Patchell handed chance as Wales No 10 after recovering from ‘invisible injury’
After almost 15 months blighted by what he calls “the invisible injury”, Rhys Patchell will once again wear Wales’s cherished No10 jersey.
Warren Gatland has named a strong side to tackle Ireland in Dublin tomorrow in the final World Cup warm-up. Yet while the Kiwi coach has resisted wrapping the likes of Alun Wyn Jones, Jonathan Davies and George North in cotton wool, he has given Patchell and No 9 Tomos Williams the chance to press their cases to be the first-choice half-backs.
“Saturday is the first time these players would have taken to the field as members of the World Cup squad,” Gatland said. “It has been a big week and it is a big opportunity for players to put their hand up and secure spots for the starting XV in Japan.”
Patchell, 26, has suffered a torrid spell since impressing in Wales’s winning tour to Argentina last summer. Twice last season he suffered a concussion and then he tore a hamstring. Inevitably, it was the brain injuries which saw him lose his confidence and form and which essentially limited his national duty to two appearances off the bench.
“It’s a bizarre injury,” Patchell said. “You can’t see anything; you have no scars; there’s no benchmark you can work against. It’s an invisible injury, really. When I came back from getting ‘sparked’ in 2015, I didn’t really start feeling like I was myself on the field until about six months later. No, it wasn’t what I wanted in World Cup year.”
Indeed, many had written off Patchell for Japan, with Gareth Ansaki. combe and Dan Biggar fighting for the berth and young Jarrod Evans seemingly the third option. But Anscombe suffered a knee ligament injury and when Gatland revealed he would only take two No 10s, Patchell came on at half-time against Ireland in Cardiff last Saturday to grasp his opportunity, scoring a try and leading the fightback that was destined to fall short. He duly earned the nod over Evans when Gatland and his coaching staff selected their 31 that evening.
Williams also arrived on the scene at the break against the Irish and was just as influential. Gatland is a big admirer of the 24-year-old from the Cardiff Blues and, if anything, he has an even greater shout of taking the field from the off against Georgia in the opening group game two weeks on Monday. Gareth Davies and Aled Davies have both come in for criticism for their performances in the last month.
It is a promising back line, with Leigh Halfpenny at full-back while the pack features Jones as captain. There was a theory that the veteran lock would be rested, but Gatland explained why he is parading so many of his big names.
“This is our final preparation match, so it is important we get enough rugby into us and get rugby-ready ahead of our opener against Georgia,” Gatland said. “It is important we hit the ground running in Japan.”