THE PAST FEW WEEKS POINT TO A SIX NATIONS STRUGGLE...
been too much chopping and changing here over the past two years with no-one able to gain confidence from playing regularly at Test level.
I still think Tomos Williams has a lot of potential.
But there has to come a time when that’s translated into sustained excellence on the field.
I looked at Nic White playing for Australia and was hugely impressed. His service was razor sharp from the base of the scrum, allowing Australia time and space to get their decoy runners into play and threaten Wales.
It’s that mastery of the basics that Wales need before anything else.
We know Williams is capable, but he seems hesitant at times and that’s not good for a Test scrum-half. You look at Faf de Klerk playing for South Africa and there is no indecision. If he doesn’t box-kick or go himself, the ball is sped away before anyone in the opposition ranks can do a thing about it.
Does Pivac know what he wants in midfield?
I thought Wales would use Jonathan Davies at inside centre in readiness for George North coming back for the Six Nations. My thinking was that Davies could then offer the big man the benefit of his experience.
But Davies was left out — or rotated, as Pivac would prefer to call it — for the final two games this autumn, with others tried in his place.
Johnny Williams and Willis Halaholo both had a go at No. 12 while Nick Tompkins lined up outside them.
Wales were even looking to try Josh Adams at outside centre only for injury to intervene.
Tompkins has had a decent campaign but only Pivac will know if he’s truly happy with the way the situation is shaping up in the centre.
For me, Wales have found it hard to cover for Taulupe Faletau this autumn.
At his very best he is the man they have missed the most.
No disrespect to Aaron Wainwright, who’s battled hard in every game he’s played, but Faletau is one of the top No. 8s in the world at the base of a retreating scrum.
He still manages to go forward and he rarely loses possession.
I’ve seen him in the past gather poor ball from the back of a crumpling set-piece and turn it into clean ball. For a team with a misfiring setpiece, that’s a rare gift indeed.
Justin Tipuric, Josh Navidi and Ross Moriarty have also been sidelined, but Wales don’t have any shortage of flankers whereas we are
less blessed in the middle of the back-row
It’ll be up to all concerned to force their way back into the team.
If Taine Basham has had a fine autumn, and he has, it goes without saying that Tipuric has a huge amount to offer, too.
I like the way he keeps playing to the final whistle, I like his toughness and stoicism, I like the way he organises the defence. He just gets on with it, doing his job and not complaining. For any team to have a player like that is a plus.
What of skipper Jones? His leadership has been missed, the way he galvanises those around him. Some things are priceless in rugby and good captaincy is among them.
Sadly for Wales, it doesn’t look as if he’ll be around for the Six Nations because of his injury.
It’s another thing for Pivac to mull over in the coming weeks.
The coach has a lot of thinking to do.