WALES AND LIONS LEGEND
New coach, clean slate, new opportunities.
Every player who has played for Wales in the past, is in the current side or who fancies stepping forward to play in the World Cup should be redoubling their efforts this month and next to try to get into Warren Gatland's plans for 2023.
His appointment has had the desired effect for the under-siege bosses at the WRU. Where there was once fear and trepidation about having to welcome the No.1 side in the world, Ireland, in the opening round of the Six Nations, suddenly there is hope and excitement. Don't forget it was a Joe Schmidt coached Irish side that was put to the sword (25-7) by Gatland's team as they won the Grand Slam in 2019 in his last game in charge in the tournament. We were all singing in the rain on that day, so let's see if we can find a ray of sunshine to kick-off a massive year for the game.
If you take a look at the last team Gatland picked for the Six Nations there are plenty still hanging around. Hadleigh Parkes and Jake Ball are both out of the running having moved to Japan, while Aled Davies is ruled out because of the 60-cap rule after his switch to Saracens. Jonathan Davies, Gareth Davies and Rob Evans all dropped off Wayne Pivac's radar, but just imagine if Gatland could reinvigorate the two Davies boys!
Ross Moriarty is another who fell out of favour under Pivac, but he is fit and firing at the Dragons and will surely come back under consideration in 2023. The recent injury to Gareth Anscombe is a big blow, especially as he is likely to miss at least the start of the Six Nations, but Dan Biggar is ready to come back in and, I presume, take over the captaincy once again.
GRAND SLAM 2019 V IRELAND
Liam Williams; George North, Jonathan Davies, Hadleigh Parkes, Josh Adams; Gareth Anscombe, Gareth Davies; Rob Evans, Ken Owens, Tomas Francis, Adam Beard, Alun Wyn Jones (c), Josh Navidi, Justin Tipuric, Ross Moriarty
Replacements: Elliot Dee, Nicky Smith, Dillon Lewis, Jake Ball, Aaron Wainwright, Aled Davies, Dan Biggar, Owen Watkin
If you move on to Gats' penultimate game in charge of Wales, the World Cup semi-final against South Africa in Japan, there are a few other names who dropped off Pivac's team sheet in Aaron Wainwright and Wyn Jones. Jones was Gatland's Test loosehead with the British & Irish Lions in South Africa in 2021 and still has plenty to offer, while the penny seems finally to have dropped with Rhys Carre and he is playing better than ever for Cardiff. Can Gatland get him up to speed for Test rugby? It would be very exciting if he could.
WORLD CUP SEMI-FINAL 2019 V SOUTH AFRICA
Leigh Halfpenny; George North, Owen Watkin, Hadleigh Parkes, Josh Adams; Dan Biggar, Gareth Davies; Wyn Jones, Ken Owens, Tomas Francis, Jake Ball, Alun Wyn Jones (c), Aaron Wainwright, Justin Tipuric, Ross Moriarty
Replacements: Elliot Dee, Rhys Carre, Dillon Lewis, Adam Beard, Aaron Shingler, Tomos Williams, Rhys Patchell, Owen Watkin
There is nothing that inspires Gatland more than a challenge and the conversations he will be having over the next few weeks with players, young and old, and coaches will set the tone for what happens next year. In eight weeks, he managed to turn a team that failed to get out of their pool at the 2007 Word Cup into a side that won for the first time in 20 years at Twickenham in his first game. Then they went on to complete the Grand Slam!
The pool of talent available to him will be a blend of the very familiar – AWJ, Owens, Faletau, Tipuric, Biggar, North, Liam Williams, Halfpenny, Francis – and a crop of youngsters who have been introduced to the international arena by Pivac. There are 17 contenders in the latter bracket for Gatland to run his eye over and I'm sure a number of them will become mainstays in 2023.
CAPPED UNDER PIVAC
Louis Rees-Zammit, Joe Hawkins, Nick Tompkins, Rio Dyer, Sam Costelow, Kieran Hardy, Gareth Thomas, Dewi Lake, Ben Carter, Will Rowlands, Christ Tshiunza, Dafydd Jenkins, Taine Basham, James Botham, Shane Lewis-Hughes, Jac Morgan, Tommy Reffell
For me, there are at least five automatic starters in that group when fully fit – Rees-Zammit, Tompkins, Thomas, Rowlands, Morgan – and a further six who will figure on the bench – Hawkins, Dyer, Hardy, Lake, Tshiunza, Reffell. I can just imagine how the eyes of these players are going to light up when they appear before Gatland. He will lay out his vision, his demands and his work-ons for them, and then it is down to them to deliver. If they can do that then they will all become better players. So much of what Gats delivers is based on hard-work and attitude. Without those qualities you simply won't figure.
Injuries always play their part in preparation and can derail the best of plans. While Rowlands and Anscombe are major doubts for the Six Nations, they will both figure in the World Cup planning. There is no doubt that Rowlands is now a major player for Wales and his loss will be huge. Second row is still the big problem area and I have no doubt in my mind that Alun Wyn Jones will become important to Gatland. Adam Beard and Ben Carter both need to up their efforts and impact and Tshiunza is one of the coming men. It will be interesting to see how he approaches that area of the game.
There is some good news on the injury front in that a number of potentially key players will be back over the festive period. Any squad that has the likes of Josh Navidi and Liam Williams back to their best is going to be all the stronger.
COMING BACK FROM INJURY
Josh Navidi, Taine Basham, Liam Williams, Dewi Lake, Wyn Jones, Dan Lydiate
INJURY DOUBTS FOR SIX NATIONS
Will Rowlands, Gareth Anscombe
SO HERE'S MY TEAM FOR THE GAME AGAINST IRELAND:
Liam Williams; Louis Rees-Zammit, George North, Nick Tompkins, Josh Adams; Dan Biggar (c), Tomos Williams; Gareth Thomas, Ken Owens, Tomas Francis, Adam Beard, Alun Wyn Jones, Jac Morgan, Justin Tipuric, Taulupe Faletau
Replacements: Dewi Lake, Rhys Carre, Dillon Lewis, Christ Tshiunza, Tommy Reffell, Gareth Davies, Joe Hawkins, Rio Dyer
