NO FRILLS, BUT LYDIATE MAKES CASE
BEFORE the autumn campaign began, Warren Gatland floated the idea of playing lock Cory Hill out of position at blindside flanker for Wales.
It’s rarely worked in the past, with Alun Wyn Jones and Gareth Llewellyn having found it difficult to cope in an alien role, and Gatland should forget about it.
Not just because past evidence demonstrates Welsh second-rows can’t adapt to flanker. Saturday gave us another more important reason – Wales already have a specialist who can flourish there in Dan Lydiate.
Wales have an extensive injury list when it comes to back-rowers with Taulupe Faletau, Josh Navidi, Aaron Shingler, James Davies, Ollie Griffiths and Ellis Jenkins sidelined.
But the 21-10 victory over Scotland showed the worth of Lydiate and that the No. 6 jersey is back in hands of the ‘demolition man’.
Lydiate isn’t everybody’s cup of tea because he doesn’t do the flash stuff, make defence-splinting runs or audacious offloads.
But what he does is bring balance to the back row and the physicality and strength to stop opponents on the gain-line, or drive them backwards.
He played a huge part in Wales reaching the semi-finals of the 2011 World Cup and racing to a Six Nations Grand Slam the following year.
The Wales back row of Lydiate, Sam Warburton and Taulupe Faletau had a lovely balance to it when the trio were in harness, the donkey work of Lydiate helping the other two prosper.
Warburton and Lydiate formed a tag team. Warburton would follow him around and pounce for the turnover after his pal had munched an opponent.
There are suggestions rugby has moved on and Wales have experimented with two opensides in the same team. Warburton and Justin Tipuric, Ellis Jenkins and James Davis in the summer, although Jenkins looks comfortable on either side of the flank.
With that more adventurous stance and Shingler and Ross Moriarty emerging, Lydiate’s Test career has been on hold since he was badly injured against South Africa two years ago.
Indeed, he wasn’t playing much rugby full stop. Before this campaign, Lydiate had appeared in just 36 matches in four seasons following his arrival at the Ospreys from Racing 92.
He has coped with a glut of injuries, yet never moans. He just gets on with it and it’s no surprise Lydiate is one of Wales defence chief Shaun Edwards’ favourite players.
Edwards would have been delighted at the contribution of Lydiate on his return to the Test arena after 11 months away.
With Tipuric and Moriarty, the back row looked wonderfully balanced again.
It wasn’t a surprise Tipuric was named man of the match because he consistently churns out eyecatching displays, but part of the reason he prospered was the unsung work of his Ospreys colleague next to him.
Lydiate made a staggering 23 tackles and didn’t miss any. But it’s not just about stopping opponents, it’s the quality of his work.
Lydiate may not rack up many metres carrying the ball but he makes them with offensive defence, halting people behind the gain-line or driving them back.
He bulldozed and dominated the Scotland forwards as they sniped around the fringes with his size, muscle and technique.
Every rugby team has to have balance with set-piece specialists, creators and finishers.
But very often people forget about the stoppers and fetchers, the unsung men whose unstinting work enables others to shine.
That’s what 63-times Wales capped Lydiate does for his country and why he just may be wearing the red No. 6 jersey at a third World Cup.