WHO WILL CAPTAIN WALES?
JAMIE Roberts or Scott Williams is set to captain Wales against Tonga and Samoa next month. Caretaker coach Robin McBryde will announce who has got the prestigious post when he names his squad next Tuesday for the south seas tour.
But it’s understood one of the two experienced midfielders is in line for the job with current skipper Alun Wyn Jones and previous incumbent Sam Warburton picked in Warren Gatland’s Lions squad for its expedition to New Zealand.
The choice could be determined by who, of Roberts and Williams, is higher on the standby list of centres for the Lions should they suffer injuries during the toughest tour in their history.
Knocks are almost inevitable with the Lions facing all five of the Kiwis’ Super Rugby franchises and New Zealand Maori in what is akin to an unofficial fourth Test.
The only fixture during that 10-match tour that may be a given is the opener, against a New Zealand Provincial Barbarians side on June 3.
The cream of British and Irish rugby will already have had five matches before Wales face Tonga with Auckland the probable host city on June 17, and may already have summoned replacements by then.
So, McBryde could potentially lose his captain for the matches with Tonga and Samoa, in Apia on June 24, before the action even starts.
Roberts was Gatland’s first-choice Lions centre in South Africa eight years ago and would have been again in Australia in 2013 had it not been for a hamstring problem.
But he was parachuted into the team for the third Test decider in Sydney, with Brian O’Driscoll left out, provoking outrage from Irish supporters and their media, but the decision was vindicated when they demolished Australia 41-16 with Roberts getting a try.
However, the 30-year-old lost his place in the Wales side last autumn after the Welsh midfield was torn apart by the Wallabies in Cardiff, having had the same treatment in New Zealand last June.
Williams has started eight of Wales’ last nine Tests and was picked at inside-centre ahead of Roberts during the Six Nations.
Despite Harlequins’ powerhouse Roberts having made more appearances for Wales, with 91 to Williams’ 46 (he’s only started 25), the 26-yearold Scarlets star has far more experience of captaincy.
He’s skippered Wales once, being the first back to lead them into battle during Gatland’s reign, when a largely second-string team was mauled 35-21 by Ireland in Cardiff during a warm-up match ahead of the 2015 World Cup.