Evans set for Wales debut
ANSCOMBE STARTS AT 10 AGAINST SCOTS WITH BLUES TEAM-MATE JARROD READY TO MAKE IMPACT OFF THE BENCH... WHILE PROP STAR LEWIS IS IN FRONT ROW BIG-GAME BUILD-UP:
WARREN Gatland has named two uncapped players in his Wales squad for the game with Scotland at the Principality Stadium tomorrow, with one of those seeing a player who was pretty much on no-one’s Test radar barely a few months ago suddenly propelled into the starting line-up.
For sure, the game will be a memorable one for Ospreys flyer Luke Morgan, who features on the left wing.
Cardiff Blues fly-half Jarrod Evans is the other uncapped player in the squad.
He is named on the bench. Here, we look at the thinking behind the headline selections. You can read the full team story here.
LUKE MORGAN WINS A DEBUT CAP AFTER JUST SEVEN REGIONAL GAMES
It’s hard to imagine anyone would have flagged this one up before the season started, not even Morgan himself.
Yes, the Bridgend-born flyer had done superbly in sevens for Wales, setting a new all-time try record for his country.
But before his return to the Ospreys he had played just one regional game in his life, and that saw him appear off the bench against the Dragons more than six years earlier.
Yet such has been his impact in the early weeks of the campaign that he finds himself with a golden opportunity to mount a serious case for World Cup inclusion.
Ospreys general manager Dan Griffiths had given an indication of what to expect from Morgan after the 26-year-old signed for the Ospreys in the summer. “He has refined his game on the sevens circuit and developed into a worldclass finisher,” said Griffiths.
Morgan’s spectacular touchdown against the Scarlets in Llanelli last month, with the wing somehow managing to touch down in corner with a brilliant one-handed finish, showed what Griffiths was talking about.
Is he the finished article after so little time in 15-a-side at professional level? That’s for him to prove.
But, as Griffiths suggested in the summer, he has an x-factor about him and he is also in form, with four tries in six games for the Ospreys this term.
He gets the nod ahead of Steff Evans, who has to be content with a place on the bench.
Evans has had a strange start to the season, left out of the Scarlets senior team to move up the gears in their A side after an injury.
But his creativity isn’t in doubt and a squad can never carry too much of that particular commodity.
Josh Adams, Liam Williams and Jonah Holmes will all be available for the rest of the autumn series, so Evans will need to impress if he gets an opportunity.
But the spotlight will be on Morgan.
DILLON LEWIS MAKES HIS FIRST TEST START IN WALES
How good was Dillon Lewis in the opening Test against Argentina in the summer?
It almost appeared as if Wales had unearthed a Mako Vunipola type figure, a prop capable of groundeating ball carries, counter-rucking, turnovers, tackles and decent scrummaging. But steady on.
One game proves only so much and Wales’ coach will want to see whether the Cardiff Blue can back up that outstanding performance in San Juan. There is little doubt about his quality around the field.
But it’s in the scrum where a prop truly earns his pay and there will be a lot of focus on Lewis as he goes head to head with Allan Dell.
Warren Gatland is still be mulling over whether to take five props to the World Cup instead of six and he has mentioned in Lewis’s favour the 22-year-old’s experience of playing loose-head during his younger days.
But the Welsh youngster needs to show he can stand firm on Saturday.
Dmitri Arhip is probably the Blues’ No.1 tight-head, but this is Lewis’s chance to make a statement before the front liners come back into the picture.
He has credit in the bank after his exploits in South America, while Leon Brown is another who boasts big promise but needs to make the most of whatever opportunity comes his way.
DAN LYDIATE MAKES YET ANOTHER TEST COMEBACK
You can’t keep a good man down, according to the old adage, and Dan Lydiate’s refusal to lose heart after a veritable encyclopedia of injuries shows exactly what the Ospreys back rower is made of. He has his critics – of course he does.
They say he is one-dimensional and doesn’t have the bells and whistles that perhaps other blindsides boast in the modern game.
But rugby is still a physical contest above all else and anyone who watched Lydiate against Connacht last Friday evening would have been reminded of his quality.
He put in 20 tackles without a single miss and did an outstanding job of marshalling opposition dangerman Bundee Aki. Without him, it is hard to imagine that a young Ospreys side would have secured victory.
Gatland also views Lydiate as a Test animal.
His place against Scotland was pretty much assured when Taulupe Faletau went down with injury, meaning Ross Moriarty would have to figure at No. 8.
Wales will need turnovers against the Scots and Lydiate and Moriarty will need to back up Justin Tipuric.
The fast-developing Aaron Wainwright may have a chance off the bench, while it is unclear whether Ellis Jenkins is over a shoulder knock.
With Josh Navidi and Aaron Shingler set to return to prominence later in the season, Lydiate will know how key it is for him to put in a big display against Scotland.