Why I’m backing the three Lions

WARREN Gatland took a few people by surprise when he named Josh Adams as his man of the match after the game against Australia.

Justin Tipuric had been so impressive, after all, winning several turnovers against the world’s most feared back-row duo of David Pocock and Michael Hooper. But Adams did have a strong game. He was up against a world-class performer himself in Israel Folau but shone in defence and caught the eye in attack, looking at home in such exalted company.

But let’s not forget Liam Williams completely.

THE WONDER OF WILLIAMS

I was asked the question earlier this week about who I would pick if Wales were playing a World Cup quarterfinal tomorrow and all their backthree options were fit.

My choices would be Williams, Leigh Halfpenny and George North.

There’s not a lot in it because Adams has taken his game on, Steff Evans is creative and Luke Morgan and Jonah Holmes are in the mix as well.

But I would still go with the three Lions.

Williams may not have played too much rugby over the last year because of injuries but he wins his 50th cap in the game with Tonga and so has vast experience to call on as well as class to spare.

He was Wales’s best player in against New Zealand in 2016, remember, earning admiration from the notoriously hard-to-please Kiwi public and press. A year on he was back in the same country and shining as the Lions Test full-back.

So he is a man who has shown he can deliver against the gold-standard country of world rugby and that should count for something.

The former scaffolder doesn’t understand the concept of fear and there can’t be many better counterattackers in the world game.

Gatland played a clever game in letting the world know he felt Adams was man of the match against Australia.

The comment will get into Williams’ mind and he will be determined to show what he can do. In that respect, Gatland is good at pressing the right buttons.

The challenge for Williams is not to try too hard.

Discipline matters and so does cool-headed decision-making.

I know the former Scarlet sometimes plays on the edge, but Test rugby is often won in the mind and the people who think most clearly are the ones who get the best results.

So I’m expecting a big game from Williams against Tonga if Wales set in place a decent platform.

THE OTHER TWO

As regards my other two back-three picks, Leigh Halfpenny just has a great work-rate and makes so few mistakes in his general play.

He may have missed those two kicks against the Wallabies, but he fronted up in other respects, especially in the second half. He attacked the defensive line, tackled well, read play intelligently and also won territory for Wales with his boot.

He is an 8/10 performer in pretty much every Test match Warren Gatland’s side play.

George North? He wasn’t at his very best last time out, but I’m a fan. He is having a big season with the Ospreys and is a player who can strike fear into any defence.

DON’T FORGET MORGAN

Hopefully, we’ll see Luke Morgan in a Wales shirt again.

This weekend would have been a good time to give him another run, but the selectors have thought otherwise. You can only have so many wings in a matchday squad and I accept that the Ospreys man had a chance against Scotland, but the way the game ran it didn’t turn out to be much of a chance, with play barely running his way at all.

Okay, he could have gone looking for ball, but it was his first cap and sometimes it isn’t easy for a wing to put his stamp on a game.

I just feel it would be a shame if that were the only opportunity for Morgan at Test level.

RHINO SKIN DAN

There’ll be a lot of focus on Dan Biggar this weekend – nothing new there.

He attracts a lot of criticism from some but he has the skin of a rhino and doesn’t let it worry him. Nor will he be thinking of Gareth Anscombe, the man who has worn the Wales No. 10 jersey for the past two Saturdays.

Biggar will be thinking of his own game and how he can improve it. He is a player who doesn’t rattle easily and Gatland will feel confident with my old Ospreys mate at the controls.

AS FOR THE GAME ITSELF

The key for Wales is that they play cleverly against Tonga.

They have to be physical, but they can’t afford to be too loose, especially in the early stages when the need is to take points on offer and keep the scoreboard ticking over.

It isn’t rocket science. Trying to launch attacks without a platform in place is a dangerous game, and particularly against some of the hardest hitters in world rugby. Wales need to win the set-piece battle and be tactically astute. Do that and they could run up a decent points tally. What they can’t do is force things. The Tongans are dangerous and need to be respected but there should be enough in this Wales side to see them off.