PIVAC: MORGAN HAS TO BULK UP
COACH EXPLAINS SURPRISE OMISSION OF OSPREYS FLANKER FROM TOUR
WAYNE Pivac has explained his reason behind leaving Jac Morgan (left) out of the Wales squad to tour South Africa this summer.
In his 33-man squad to face the world champions in three Tests in July, Pivac plumped for uncapped openside Tommy Reffell, the former Wales Under-20s skipper who has been starring for Gallagher Premiership leaders Leicester this season.
Morgan’s omission did raise eyebrows, though, after a number of stunning performances for the Ospreys this season, including against Cardiff recently when he outshone Josh Navidi.
Pivac, though, suggested he wants Morgan to put on size over the offseason and get stronger in the contact area, which is a widely-perceived strength of the young Osprey.
The Wales boss said: “I had a good chat to Jac around what we want him to do in the off-season and that’s a big work-on in terms of what he can do in the strength and conditioning area.
“The game’s a really physical game.
Where we’re going, South Africa, there are a lot of very big men. We’ve asked him to improve, if he can, in that area of physicality when he’s over the ball, being even stronger than he is.
“He’ll go away and work hard at his game, I know that. He’s a young guy and he’s desperate to get back into the side. It’s all ahead of him.”
Giving Reffell his first ever senior Wales call-up, Pivac went on to explain that he was close to getting the nod in the Six Nations but the problems with the 23-year-old being based in England counted against him.
Pivac said: “Tommy Reffell is someone that we spoke about before the Six Nations and it was touch and go. We went with the local boys for the obvious reasons that have been mentioned previously.
“But he’s now been in form week in and week out in a pretty tough competition and a team that’s playing well.
“He’s full of confidence and we think that now is the right time to put him into the squad and see how he goes at this level.”
THE great Wales squad reveal didn’t involve too many calls that might be described as bombshells, though plenty living in Brynaman, from where Jac Morgan hails, might not see it that way.
Morgan’s omission from the 33-man panel to tour South Africa this summer is one which is hard to fathom given his form over the campaign. There are others who might count themselves a shade unfortunate, too.
Few will have him at the top of their lists, but what has Nicky Smith got to do to land a Wales squad place these days? Is it the end of the Test road for Jonathan Davies? Not for a minute will the Scarlets centre believe so.
James Botham, Morgan Morris and Ollie Griffiths will have to keep battling, too.
Wayne Pivac has picked a squad which he will hope can stand the physical challenge that a trek to South Africa always brings. We take a look at the main talking points...
HERE COMES TOMMY
HE’S playing for England’s best club team and is being touted as their player of the season. Leicester Tigers’ Tommy Reffell is also an ultra-combative sort who possibly doesn’t understand the notion of taking a backward step.
Wales have been roughed up in South Africa before but Reffell is an abrasive openside who plays in the faces of opponents and is good over the ball. It is a shock Jac Morgan isn’t in the side, because he has been one of the players of the season in Wales.
One text this writer received late on Tuesday evening had called his omission “scandalous”, and no, the author wasn’t an irate friend or family member from the Amman Valley.
Expect Reffell to impress the Wales coaches, though. With his no-nonsense attitude and non-stop aggression – Fijian youngster Lino Mairara might still be feeling sore after being on the wrong end of a Reffell hit at the 2019 U20 World Rugby Championship – the uncapped Pencoed product offers a useful package of skills heading for a trip to South Africa.
RETURN OF A WARRIOR
THERE had been whispered suggestions that it might be all over for Dan Lydiate as a rugby player after the serious injury he suffered against Ireland last year. Lydiate himself later said his damaged knee had been obliterated in the Six Nations clash.
He had worked ferociously hard to reclaim his Wales spot, but in the snakes and ladders of modern-day rugby he had been sent back to square one. At the age of 33 he faced a huge battle just to return to playing, let alone to figure for his country again.
Nor was it just a physical test. The Ospreys No. 6 also had to clear many psychological hurdles as he embarked on his long return to fitness.
But return to the game he did, against Leinster in Dublin in February, announcing his comeback with nine tackles in 26 minutes. In one extraordinary 11-second burst he put in three hits. It was as if a trio of Dan Lydiates had run on to the field.
