Posted by Steve Tandy will name his Cymru squad for what is being dubbed the “Southern Hemisphere Series” of the inaugural World Rugby Nations Championship. Please, reader, sense my overwhelming excitement through the screen.
The Welshmen start the “Southern Hemisphere Series” in the exotic climes of Leckwith, where Fiji are hosting their home game, before travelling to Argentina and then South Africa in successive weeks. Prior to that there is also a fixture against the Barbarians at Twickenham in a double header with the equivalent women’s fixture.
With that game taking place on the final weekend of June – before the three test matches across the first three weekends of July – it means that Tandy and his new-look coaching staff will have a lengthy period of time with a good chunk of the squad even with some post-season club fixtures and a bit of time to rest and recover at the end of a long campaign.
After the Six Nations there was plenty of positivity around the Cymru camp as progressive improvement culminated in victory over Italy. The defence shored up, the kicking and transition game got better, and the set piece developed a level of consistency, alongside plenty of individual growth from a fairly young and inexperienced side that has lost a lot of rugby matches.
There was also an uptick in attacking performances as Matt Sherratt’s system began to bed in, but the statistics don’t necessarily make pretty reading with averages of just 18 points scored per game, barely over two tries scored per game and just the single try bonus point. That will certainly need to improve if more wins are to follow.
That will likely be a focus of that extended training block prior to the games underway, but also presents some questions for Tandy, Jockey & co. to ponder before selecting their squad and then building their attacking game plan for the summer and beyond. Essentially, what balance between playmaking and strike running are they looking for in the backline?
During the Six Nations the system was a copy of that we saw Sherratt run at Cardiff during his two seasons as Head Coach with a second playmaker at 12, a strike runner at 13, a more physical presence on the right wing and a smaller, faster option on the left wing, with an outside strike running/kicking full-back popping up in the wider channels.
Joe Hawkins and Ben Thomas carried out the second playmaking duties from inside centre, Ellis Mee and Gabriel Hamer-Webb shared the bigger right wing role, Josh Adams was the finisher on the left-hand side, Louis Rees-Zammit added pace and carrying in the wider channel from full-back and then Eddie James was slid out to a slightly unfamiliar outside centre role.
It is the latter of those who may present something of a headache for Tandy though. To put it simply – in the eyes of this writer – Eddie James is currently Cymru’s best 12 and 13 option. He is a big and physical ball carrier, but can also do the second playmaking role at inside centre and even has solid footballing skills to boot.
During the Six Nations it was the case that the other outside centre options were of a lower quality than the other inside centres, therefore James was used at 13. However, in the last few weeks the return to fitness and form of Joe Roberts at Scarlets and Max Llewellyn at Gloucester, plus the increased role Louie Hennessey is playing at Bath, mean the 13 channel is suddenly looking a lot healthier.
If Tandy was to switch James back into the 12 jersey though, the question would then be what happens if he were to pick up an injury or need a rest. To revert to Hawkins or Thomas as an out-and-out second playmaker would lose a major carrying asset in midfield, but if Llewellyn were to go to his more natural 12 or Bryn Bradley, who has been impressing at Harlequins, got a call-up then they would see a drop-off in the distribution skills.
This is where full-back selection may then come into the equation. Rees-Zammit had a mixed Six Nations in a position he is still adapting to, and in a sport he was still re-acquainting himself with. There were flashes of promise in attack and small improvements in defensive positioning, but ultimately his skillset is always going to be around pace and carrying in the wider channels.
In a previous life Sherratt has deployed the dual playmaker system at 10 and 15, most notably in Cardiff’s run to the 2017/18 European Challenge Cup when Jarrod Evans and Gareth Anscombe dovetailed to deliver the club’s second triumph in that competition. Uilisi Halaholo and Rey Lee-Lo then deployed the more direct carrying threat, with Halaholo matching James’ distribution skills at 12.
It’s a shame Jack Walsh has given up the opportunity to play for Cymru by leaving Ospreys but there are still some options for Tandy and Jockey with Jacob Beetham having excellent playmaking ability, Blair Murray having a wide ranging skillset with ball-in-hand, Ioan Lloyd a natural fit and Cam Winnett could also fit the bill if needed.
Angus O’Brien would be in that mould too, although there is a debate to be had there around his age profile and talent ceiling versus the need to reward players for good form at club level, especially those at Welsh clubs.
There’s no ideal choice here for Cymru. To stick with the dual playmakers at 10 and 12 can offer more variation to the attack but likely restricts chances of victory in the short-term, especially if Eddie James is not available, as winning test matches on a regular basis without the size and carrying in midfield can be difficult.
Switching to 10 and 15 might provide a greater chance of winning more test matches up to the Rugby World Cup, but there are question marks over the depth of playmaking full-backs and how far the team can ultimately progress playing in that more direct style.
The head probably says to go to 10 and 15 for now and then maybe look to build back up to utilising 10 and 12 when the team is more settled and has gained confidence from getting a few wins under their belt, but the heart says this is a long-term project and going with what the coaches believe in is better for growing towards the 2031 RWC.
Monday’s team selection will offer some clues to Tandy & co’s thinking, so keep an eye on who gets the nod at centre and, particularly, what the make up of the back three is, but ultimately it won’t be until that Barbarians game we get a clear picture of what the next 18 months holds for Cymru. An exciting time for the national team, but one absolutely packed with hindsight potential.
Cardiff Rugby Life 