Williams mystery, Rory’s ready and why Allen’s in over Giles
IT is rare that a Wales rugby international goes under the radar, but this weekend the whole world and his hamster will be focused on the Lions’ clash with New Zealand, leaving Robin McBryde’s Welsh players operating in a largely attention-free zone as they head into their Test with Samoa.
The islanders were crushed 78-0 by the All Blacks less than a week ago.
They were outgunned in all phases and had no answer to the athleticism and skill of the Kiwis. Wales will know the feeling. History suggests they would be wise not to expect too much of a walk in the park in Apia tomorrow.
Samoa, after all, have bumped around stronger Welsh sides than this one and will be used to the blastfurnace conditions.
The Welsh side has also been largely shorn of experience, meaning if the tourists are to complete an unbeaten trip, their young players are going to have to grow up quickly.
MARK ORDERS looks at the key talking points heading into a game that sees Wales field their most unlikely-looking starting XV for years.
How has it come to this, with Wales heading into a capped match with a largely-unrecognisable starting XV? There is an argument that this kind of thing is going to be inevitable during a Lions year, with the best Welsh players away with the cream of British and Irish rugby.
But the situation has been made more challenging for Robin McBryde by the call-ups for four of his squad last week for the Lions in New Zealand.
Gareth Davies, Tomas Francis, Kristian Dacey and Cory Hill would almost have certainly started against Samoa.
Their absence further weakens a party that wasn’t exactly bristling with experience and strength beforehand.
Making it all the more vexing is that none of the four saw any action for the Lions against the Chiefs in midweek. Seemingly, they have been summoned to hold tackle bags and take to the field in emergencies only.
Meantime, Wales have to make do and mend in Apia.
Some will see it as a consolation that young players are at least being blooded.
But let’s be clear – it is best to introduce young talent alongside older heads, to guide them through what can often be challenging first steps in Test rugby.
That won’t be happening in many cases this weekend.
Instead, it’s sink or swim in many cases, a scenario that’s far from ideal.
Why pick a centre, Cory Allen, on the wing ahead of one of Welsh rugby’s brightest young fliers? On the surface it isn’t an easy one to justify.
Keelan Giles scored a number of spectacular tries last season which many other wings would have struggled to dream about.
He is a devastating finisher and it would be a failure for Welsh rugby if he failed to win a cap at some point.
All we can assume is that McBryde and his coaches do not feel the 5ft 8in, 12st 1lb Giles is ready for the physical challenge the Samoans will pose and so have instead opted for the 6ft 3in, 15st 8lb Allen.
It is a conservative call, but Allen hasn’t let Wales down in the past and is proving quite the utility man, having featured at centre, full-back and wing during his five-cap career so far.
Much more of this and they’ll be asking him to fix the head gasket on the team bus.
How is Scott Williams on the bench? Maybe Miss Marple could answer that one.
Williams finished the season in form, helping the Scarlets to the PRO12 title, with his partnership with Jonathan Davies outstanding.
But McBryde hands the No.13 jersey to Tyler Morgan for the date against Samoa, leaving Williams among the replacements.
It is more than a surprise, but maybe Wales feel they need to accelerate the development of Morgan, a significant talent whose career has been blighted by injuries for too long.
The assumption is the coaches know what Williams can do and youngsters have to be brought through at some point,
There again, with Wales missing so much experience, it still seems an odd time to be benching a player who boasts 47 caps and has figured in two World Cups.
Is Rory Thornton ready to make the Test grade? Well, the 22-year-old has played 48 games of rugby over the past two seasons for the Ospreys, and has been on the fringes of the Welsh squad for some time.
It would undoubtedly have been better for him to be packing down alongside an experienced lock such as Alun Wyn Jones, Luke Charteris or Jake Ball – perhaps even Cory Hill – but circumstances decree that he instead forms a lock partnership with Seb Davies, a youngster who is arguably just as green as Thornton, notwithstanding that he made his Test debut last time out.
He is mobile, skilful and a quality line-out operator. It will be a challenge, but no-one ever said Test rugby was easy.