Wales will know what they are getting with the former Test Lion.
Forget talk of hybrid back-five forwards for the time being. With Ross Moriarty laid low by injury, Pivac would have wanted a physical blindside to provide physical ballast in his squad, someone who could chop South African ball-carriers to the ground or knock them back behind the gain-line, who would keep going when others give up.
That man is Lydiate. He is 34 now but he is a Test animal and a potential back row of Lydiate, Josh Navidi and Taulupe Faletau would command respect.
PATCHELL’S BACK
IT had reached the point when Rhys
Patchell could have been forgiven for searching the recesses of his mind to see if he could remember opening an umbrella indoors, walking underneath a ladder or breaking a mirror. Bad luck just seemed his lot.
Injuries seemed to arrive in bunches. If he didn’t have two at once, he would have one after another.
Slowly, however, the situation has changed for the player who expertly piloted the Scarlets to the PRO12 title in 2017. He has been spotted on the field again and he’s been spotted playing well. One pass against the Dragons recently, which was fired out like a tracer bullet and with deadly accuracy, put Corey Baldwin over for a try in the corner and reminded all of Patchell’s quality.
He has also been playing with authority. As well as playing at flyhalf, he can cover full-back, with his pace and ability to eat up ground offering a sharp counter-attacking threat. Anyway, he’s back in the Wales squad and it’s good to see him there.
Callum Sheedy hasn’t done a lot wrong for Bristol Bears these past couple of months. But Pivac and Stephen Jones know Patchell from their days at the Scarlets and know he can spark a side if given the chance. Keep an eye on him this summer.
NO CHANGE AT SCRUM-HALF
PIVAC has seemingly long ago made up his mind on who his favoured three scrum-halves are.
But a hand injury to Tomos Williams had raised the possibility of either Rhys Webb or Lloyd Williams being called up. The pair have performed strongly for their teams in the United Rugby Championship this season, after all.
Evidently, however, Wales are hopeful Tomos Williams’s injury will clear up in time after the selectors named him in their panel for South Africa, along with Gareth Davies and Kieran Hardy. Barring injuries it is going to take a lot to shift such thinking.
Webb is particularly unlucky, with the Osprey having one of the best campaigns of his career. He has scored tries, created, cajoled and fired up team-mates as captain; he has also performed well in adversity and when on the front foot.
It has been an exemplary effort from him and if it’s any consolation he couldn’t have done much more.
RATTI HOLDS PLACE
IT is another chance for James Ratti after the No. 8 went through the Six Nations Championship without featuring on the field despite being part of Wayne Pivac’s squad. On that basis, there was a mild expectation that he might not figure this summer.
But the destination is perhaps key. South Africa is renowned as an unforgiving place to play rugby, with many big men playing the game in an uncompromising and relentlessly physical manner.
It’s almost a cliche to say as much, but the cliche is right, albeit in recent times their provincial sides have added a dash of pace to their operations.
Wales have presumably picked the 6ft 4in, 18st 10lb Ratti to help them answer some of the questions the Springboks will ask. The man from Gower seems unlikely to start as long as Taulupe Faletau stays fit, but the Cardiff player is a powerful ball-carrier who crosses the gain-line and rare is the game when he doesn’t make an impact.
Like Jac Morgan, Morgan Morris can count himself unfortunate after an exceptional campaign. But maybe he didn’t fit the identikit of what Wales feel they need at No. 8 for a series in South Africa.
YOUNG GUN LEFT IN HOLSTER
DAFYDD Jenkins has had more plaudits over the past couple of months than many players receive over their careers. At times, even Henry Arundell might have been a tad envious.
BUT maybe now wasn’t the time to expose one so young as Jenkins to a daunting assignment against the Springboks. Wise owls in Exeter said as much. They were bang on the money.
POINTS NORTH
GEORGE North is playing again after his year-long injury lay-off and should only get stronger in the coming weeks.
He is a player who can threaten any defence, whether from centre or wing. It’s not breaking news to suggest including him in their squad makes Wales stronger.