Fit-again Ball raring to go in big battle for Welsh jersey
IT’S been close to nine months since we last saw the familiar bearded figure of Jake Ball on a rugby field.
Last November, during the first half of Wales’s clash with the All Blacks, the sight of the Scarlets lock leaving the Principality Stadium pitch on a stretcher, needing oxygen after a sickening shoulder dislocation, left Welsh fans fearing the worst.
It was later revealed that Ball would need surgery and be sidelined for up to four months, ruling him out of the 2018 Six Nations.
But complications surrounding nerve damage meant he wasn’t seen again for region or country last season.
A medical update from Parc y Scarlets this week has revealed that Ball is set to make his much-anticipated comeback over the coming weeks - a huge boost for a player who would have been firmly in Warren Gatland’s thoughts for next year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Ball had started all five of Wales’ Six Nations matches in 2017 with his tireless work rate in the tight and abrasive ballcarrying seeing the former cricketer establish himself alongside skipper Alun Wyn Jones in the Wales boilerhouse.
However, as the 27-year-old prepares to throw his 6ft 6in frame into the Scarlets’ early Guinness PRO14 push, he will know he has work to do to reclaim that spot.
Barring injury, Jones is sure to be Wales’s captain in the Far East.
A three-time British and Irish Lion, the Ospreys talisman is one of the most influential forwards in the world game and the heartbeat of the Welsh pack.
Which leaves four or five players scrapping for the remaining second row berths.
Gatland named five locks for the 2015 tournament, but with so many back-row options at his disposal, it could well be just four this time around.
Here we look at the contenders to partner Jones ...
JAKE BALL
Born in Berkshire, Ball was on the verge of a professional cricketing career in Australia before opting for the oval ball and a contract with the Western Force.
The Scarlets, aware he was Welsh-qualified through his North Walian father, came calling in 2012 and his emergence into a second row of international quality has been rapid.
Ball won his first cap against Ireland in Dublin in 2014 and has been a regular member of Gatland’s squad since, racking up 28 caps, 18 of them as a starter.
He has been a key forward for the Scarlets; a strong ballcarrying option, who has developed his handling skills in tune with the passing mantra of the West Walians.
CORY HILL
The Dragons captain has been lauded by Gatland as one of Welsh rugby’s most improved players over the last 18 months.
His consistency was rewarded with the co-captaincy for the summer Tests against South Africa and Argentina and he was one of Wales’ standout players on that trip.
One of the infamous “Geography Six” added to Gatland’s Lions squad in New Zealand in 2017, Hill has proved to those who scoffed at the time that he is a player of Test calibre.
His appetite in defence was a key part of his performances > during last season’s Six Nations and he has also been tasked with calling the Welsh line-out.
Will be favourite to partner Jones this autumn.
BRADLEY DAVIES
Often seen as the joker of the pack, Davies’s no-nonsense approach at the heart of the Ospreys forward effort earned him a recall to the national side for the 2018 Six Nations 18 months after his last Test appearance.
Mainly used as a replacement during the tournament, the 31-year-old former Cardiff Blues and Wasps favourite started against Italy and again against the Springboks in Washington in June.
With 64 caps to his name, Davies is a reliable go-to player for Gatland and hugely popular within the squad.
Has targeted a third World Cup appearance and if he stays injury-free will be in firm contention.
ADAM BEARD
The summer Tests against Argentina could prove to be a defining moment in the 6ft 8in Osprey’s burgeoning career.
A member of Wales’s Under20s Grand Slam side in 2016, he was widely tipped as one to watch, but struggled for regular senior rugby at the Liberty.
Beard made his Wales debut as a replacement against Samoa on the 2017 summer tour and was given a first start against Georgia last autumn.
But it was against the Pumas where the 22-year-old really had people talking about him as a World Cup bolter.
He put in 17 tackles in the first Test to complement his line-out work and energy with ball in hand and followed that up with another impressive showing a week later.
THE OTHERS
The 74-cap Luke Charteris is 35 now and last played for his country during the 2017 Six Nations.
Was called on for Wales’s summer tour, but was then withdrawn following the row with Premier Rugby over player release.
The fact he is playing across the Severn at Bath will continue to count against him, but his vast experience at the top level can’t be ignored.
If Gatland is looking for an option who can slot into the second row and back row, athletic Cardiff Blues tyro Seb Davies fits the bill; the versatile Josh Turnbull was a late callup to Wales’s tour and continues to deliver at regional level, while Osprey James King will feel he still has something to offer.
Former Wales Under-20s skipper Rory Thornton will hope his loan move from the Ospreys to the Blues can reignite his hopes, but he has a fair bit of ground to make up.