Posted by When it comes to the winger position in rugby union there is always something shinier on the horizon. For every Damien Penaud, Cheslin Kolbe and James Lowe there’s a Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Robert Baloucoune.
Even when stuck in the doldrums of international rugby that remains true for Cymru. Rio Dyer, Josh Hathaway, Gabriel Hamer-Webb, Ellis Mee and even the D20’s Tom Bowen get talked about as the next big thing, and yet what we have in the starting XV is one of the very best around.
Josh Adams has been a stalwart at test level for the best part of eight years now, cementing his spot in the side during the 2019 Grand Slam and currently sitting on 72 caps with 25 tries under his belt. Only recently turning 31 he is perhaps not the hotshot young finisher he once was, but he has transitioned into a fine all-round winger.
Defensively I maintain that there are few better in the world than Adams when it comes to marshalling a wing. All the experience he has garnered over the years have resulted in him nailing the skill of getting his body shape and footwork right to deal with two-on-ones, as well as reading when to step in off the wing and make a tackle on the second-to-last attacker.
There has been criticism at times of him failing to maintain his discipline, and while he certainly hovers around the edge that is exactly what it takes to be a top player at the top level for as long as he has.
It’s also what makes Adams such a good leader in the back line. Anyone who watches him won’t fail to notice the constant stream of communication coming from his wing as he surveys the entire field defensively from his wide vantage point, but the work rate and physicality he displays mark him out as a teammate worth following into battle.
In the modern game, and especially when you’re a side that is on the back front in the physical battle or at the gain line more often than not, the aerial battle is a huge area that needs to be won. It is often the only way for a team like Cymru to gain any sort of territory and open up attacking opportunities in the right areas.
On both sides of the ball Adams continues to be a very good aerial technician, with his work rate and bravery putting him in the right positions to make an impact, and the skillset to pluck the ball out of the sky when increasingly the one-handed flap is becoming the go-to play.
And, of course, as well as these added extras in his game the Cardiff man continues to be a threat when it comes to the bread and butter for wingers – attacking.
Adams may not have the top end speed he once did, but he remains a weapon with ball-in-hand using all his experience to aim for weak shoulders and identify space early. Coming off his wing he is very good at hitting lines from the blindside and creating line break opportunities for others, while his kick returning is a danger as he still knows how to make a man miss a tackle.
With his size and speed he can create something from nothing, and to finish it all off there are few better in the Welsh squad at hunting out try scoring opportunities.
Just take that score against Fiji in the first round of the Nations Championship, the killer instinct to chase the ball all the way in knowing that a try could be on the cards. It’s that almost selfish trait of looking to score no matter what that all the most lethal scorers have around the world.
In a period of the Cymru Men’s National Team when experience and leadership are so key for the rebuild of the squad, Josh Adams is a vital cog in the squad. The example he sets, the quality he possesses and the standards he drives are going to be incredibly important in taking Steve Tandy’s side from the depths of test rugby back to being competitive.
There will always be a shiny new winger toy coming through, even at the Arms Park let alone across the wider Welsh player pool, but there’s little substitute for that level of experience to guide a group where many of the players are still relatively new to test rugby.
It can be fashionable to write off a well known name like Adams in a world where it’s easy to call a player useless rather than take the time to provide nuance and depth to thoughts on micro-blogging sites, but time after time he proves why he’s still the man for the Cymru wing.
Cardiff Rugby Life 