The Ospreys have expressed ‘surprise’ at the omission of Rhys Webb from Wales’ squad for the autumn Tests.
The 33-year-old was this week left out of Wayne Pivac’s 35-man panel for the games with New Zealand, Argentina, Georgia and Australia, with the New Zealander naming Tomos Williams, Kieran Hardy and Dane Blacker as his scrum-halves.
But the Ospreys have been taken aback by the decision to overlook the player they look to as their on-pitch general.
“I just feel for him because he’s played well,” said head coach Toby Booth.
“We’re a little bit surprised.
“We need to rally around him and help him out because he’s a very committed Ospreys man who wants to play well for him and that’s what he can control.
“He was invited to a pre-World Cup year meeting.
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“Wales have been very specific about what they want him to do and if he’s not doing that, well, I’d like to think he’s been told what that is.
“But from our point of view he’s doing exactly what we want him to do.
“From a high-level performance point of view, not just last week but across last season in particular, he’s been one of our standout performers.
“Their loss is our gain.
“I know that doesn’t help him, but we’re pleased to have him around.”
Despite his strong regional form, Webb hasn’t featured for Wales since the game with England in Llanelli in November 2020. He has started just once under Pivac, against France in the same year.
Booth was further asked why he felt the 38-cap Webb had been passed over yet again.
“That’s not really a question for me,” he said.
“All I can comment on are his levels of performance and his influence on the group. Since being made captain, he’s been very positive in driving the competitiveness of the team as well as delivering high-level performances himself.”
Ex-Ospreys coach Sean Holley, nowadays a pundit, was also more than a bit perplexed by the call to snub Webb, saying: “I thought Rhys’ form would have been good enough.
“He’s been the form scrum-half in Wales this season and he’s experienced.
“Based on his performances this season, I can’t fathom why he’s not in the set-up.
“The thing with Rhys is he’s involved with everything. He’s a threat. If you spoke to the opposition, they’d tell you he’s one guy who’s a bit of a pain in the neck to play against.
“He’s assured because of his captaincy and he’s consistently performing. He’s also still quick. I was covering the Glasgow game a couple of weeks ago, and he showed good pace to reach a kick through at one point. I don’t think his physical attributes are in question.
“Rhys is definitely in the top three scrum-halves in Wales.”
Webb leads the Ospreys against the Dragons in Sunday's United Rugby Championship match at Rodney Parade.
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