SHANE WILLIAMS
WALES AND LIONS LEGEND
WALES are set to confirm their squad for a humdinger of an autumn series this week and Scott Williams deserves a place in Wayne Pivac's party.
Let's be honest, it's a daunting, daunting schedule for Wales. To play New Zealand, South Africa and Australia all in one campaign is going to be very tough. There is also a dangerous Fiji side too.
The three southern hemisphere giants are all in the best four sides in the world right now and for me, England are also in that quartet.
Wayne will want Wales to be taking on teams like this because it's the only way you improve.
Warren Gatland always wanted Wales to play the best because it gave him a sense of where his side was at and I think Wayne is definitely right to stick with that mantra.
But I do have my concerns about what might happen in the next few weeks.
A few weeks ago, my fellow TRP columnist Jerry Guscott said Wales could lose to New Zealand by 30 points. Some might think that is overly negative, but that could very well be the end result. It could even be 40 points if things get really ugly!
Wales have always been notoriously slow starters at the beginning of each campaign. That was the case when I was in the team and it seemed to happen a lot under Warren's guidance. The All Blacks won't be starting slowly in Cardiff. They are firing on all cylinders after winning the Rugby Championship and they've been playing some seriously impressive rugby.
Yes, they lost to South Africa in their last game (what a Test match that was!) but watching the Championship I really think Ian Foster has started to put his mark on the side.
Look at the try Ardie Savea scored against the Springboks. That showed me the All Blacks are purring right now because it came straight from first phase.
With the way modern-day defences are organised, it is very rare to see a team score straight from a lineout but that's exactly what Foster's men did. Savea actually starts the move by lifting Akira Ioane to win lineout ball at the tail just inside the South African half.
From there on in, the move is razor sharp. Some might rightly question the level of South Africa's defence, but Beauden Barrett and Rieko Ioane make great breaks in midfield and Savea goes over after running a great support line. It's some try and a warning that Wales can't give New Zealand an inch.
So, how are Wales going to shut the All Blacks down? The answer to that is with difficulty! Wales will have to give them nothing behind the scrum because the Savea try shows that if you give New Zealand an inch, they will take a mile.
“Jerry said Wales could lose to New Zealand by 30pts… it could be 40 if things get ugly”
Wayne will pick his best available side for the games with New Zealand, South Africa and Australia and he will need to. He will be without his English-based players for the All Blacks game which leaves those who play their domestic rugby in Wales at the front of the queue.
There will be some big calls to make. Wayne doesn't have much to select from in terms of matches because by the time he picks his squad, there will have been only three rounds of the United Rugby Championship. That is not a lot to go on, but I think there have been some standout Welsh performers in the competition so far.
I like what Will Rowlands has added to the Dragons. He is hugely physical and a real commanding presence in the second row. I know the Dragons haven't started that well in terms of results, but Rowlands has gone well. Back row Jac Morgan at the Ospreys is another one. He looks a real talent.
I've also been really impressed by Scott and Jonathan Davies at the Scarlets. These are two players I played with and they seem to be rolling back the years in midfield. Yes, it is early days and I'm not necessarily advocating Scott to start against New Zealand, but I think his form merits squad selection. He is such a fine player when fully fit.
Scott has had such bad luck with injuries and it ruined his time at the Ospreys. Now he looks like he is firing on all cylinders and he has shown some lovely touches for the Scarlets so far. A first Test since 2019 would be welcome and just reward for all the hard work he's put in.
Scott and Jon went really well together for Scarlets against Edinburgh even though the result didn't go their way and I was impressed by Scott's handling in the easy win over the Lions. I really liked the way Scott drifted in off Sam Costelow in that game and helped release players like Steffan Evans and Johnny McNicholl outside him. He showed lovely hands too.
Centre is an interesting position for Wales this autumn. George North has been first-choice 13 for a while but is out with a long-term injury. I've really liked what I've seen so far from Michael Collins of the Ospreys but he has now suffered a calf injury which means he'll likely miss the whole campaign. There is also Uilisi Halaholo and Owen Watkin to consider.
I imagine those two plus Jon and Scott will be the four centres in the squad while I'd like to see Morgan named as a flanker, especially with Justin Tipuric also out injured.
Morgan is only 21 but he went well with Wales at U20 level and already has a great deal of experience from his time with Scarlets and now Ospreys.
Another huge blow for Wales has been the loss of Liam Williams after he had to have surgery to remove his appendix. It leaves Wayne in a bit of a hole at full-back for the autumn with Leigh Halfpenny also on the long-term injured list. Hallam Amos and Johnny McNicholl are options there.
Both will be in the squad and the pair will be vying for a starting spot against the All Blacks. It's a very tight call, but I'd probably just plump for Hallam. His left-foot kicking option is something different.
I suppose there is an option to play Gareth Anscombe at full-back and maybe Rhys Priestland at flyhalf, but I've been consistent in my view we shouldn't ask too much of Gareth after his injury lay-off. It's a lot for him to be back playing so much rugby after so long off in his favoured fly-half position let alone switching him to 15 even though he is comfortable there.
I do think Wayne will actually plump for Gareth at 10 to face the All Blacks and I wish him all the best. I'm sure it will mean a lot to him for his Welsh return to come against the country of his birth.
Once Wales are in camp, Wayne will have to get the squad firing immediately. There can be no dawdling because every session in the run-up to the All Blacks game will be vital. Wales will be behind the eight ball from the start. The question is, can they catch up quickly enough to compete with the best on the planet?
