Could Gareth Anscombe come in at No 10 and give Wayne Pivac an almighty selection headache for the Six Nations next year?
With the Rugby World Cup less than a year away, the strongest contenders to break the Southern Hemisphere’s hegemony of the Webb Ellis Cup are considered to be France and Ireland, with England not to be discounted. But what of Wales? Under the reign of Warren Gatland they won more Six Nations titles than any other side and reached two World Cup semi-finals.Under Wayne Pivac, however, they have been a model of inconsistency; excellent one minute and downright awful the next. Pivac’s first three years in charge has been one of experimentation not only with players, he has given out new caps like confetti, but also with their style of play. The New Zealander was appointed on the back of his success with Welsh club Scarlets, who won the then Pro12 in 2017, and on the promise he would implement a more expansive style, more akin to Super Rugby.
Wales tried but failed to get any major success playing a quick and expansive game. There were moments of excellence, the 2021 Six Nations winning campaign being one of them, but Test match rugby is unforgiving, and they did not possess the accuracy, nor the skill levels to succeed playing such an expansive game in the face of elite defences.
Their awful first ever home defeat to Italy last March was their nadir under Pivac, but it could also prove to be the turning point. They reverted to type in South Africa, playing a rigid and tight game, which relied on matching the Springboks at the contact area and a strong tactical kicking game. It worked to an extent, with Wales winning their first ever Test match in South Africa against the Springboks, even though they ultimately lost the Test series 2-1.
Expect more of the same this autumn, especially this weekend when they attempt to end a run of 32 straight defeats against the All Blacks.