How Wales are they face crisis
WE are just a couple of weeks into the new season, but already players are putting their hands up for Wales’ autumn campaign, while others have been struck down by injuries which will rule them out of contention, the latest casualty being Sam Warburton.
With some established figures not yet back on the park following their Lions exertions, it’s been an opportunity for their rivals to steal a march and stake a claim.
SIMON THOMAS casts an eye over both the early season pacesetters and the crocked contingent, as he assesses the likeliest combinations for the opening November international against Australia. BACK THREE Following months of toing and froing, Leigh Halfpenny finally settled on the Scarlets as his new home. He’s only had the one outing for them so far, but it’s already looking a good fit and a positive in terms of his Wales prospects.
Alongside him, Steff Evans has carried on with the predatory form he took into Wales’ summer tour on the back of being the top try scorer in the PRO12.
As for Halfpenny’s Lions team-mates George North and Liam Williams, they had their first outings of the season on the weekend, with North starting on the wing for Northampton in their victory over Leicester and Williams coming on there for his new club Saracens at Bath.
Both showed up well. It was good to see North back powering into contact, while Williams entered the fray with half an hour to go to help spark a revival which threatened to earn Sarries the spoils, before Semesa Rokoduguni took centre stage.
There are actually quite a few back three options out there now, with Dragons Hallam Amos and Ashton Hewitt having returned from longterm injury, Keelan Giles continuing his development with the Ospreys and Alex Cuthbert carrying strongly for the Blues. But you can see it being the three Lions given first shot against the Wallabies. Likeliest option: Liam Williams, George North, Leigh Halfpenny CENTRES He hasn’t taken the field yet this season, but Jonathan Davies already looks a shoo-in for the autumn after his heroics with the Lions.
The Scarlets centre barely put a foot wrong out in New Zealand, consistently making the right decisions in both attack and defence.
His long-time international midfield partner, Jamie Roberts, lost his place in the side to Scott Williams last season and one wondered whether that might be the beginning of the end for the big man.
But his spirits were to be raised when he was handed the captaincy for Wales’ South Seas tour, a role he took huge pride in and one which seemed to give him a new lease of life.
There are youthful options in Morgan and Owen Williams, while it will be good to see Owen Watkin back for the Ospreys after missing the whole of last season, with the versatile Cory Allen a more experience squad contender.
But, once again, it looks like being a battle between Roberts and Williams to partner Davies, with the Scarlets combination possibly decisive in getting Scott the shout. Likeliest option: Scott Williams, Jonathan Davies Things have suddenly got a whole lot more interesting at No.10!
After his excellence on the Lions tour, Dan Biggar looked firmly in pole position for the Wales berth. But now a new dimension has been added to the debate with the announcement that he will be leaving the Ospreys to join Northampton next summer.
The question is how often will he have No.10 on his back and in how many big games?
Sam Davies is now the fly-half future at the region and might the Ospreys want to intall him as first-choice as a show of faith, rather than shunting him out to full-back.
Clearly, if Biggar is to start fewer of the big games, it’s not going to be ideal in terms of his Wales prospects or preparation.
It means Davies would have the chance to stake a claim in his absence, while others have laid down an early season marker in the battle for the famous red No.10 jersey.
Rhys Priestland hasn’t worn that shirt since the opening game of the 2015 World Cup against Uruguay and was something of a fringe figure in his first two years at Bath.
But with George Ford moving on to Leicester, he has been handed his chance at the start of this season and has grabbed it with both hands, producing outstanding performances in the victories over the Tigers and Saracens.
Priestland’s successor as Scarlets fly-half, Rhys Patchell, has to be another serious contender having started the new term so well. His coach Wayne Pivac has likened him to Beauden Barrett and praise doesn’t come much higher than that.
So plenty of options, with Gareth Anscombe hopefully coming back into the equation in a month or so following his long-standing groin issues. But, for now, for all the caveats, you would still view Biggar as the man in possession, while his Ospreys half-back partner Rhys Webb remains the firm favourite to stay ahead of Gareth Davies in the No.9 duel. Likeliest option: Rhys Webb, Dan Biggar With Gethin Jenkins (knee surgery) and Rob Evans (broken finger) both missing Wales’ summer tour, it was Nicky Smith who took on the loosehead duties against Tonga and Samoa, doing a decent job.
Jenkins is yet to return to action and will be 37 in November, so we wait to see just how much our most-capped