Halfpenny told to up his game or face axe

LEIGH Halfpenny is being warned to raise his game as Wales full-back in the face of growing competition for his place.

The scrum-capped goalkicker finds his 50-Test run at No. 15 under challenge from four other contenders for the back-three positions – Liam Williams, Rhys Patchell, Steff Evans and George North.

As Halfpenny fights to retain his place at the start of a tenth season of international rugby against Scotland in Cardiff on February 3, his form is being questioned by a Lions record-breaker whose four tries in one series has stood since 1974, JJ Williams.

The wing who never lost a Five Nations home match over six years is calling for Halfpenny to rediscover his ‘spark’ and bring more of an attacking threat to a Wales team undergoing the strategic overhaul neces-

sary to embrace a wider game.

“Every time Leigh got the ball, he kicked it downfield and that was the case under Gatland for quite a while,’’ Williams told The Rugby

Paper. “Over that period he lost his spark. All international full-backs today are running the ball back, not kicking it. It makes sense because it’s the best form of counter-attack.

“Leigh’s goalkicking has been a little inconsistent by his very high standards. He’s not as deadly as he was. He’s got to offer more as an attacking force, to be more dangerous ball-in-hand as he was early in his career. He seems to have lost a bit of pace since he’s come back from Toulon.

“With the choices Wales have at full back, there’s not much in it now between Halfpenny, Liam Williams and Rhys Patchell. I think they will start with Halfpenny against Scotland with Williams and Steff Evans on the wings for what’s going to be a loose game. Patchell’s got to be on the bench at the very least.”

Halfpenny, 29, began on the wing against South Africa ten years ago, scoring eight tries from 23 Tests before switching to fullback during the 2011 World Cup. Since then he has scored half as many tries in more than twice as many matches.

A serious knee injury in Wales’ last warm-up match for the 2015 World Cup put him out of the tournament. By the time he returned, Wales had played 14 matches without him.

The Scarlets stuck with Patchell as their starting full-back in the Champions’ Cup against Toulon yesterday.