FIVE ALIVE... LOWDOWN ON THE UNCAPPED ACES
IT seems Warren Gatland is not the only Welsh coach able to throw a few selection bombshells into a squad announcement.
Wayne Pivac pulled the pin on a couple of international grenades of his own when unveiling his first squad as Wales’ head coach for their meeting with the Barbarians at the Principality Stadium on November 30. We take a look at the five uncapped players named by Pivac for the uncapped international...
TAINE BASHAM (DRAGONS) The 20-year-old Rodney Parade star had the timing of the finest Swiss watch in thrusting himself into Pivac’s plans for the Baa-Baas match.
Pivac and forwards coach Jonathan Humphreys were in Newport on Saturday to see Basham bag a try hat-trick for the Dragons in their 31-17 European Challenge Cup win over Pau.
The prodigiously talented Wales Under-20 forward, who can play anywhere in the back-row, only turned 20 earlier this month.
But he’s already attracted interest from a number of English Premiership clubs as he heads toward the end of his current contract.
That interest came on the back of his exceptional performances for Wales at the World Rugby U20 Championship last year.
SHANE LEWIS-HUGHES (BLUES)
His love affair with rugby began some 17 years ago when aged five, the Blues back-rower was watching Wales v Ireland and asked his mother what sport it was. He was soon having a field day of his own playing on the wing at Ferndale Minis, representing Rhondda Schools before moving to the back-row aged 13.
He moved on to the Blues academy after being capped by Wales Under-16s.
He started every game as Wales U20 won the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2015/16, as well as in the 2017 World Junior Championship.
That season he made his Blues debut off the bench in the Guinness PRO14 against the Scarlets, but found first team opportunities hard to come by and spent some time playing in the Premiership for Pontypridd and Cardiff.
This season he’s made seven appearances for the region and being 18st 11lbs and 6ft 4ins, Lewis-Hughes down is a blindside flanker who can give Wales a ball carrying option we often crave at international level.
ASHTON HEWITT (DRAGONS) When the former Caerleon Comprehensive School pupil was graduating through the ranks of the Dragons academy, the last thing he wanted on his CV was being one of Welsh rugby’s unluckiest players.
But that’s what the 24-year-old jet-heeled wing has become in recent years after medical issues that could make a box-set of Holby City and Casualty combined.
He’s been on the cusp of Wales honours only for his dream of being in Warren Gatland’s squad for the World Cup to go up in smoke, not just once but three times.
The speed machine was ruled out of the 2017 Six Nations and end of term Tests with Tonga and Samoa after suffering a concussion against the Ospreys. He later admitted keeping the symptoms a secret.
Hewitt returned the following campaign and was named in Gatland’s party for last year’s June Test victories over South Africa and Argentina. But he never got on the plane taking Wales to Washington to face the Springboks after coming off worse during a training ground collision with his Dragons teammate Elliot Dee.
The knock-on effect was traumatic with Hewitt needing two operations and being forced to sit out all of last season. It means in his six seasons at the Dragons he’s made just 77 appearances scoring 22 tries in the process.
There’ll be fingers crossed in the Hewitt household the injury jinx holds off to allow the former Wales Under-16 Rugby League cap to step up to senior Union honours under Pivac.
JOHNNY MCNICHOLL (SCARLETS)
The utility back arrived from New Zealand to take up a contract with the Scarlets on November 3, 2016, so gets into the squad for the Baa-Baas game having completed his three-year residency in west Wales.
The former Crusader is not only box office, he is also a wing with an eye for business, scoring 37 tries in just 72 competitive games for the Scarlets since arriving from New Zealand. His haul includes a memorable hat-trick in the 2018 Guinness PRO14 final against Leinster, with one of the scores seeing him execute a superlative one-handed finish in the corner.
He recommitted to Welsh rugby by signing a new contract with the Scarlets last March, confirming at the time the lure of wearing a three feathers jersey was a factor when he and his family were deciding to stay. “If I do get that opportunity, I would be very humbled and grateful,” he said.
WILLIS HALAHOLO (CARDIFF BLUES)
The 29-year-old Arms Park centre completed his own three-year residency last month.
Halaholo grew up in Auckland and actually represented Tonga at under-20 level.
The hot-stepping Halaholo is similarly keen to represent the country where he has set up home, having signed a fresh long-term contract with the Blues eight months ago.
“I’m really happy to sign,” he said. “The welcome I have received since I arrived here has been awesome. My family absolutely love it... this has definitely become our home and I’m really excited about what the future holds.”
Like McNicholl,he boasts serious attacking skills.
The 2016 Super Rugby winner is renowned for his sidestep but also has a quality passing and offloading game. He is a man with a fascinating back story,revealing to
he almost ruined his career after being dragged into a gang culture in New Zealand.