FAMILIAR FACES, NEW ARRIVALS... HOW THE REGIONS ARE DOING ON RECRUITMENT FRONT
IT’S too soon to say recruitment has finished for the Welsh professional teams for next season – the Scarlets, for instance, are said to be looking for a lock and a centre – while others have significant gaps in their squads.
But we can say with certainty that at least five fresh faces will be on the starting grid for the teams in this part of the world when the United Rugby Championship gets underway in September.
Those are the players who have never previously played for Welsh teams.
Among them will be Irishman Jack Regan, pitching up at the Ospreys from New Zealand, while the Scarlets will have a South American flavour with the arrival of Argentinian Tomas Lezana from Western Force.
There’ll also be some familiar faces returning to the scene, among them Rhys Priestland, lining up for Cardiff Rugby after six years with Bath.
And Michael Collins heads from the Highlanders to Ospreys, with Wayne Pivac keeping a watching brief on the Super Rugby star who qualifies for Wales.
More deals are set to happen. But the way it stands, these are the new boys who’ll be coming to Wales for 2021-22 and the old hands who are giving the game here a fresh try...
NEW ARRIVALS TOMAS LEZANA (WESTERN FORCE TO SCARLETS)
THE Scarlets are losing quality in the back row with Jac Morgan heading for the Ospreys and Uzair Cassiem bound for Bayonne. Ed Kennedy and Tom Phillips have also been released. But the arrival of Lezana will help. The man from Santiago del Estero can play across the back row and has 39 caps for Argentina. Just last November he came off the bench in the Pumas’ historic win over New Zealand.
Many of his caps have been won in the Rugby Championship.
All that experience is unlikely to have harmed him.
For the Scarlets, he could prove a significant acquisition.
TOMAS FRANCIS (EXETER CHIEFS TO OSPREYS)
THE Wales tighthead has had a strong season that left him in contention for a place in the Lions squad.
It didn’t happen on that front for Francis, but he performed excellently for Wales and for Exeter, scrummaging strongly and working hard around the field.
Much of his work fails to make headlines.
That, invariably, is the lot of a tight-head prop.
But the stats people Opta recently revealed that Francis had averaged more than 41 ruck arrivals per 80 minutes in this year’s Six Nations, the best rate of any player to feature for 200+ minutes. Francis was one of only four players to have made an effective impact at 100-plus rucks, with Tadhg Beirne, Maro Itoje and Justin Tipuric the others.
Call that keeping good company. He joins Tom Botha, Ma’afu Fia and Rhys Henry in a strong pool of tightheads in Swansea.
WILL ROWLANDS (WASPS TO DRAGONS)
DRAGONS supporters would have been pleased to read Will
Greenwood enthusing about the 6ft 8in second-row giant in The Telegraph when including him in his Gallagher Premiership team of the season.
“Rowlands is absolute granite,” wrote the England World Cup winner
“Second most number of minutes in the second row. Hits rucks, tackles like an ox, handles well, great lineout man, stepped up with injury to Joe Launchbury.
“Rowlands is a class act and Wales are lucky to have him.”
It’s a strange one, though.
He hasn’t really fired during his seven appearances for Wales, leaving some wondering what all the fuss is about.
But Greenwood is a respected judge.
The Dragons will hope he performs for them as the prospect of a top lock teaming up with young Ben Carter will excite the Rodney Parade fans.
JACK REGAN (HIGHLANDERS TO OSPREYS)
HE’S an interesting character -- an Irishman who spent time with Leinster at junior level before heading north for Ulster then pitching up in New Zealand, where he played for Dunedin Sharks, Otago and the Highlanders, making his Super Rugby debut against Crusaders in February.
He came under attack early on in that game when All Blacks prop Joe Moody responded to being grabbed by the collar by unleashing a series of open-palmed clouts in Regan’s direction.
The Irish lock lived to tell the tale, and went on to establish himself as a popular rugby figure at the tip of New Zealand’s south island.
Ospreys believe he has potential.
ELVIS TAIONE (EXETER CHIEFS TO OSPREYS)
HOOKER’S a specialist position and the Ospreys are determined not to be caught light on numbers, so they have brought in this gent from Exeter Chiefs after the retirement through injury of Scott Otten.
So Elvis at the Liberty Stadium will unfold, after all.
At 38, Taione isn’t young, but he played 12 Gallagher Premiership games for the Chiefs in their titlewinning campaign of 2019-20 and has won 29 caps for Tonga.
Sam Parry, Ifan Phillips and Dewi Lake are resident hookers at the Liberty, but Parry is in the Wales mix and the Ospreys know from experience that injuries happen: the highly promising Lake saw his season cut short two months ago after picking up an ankle problem, while the unfortunate Otten had to bow out at the age of 26.
Arriving from English rugby’s top club, Taione should add to the set-up at the Ospreys. “Elvis has a proven track record in a titlewinning Premiership team and the foundation of that success was built on a dominant set piece,” said Ospreys head coach Toby Booth.
“Those experiences along with the understanding of a strong team culture with the Chiefs can really add to our potential as a team.”
THOSE COMING BACK FOR A SECOND STINT... MICHAEL COLLINS (HIGHLANDERS TO OSPREYS)
WALES-QUALIFIED through a grandfather from Llanelli, this guy is a leader who’s a more than accomplished utility back.
Some believe he possesses the potential to interest Wayne Pivac. Indeed, the current Wales national coach previously brought Collins to the Scarlets, for whom he played 15 times in 2014-15. The suggestion is Pivac remains an admirer of the 28-year-old.
It will be interesting to see where Collins plays for the Ospreys.
He can operate at full-back and in midfield but the Ospreys have Dan Evans at the back and Owen Watkin and Keiran Williams in the centre, with youngsters Joe Hawkins and Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler pushing through.
They also have George North, who plays in the centre for Wales.
But injuries happen and rare is is that a side has a full complement to choose from.
The Ospreys were light on experience in midfield last term and the hope will be in Swansea that Collins brings know-how, direction and a calming influence behind the scrum.
Those are qualities a team can never have too much of.
WILLGRIFF JOHN (SALE SHARKS TO SCARLETS)
THE big man started with Pontypridd in the Welsh Premiership and began his professional career with Cardiff Blues before a spell with New Zealand provincial side Northland.
But for the past seven years he’s been in England – first with Doncaster Knights, then with Sale Sharks.
He has immense power – he has reportedly bench-pressed 210kg – and is a strong defender.
With Samson Lee and new Scotland squad member Javan Sebastian, he will provide the Scarlets will depth and quality at tighthead.
RHYS PRIESTLAND (BATH TO CARDIFF RUGBY)
HE may be not pass muster as a Carlos Spencer tribute act, but no one shoulder underestimate what old master Priestland brings.
The 50-cap Wales international has a sharp rugby brain and he knows how to run a game.
His passing can be sublime, he’s a deadly accurate goalkicker and his decision-making is top class.
It will be fascinating to see how Cardiff use him and Jarrod Evans.
Potentially, there’s an opportunity for Evans to learn from a player who’s commanded huge respect at Bath and elsewhere in England.
Dai Young will be delighted to have him on board.