Calendar planned... now who plays for Wales?
AS rugby’s return creeps closer, talk of a bloated six-game autumn series grows louder.
There is a Six Nations championship to complete and then Europe’s elite will be joined by Fiji and Japan, if reports are to be believed, for a newly-formed one-off autumn extravaganza.
All told, between October 24 and December 5 there will be six weekends to play international matches and one rest weekend.
So then, who’s playing for Wales as Wayne Pivac ponders his options?
One thing rugby’s hiatus has provided for weary players is the chance to recover.
The season had been hectic. A summer of preparation last year was followed by the World Cup in Japan, then there were the odd regional appearances before Wales’ top players were back in action for the Six Nations in February.
Wales had injuries as a result of the intense workload but most of those absentees are expected to be fit and ready for action again come the autumn.
Of course, before then, there will be regional derbies and European Challenge Cup ties to be played. That’s ample opportunity to play yourself into – and out of form.
But on paper, it already looks as though Pivac is going to have some tough calls to make in his Wales XV, which brings us nicely onto the back three.
The Liam Williams v Leigh Halfpenny dilemma will not be going away any time soon. Halfpenny has been resurgent in the last 12 months after losing his No.15 jersey to Williams. Pivac is choosing between two Test Lions, which is not a bad problem to have. Whoever gets the nod will not let his country down.
Some have been ready to write off the career of George North in recent times. You won’t find any of that here.
He is still, after 95 caps, one of Wales’ two best wingers. I would put more pressure on new attack coach Stephen Jones to find ways of getting the Ospreys flier’s hands on the ball as often as possible.
He’ll be motivated with 100 caps in his sights and a Lions tour next summer.
On the other wing, it can only be Josh Adams, who is nearing full fitness after requiring ankle surgery in February. One of the most lethal finishers in world rugby right now.
Jonathan Davies and Nick Tompkins are yet to play together. That should be about to change this autumn.
Davies missed the start of the 2020 Six Nations after sustaining a knee injury in Japan but he too is on his way back to full fitness and word down west is that he’s in tremendous shape.
Tompkins is still feeling his way on the international stage with a mixed bag of performances so far. But he’s shown enough quality to suggest he can cut it at the top level.
With Gareth Anscombe still likely to be sidelined for a while yet, Dan Biggar would appear to be the natural option at fly-half.
Scrum-half really is a position that is right up for debate at the moment. Gareth Davies, Tomos Williams and Rhys Webb will all have points to prove in the derbies next month.
Right now, I’ve gone with Davies. Williams had a bit of roller-coaster Six Nations, clumsy errors were interspersed with some brilliance.
Webb didn’t really get much chance to put his best foot forward and will have been disappointed to be denied a start in the final game against Scotland by the postponement.
Up front I’ve gone with the preferred World Cup front row of Wyn Jones, Ken Owens and Tomas Francis.
The tight-head had a shoulder injury in the semi-final against South Africa and has not been seen since.
He was due to be fit again in May, so should be OK when rugby returns.
I’d like to see Cory Hill put back into the second row alongside captain Alun Wyn Jones. The pair formed a formidable partnership before Hill’s 2019 injury woes.
The back row is another difficult one.
Aaron Wainwright was faultless in 2019 but struggled to make an impact on games during 2020. Ross Moriarty also clearly has a case but it’s difficult to leave out the quality of Taulupe Faletau.
Josh Navidi for his physicality and dynamism, and Justin Tipuric for his guile and intelligence, have to be on the teamsheet.
Matt Southcombe’s Wales XV
for the autumn: Liam Williams; George North, Jonathan Davies, Nick Tompkins, Josh Adams; Dan Biggar, Gareth Davies; Wyn Jones, Ken Owens, Tomas Francis; Cory Hill, Alun Wyn Jones; Josh Navidi, Justin Tipuric, Taulupe Faletau.