Pivac facing a host of worries ahead of tour to South Africa
WHEN it comes to beating the Springboks on South African soil this summer, Wales are certainly up against it, writes BEN JAMES.
Even with a full-strength squad, such is the mood in Welsh rugby at the minute you’d imagine Wales will be flying out a priest to Pretoria along with the usual coaching ticket. It’s going to be a tough tour.
Some injury absentees will be felt harder than others by Wayne Pivac. While many aren’t totally ruled out at this stage there are a lot of worries with the squad expected to be announced next week.
Aaron Wainwright is one who is definitely missing. The Dragons’ back-rower, who has established himself as a No. 8 back-up to Taulupe Faletau under Pivac, will miss the tour after fracturing a heel against the Scarlets recently.
Justin Tipuric is another back-rower who won’t feature. The openside hasn’t featured this season since falling foul of a shoulder issue in the Lions’ opening match against Japan last year.
Another Lion who has struggled this year has been Ken Owens. The hooker hasn’t been seen in a Welsh jersey since the 2021 Grand Slam decider in Paris, with a back injury ruling him out of the autumn and then denying him a Six Nations place.
Ryan Elias and Dewi Lake have stepped up to the plate. It seems likely they’ll have to continue carrying the load in South Africa. Elliot Dee, though, might not be there, with the Dragons hooker a doubt with a calf strain.
Elsewhere in the front row, another Test Lion might be missing. Wyn Jones is on the road to recovery after an operation on his knee. On the other side of the pack, Leon Brown is a doubt, with the Dragons prop currently recovering from a shoulder nerve injury.
There’s other injury concerns at the Dragons, with Ross Moriarty also recovering from a nerve injury in his leg and Will Rowlands has a shoulder problem, while Christ Tshiunza has been out with a hamstring injury.
Moving into the backs, the news that Tomos Williams will be out for longer than six weeks with a hand injury, putting his touring place in serious doubt, would leave the scrum-half jersey once again shifting around.
His Arms Park team-mate Willis Halaholo is another who has seen injuries curb his chances of Test selection in recent years and saw a hamstring injury end his season.
In the back three, Josh Adams is currently out with a knee injury which should keep him out for up to six weeks, leaving things a little tight for the Cardiff wing. Johnny Mcnicholl is another who might miss out, with a knee injury of his own ending his campaign.
Two backs we definitely won’t see this summer will be Jonah Holmes and Hallam Amos. The former is leaving the Dragons to join Ealing after turning down a reduced contract in Wales. As for Amos, he’s retiring this summer to pursue a career in medicine.
The Scarlets’ Argentina international Tomas Lezana has signing a new contract with the region.
The 28-year-old flanker, capped 40 times, arrived in Llanelli after featuring for the Pumas in The Rugby Championship and has made nine appearances, scoring two tries.
A powerful, dynamic runner, he has recovered from a couple of injury setbacks to put in a string of impressive performances in the Scarlets back row.
Lezana said: “I am enjoying it here, I am enjoying a lot; the new experience, a different culture and I am grateful to the club for how they have welcomed me and my partner here.
“The fans here are really passionate, similar to Argentina people, that pushes you to give more.
“I also like the style of rugby we are playing, we like to move the ball around the pitch, it is like Super Rugby and I love that.”
Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel said: “Tomas has settled in really well and with a run of games under his belt he has been getting better every week. I’ve seen massive growth in his game. I think we are only just scratching the surface of where we can get to with him.”