Posted by Warren Gatland will name a Cymru squad on Monday ahead of the start of the summer internationals with his side taking on South Africa at Twickenham on Saturday 22nd June to get them underway.
It remains to be seen exactly how the squad announcement will be handled, as that game against the Springboks comes outside of World Rugby’s reg 9 window meaning players based outside of Wales are highly unlikely to be available. Certainly those over the Severn in England will find themselves unable to take part.
As a result Gatland will have to name a squad to prepare to face South Africa before adding the likes of Dafydd Jenkins and Will Rowlands prior to departing for a two-test tour of Australia, with a game against Super Rugby side Reds tacked on the end for good fun.
There’s plenty of Cardiff players in the conversation to be involved from the off though, starting with some pretty much nailed on squad members, fitness dependent.
Up front Corey Domachowski and Keiron Assiratti are two men who should be able to start loading up the sunscreen. After impressing in the Six Nations they have maintained their form; both scrummaging and around the park, and now form part of most people’s consensus prop picks on their respective sides of the scrum.
Tomos Williams is tracking well on his return from rupturing ankle ligaments against Italy, according to Matt Sherratt, and while he is unlikely to be fit to face South Africa he should be good to head Down Under and wear 9 again.
Then in the outside backs Mason Grady is in great form having switched back inside to the Cardiff 13 jersey and will almost certainly fill the void left by George North’s retirement, while Josh Adams’ quality makes his selection a no-brainer assuming his groin injury is not serious, and as the breakout star of the Six Nations, Cam Winnett is set to wear 15 again this summer.
Beyond those six there are certainly places up for grabs, and Blue & Blacks putting their hands up for them, after some excellent individual showings over the last two months.
At hooker Liam Belcher has been consistently excellent as a player and a leader for Cardiff this season. His lineout throwing is excellent, he’s got great hands, is a willing carrier, good over the ball and is surprisingly strong making him a solid scrummager, but question marks remain about stepping up to test match physicality.
Meanwhile Evan Lloyd will have learned plenty during the Six Nations after his surprise call-up, and clearly impressed Gatland enough to win two caps off the bench rather than parachute in a more experienced option. Has looked confident off the bench for the Blue & Blacks and uses his size well around the park, but his lineout throwing is still a work in progress.
With Dewi Lake back fit, alongside Elliot Dee who was excellent during the Six Nations and the ultra-experienced Ryan Elias, spots at hooker may be limited. No such dramas at tighthead though where the stocks are looking thin, particularly against South Africa with Dillon Lewis, Tomas Francis and Henry Thomas likely to be unavailable.
This could open a door for Rhys Litterick, who has been a surprise package at the Arms Park after his switch from Harlequins last summer. The 25-year-old is a relative latecomer to professional rugby having come through England’s national leagues, and then did not get a huge amount of playing opportunity at The Stoop, but has displayed a willingness to carry and tackle, and some excellent scrum technique honed by Adam Jones no doubt.
With Scottish qualification also an option, capping Litterick against the Springboks would reward good form and tie the prop to Cymru long-term, as well as hopefully bolstering our tighthead depth.
Into lock and it’s a similar story with unavailability as the aforementioned Jenkins and Rowlands, plus Christ Tshiunza, are based outside Wales, while Adam Beard and Teddy Williams both find themselves ruled out through injury, and Seb Davies will now be suspended. As a result there’s a chance for Rory Thornton to return to the test arena for the first time since 2017.
A regular in the Cardiff 23 this season, he’s an excellent lineout operator, a solid maul technician, and willing contributor around the field even if lacking in the sheer size of some counterparts. The likes of James Fender, Huw Sutton, James Ratti, Morgan Jones and Ben Carter may well be fancying a run out against the Boks, but with over 100 professional games Thornton is an experienced option.
The back row is competitive as ever but in Alex Mann, James Botham and Mackenzie Martin the Blue & Blacks can provide three genuine contenders for spots. Mann caught the eye during the Six Nations with his work rate, footwork and pace, Martin is a rare mix of size, power and speed produced in this country, and Botham continually displays a genuine all-court game that can slot in at 6, 7 or 8.
With Tshiunza, Taine Plumtree and Jac Morgan back fit, as well as Morgan Morris again competing for a spot in the squad alongside the reliability of Aaron Wainwright and Tommy Reffell, there’s few assurances for the Cardiff men but they have acquitted themselves well when on the field this season.
Into the backs and one man seriously deserving of a call-up this summer is Ben Thomas after a fine season in the midfield at the Arms Park. Now 25 with a mature head on his shoulders, a matchday captain and carrying a slightly bigger frame, he has developed into the all-purpose 12 who can carry, distribute, tackle, kick and organise, while also being more than comfortable wearing 10 and 15.
The likes of Owen Watkin, Keiran Williams, Eddie James, Johnny Williams, Nick Tompkins and Aneurin Owen make it a competitive area of the squad, but Thomas’ form and versatility mean he’s close to a no-brainer selection for Gatland.
Bringing similar versatility is Jacob Beetham who missed out on the Six Nations squad but was called in to train with Cymru as they look to avoid a situation where he is picked up by Scotland. The 23-year-old hasn’t had the game time he might have liked this season but has looked assured when called upon, has a monster right boot and has physical attributes that the New Zealander in charge often looks for.
Finally, on the wing there is a chance for Theo Cabango to potentially stretch his legs at test level as long as the injury suffered at Judgement Day isn’t a bad one. A sharp showing off the bench against Munster was followed by two (and yes, should have been three) tries away at Ulster as the 22-year-old displayed his pace, explosiveness, defensive positioning, attacking scanning and handling skills to regular cause defences trouble.
If fit, Adams and Rio Dyer are shoo-ins for the squad, but there are depth positions there to claim with Tom Rogers, Keelan Giles and Josh Hathaway all in the running, as well as my bolter suggestion of Gabriel Hamer-Webb.
The new arrival at the Arms Park has only made two starts for the club, but his attributes are a classic Gatland right winger; fast, powerful in the carry, comfortable roaming off his wing, good timing coming across to the openside, and willing to ruck and latch around the contact area. With North and Alex Cuthbert no longer around, Hamer-Webb may well be the next physical winger cab off the ranks.
Cardiff Rugby Life 