Blues back row looking to put Autumn frustrations behind him
STEFFAN THOMAS finds Josh Navidi in a hurry to make up for lost time on sidelines
WHILE the whole of Wales celebrated Warren Gatland side’s first Autumn clean sweep last month, there was one man who watched on in agony.
Four straight victories over Scotland, Australia, Tonga and Australia extended Wales’ winning run to nine matches and the plaudits rolled in for Gatland and his players.
Wales are in a fine place ahead of next year’s World Cup and the returning Josh Navidi is set to add to their burgeoning strength in depth for the 2019 Six Nations.
The Cardiff Blues flanker had a superb November campaign 12 months ago, but missed this year’s series due to injury. He admits the hurt of watching players perform successfully in his place has left him even more determined to regain his place in Gatland’s side. Navidi is a man possessed.
“It wasn’t the best of times for me to get injured with regards to Wales, but hopefully that’s behind me now,” Navidi told The Rugby Paper. “I injured my shoulder at the end of last season in the Challenge Cup final against Gloucester and then played a couple of games before injuring my knee again against Lyon in October. “It was very frustrating, but I’m back fit and available for selection. I’d be a terrible coach because I get so frustrated when watching, but the boys did so well. “The World Cup is always going to be in the back of my mind but if I’m not doing it on the pitch, then I’ve got no hope of going. Hopefully everything will fall into place for me. “The Christmas derbies are coming up which will be important. In every derby game you go into it with the same mentality and Wales selection is always on your mind in those games.” In a Wales squad which Gatland describes as “the best of his tenyears in charge”, the back row is the most competitive area in terms of strength in depth. Navidi is among a wealth of flankers from which the New Zealander can choose and it was unfortunate he missed the autumn. Having been viewed by many as a run-of-the-mill regional player, Brynteg School product Navidi changed the perception of him last season by proving he can excel at openside in the Test arena in Sam Warburton’s absence.
The 27-year-old now has 11 Wales caps but realises he needs to find form quickly with the Blues if he is to make the cut for the Six Nations in February.
In the autumn, back row rivals Justin Tipuric, Dan Lydiate, Ross Moriarty, Ellis Jenkins, left, and Aaron Wainwright all had fine campaigns. Jenkins’ horror knee injury sustained against South Africa means he will miss the Six Nations, but Navidi, James Davies and Taulupe Faletau should all be back in contention.
“It was savage what happened to Ellis. It was a massive injury to sustain in the last seconds of the game,” said Navidi. “I didn’t want to message him straight away because I knew his phone would be bombarded by texts. He’s going through a tough time now, but he’ll do his rehab and try to get back fit as soon as he can. Injuries are part and parcel of the game and you have to take it day by day. I just need to try to get back to where I was at this time last season and build on those performances.”
Mulvihill’s Blues host the struggling Dragons and then travel to Scarlets and Ospreys over Christmas with Navidi determined to impress and push his team into play-off contention.
“It’s been an up and down season. We’ve done OK, but we need to climb the PRO14 table,” Navidi said. “We haven’t got the biggest squad but the younger boys have been showing what they can do at this level. That’s really positive and now we’ve got a lot of boys back fit.”