa.

It’s not just about 10-12, though. Other picks will also provide evidence of how genuine Gatland’s like being implemented. intent is for Wales to become less structured and more unpredictable and dangerous in attack.

Choosing sizzling runner Liam Williams in his Lions position of full-back will be another signal. So too choosing the creativity, verve, vision and footballing ability of Steff Evans.

What happens in the back row also has a significant bearing. Wales did have success with an athletic combination of Sam Warburton at blindside flanker and Justin Tipuric at openside last season, but the former misses the autumn through injury.

Starting with a footballing forward like Aaron Shingler at No.6 would be another positive sign Wales plan to play more expansively, that the mindset really has fundamentally changed.

We’ve heard talk before of Wales evolving, but seen too little evidence of it actually happening. This time they need to back up the talk by walking the walk.

There are less than two years before the World Cup to get it right. Time to get the skates on!