Dragons star Ross Moriarty has issued a bullish statement to Warren Gatland after being left out of this year's Six Nations squad, telling the Wales coach that he could bring to the table what the team has been missing in recent weeks.
Moriarty's omission from the 37-man squad for this year's championship came as a surprise to many, with the 28-year-old in superb form for his club side with some physical displays. However, the back rower was overlooked by Gatland in favour of Taulupe Faletau, Justin Tipuric, Jac Morgan, Tommy Reffell and Christ Tshiunza, as well as his Dragons teammate Aaron Wainwright.
To make the decision even more perplexing, ahead of his first game in charge since making his return to the Wales job, Gatland commented that he needed to find a "physical 6" that could match those in the back row of other, bigger nations.
Commenting on his back row selections in the squad, he said: "I think long-term, I can potentially see a good fight between Jac, Tommy and Justin for that 7 jersey. We need to find that physical 6 in terms of matching bigger nations. That’s something we’ll look to develop over the next few months. It’s whether we look at someone like Christ Tshiunza. There’s healthy competition in that back-row."
However, the Dragons man has now had his say and reminded Gatland about what he could bring to a side that have been widely criticised for being physically dominated in their opening two Six Nations games, with a lack of strong ball carriers identified as one of their main weaknesses.
"I'm a huge competitor, I wouldn't be in the position I am if I wasn't," Moriarty told Scrum V as he reflected on being left out of the squad. "So, of course, if I'm fit and I'm playing well then I'm going to be asking questions."
Asked if he could be the sort of back row player that Gatland is looking for, he added: "It's not what I could be, it's what I have been for Wales in the past. I've played some games and made 40 odd tackles in two games, my collision dominance is usually above 80 per cent and then I look at the other boys and they're probably way below 20. That's a huge part of my game and that's what I pride myself on.
"If I'm not top of the carry count as a back rower or forward then I'll definitely be top of the tackle count. It's either one or the other with me, I know what I do and I know what I can offer."
The 56-cap star also opened up on the current uncertainty facing Welsh players amid suggestions he could leave Rodney Parade for either England or France with his contract up at the end of the current campaign.
"It's very stressful, especially for players like myself who are out of contract this season," he said. "I think the way it's been handled and how long it's taken to get to this stage of when you can start speaking to people about contracts and how much money is going to be there, it's the middle of February. In the past, you would have had something done before Christmas.
"People don't see the effect it can have on people's personal lives. Willis [Halaholo] has put out a pretty big statement about how it's affecting him and the situation he's in. It's not nice to see. It is really sad that it's got to this stage in Welsh rugby because it's such an established brand. How has it got to this situation?"
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