Make your mind up time... key decisions facing coach Pivac
WALES’ summer plans are far from set in stone at the moment.
The idea was to tour Argentina and Uruguay while the Lions were away in South Africa, but the coronavirus pandemic has thrown those plans into chaos.
The chances of Wales heading to south America look scarce at the moment, but Wayne Pivac’s side will surely play Test rugby somewhere, somehow this summer.
And with a fair contingent of his squad likely to be taking on the Springboks under the tutelage of Warren Gatland, it will be interesting to see how Pivac approaches the summer.
What are the decisions facing the Wales coach ahead of his first summer tour with Wales?
Who captains Wales?
Perhaps the first decision Pivac will have to make when he names the squad is who will captain his side.
Current skipper Alun Wyn Jones, barring a decision that would result in national outcry, will be with the Lions, as will other captaincy candidates such as Ken Owens, Justin Tipuric and Jonathan Davies.
Cory Hill would be the obvious choice, having led Wales on the 2018 tour of Argentina alongside Ellis Jenkins – who would be another candidate if he makes his Test return this summer after a long spell out of the game injured.
Leigh Halfpenny could be trusted to lead the side too, given his wealth of experience.
Can the nine jersey finally be sorted?
Much of this depends on which of Wales’ scrum-halves, if any, tour South Africa.
Gareth Davies, Tomos Williams, Kieran Hardy and Lloyd Williams are all in contention - with any of the first three in with a shout of touring with Gatland’s Lions.
Whoever is left behind will be hoping to get a run in the nine jersey – something which has been a rarity.
You get the sense that Tomos Williams is Pivac’s ideal firstchoice, while Hardy arguably put in the most impressive performance of the Six Nations.
How does he replicate the back-row?
In Josh Navidi, Justin Tipuric and Taulupe Faletau, Pivac has a near-perfect back-row combination – one he has waited some time to get out on the field.
All should tour with the Lions this summer, which begs the question of what Pivac’s back-row will look like without that trio. Well, he’s not short of options. Aaron Wainwright looks the likely man to replace Faletau, given Pivac’s preference for the Dragons man at 8.
Then there’s the likes of James Botham, Shane Lewis-Hughes, Ross Moriarty, Jac Morgan and
Ellis Jenkins to choose from.
Not a bad position to choose from.
What new faces does he introduce?
Last autumn, Pivac and his coaching ticket made their stance clear. With World Cup seeding off the table, they were using the packed autumn schedule to blood new faces.
A summer tour in a Lions year is another opportunity to do so but who could be the new faces who are brought in?
Kieran Williams at the Ospreys looks the likeliest newcomer to tour, given the impact he’s had in midfield at the Liberty Stadium.
Someone who will be soon stepping out in Swansea, Scarlets flanker Jac Morgan, is another who should be one Pivac takes a look at.
Having been in the squad twice before, WillGriff John would be hoping it’s third time lucky when it comes to his Wales debut.
Who can nail down starting spots?
A bit like the scrum-half jersey, this isn’t so much a decision Pivac can make before the tour but he can come in with an idea of who should be pushing to overtake those with the Lions.
Willis Halaholo made a number of impressive cameos during the Six Nations and, with Johnny Williams injured, he could be primed for a run in the 12 jersey while Jonathan Davies is away.
Despite Dan Biggar playing some of his best rugby, it’ll also be a chance for Callum Sheedy to show what he can do in the fly-half jersey.
Finally, Halfpenny will no doubt enjoy the chance to remind everyone of his world-class talents after a injury-hit Six Nations.
In the pack, the likes of Rhys Carre, Elliot Dee, Leon Brown, Cory Hill, Ross Moriarty and Aaron Wainwright will enjoy chance to show what they can do without the first-choice options present.