Wayne Pivac has outlined the crucial role Josh Navidi will have to play as Wales look to resolve their breakdown issues when they take on France.
That was a real problem area for Pivac’s team during their 23-19 defeat to England at Twickenham in the last round of the Six Nations.
It was there they conceded the majority of the 13 penalties awarded against them, enabling Marcus Smith to kick the points which ultimately proved decisive.
Now they are up against a French team that is absolutely lethal off turnover ball, so their breakdown work simply has to improve.
That’s a key reason why flanker Navidi has been fast-tracked into the side after just one outing for Cardiff, following five months out with a dislocated shoulder.
There are few players better in the game at clearing out on attacking ball than the 31-year-old, who also makes such an impact in the collisions.
So in he comes to start on the openside against Les Bleus at the Principality Stadium.
“We looked at the England game in our review, in terms of some of the errors we made and the penalties we gave away, particularly in that first half,” said head coach Pivac.
“We looked at the experience a guy like Josh brings and his decision-making in those areas of the game.
“He is close to 30 Tests now and was a big part of our success last year.
“To have a player like that available is great from our point of view and he has certainly trained well this week.
“He was a big part of the contact area last year and we’re hopeful he can supply some more of that this time around.
“France have got big men and put a lot of pressure on the breakdown. Shaun (Edwards) has got them working very, very hard at that area of the game and you can see across the park they’ve got threats over the ball.”
Pivac has no great concerns over the fact that the 28-cap Navidi has had such limited recent game-time.
“Josh has done it before, hasn’t he?” he said.
“He did it against Ireland last year, first game back - he had no club rugby under his belt.
“The year before that in the Six Nations at Twickenham, his first game back was a Test match against England. We had worked on 50 or 55 minutes that day, but he played 80.
“Certain players can do this. They have a history of being able to step up. He is one of them.
“So, having 80 minutes under his belt for Cardiff, we think that’s enough for him.
“We know he can do it. He is a fantastic player and has played well for us in the past.
“He is ready to go and we are very pleased to have him back.
“He’s played at this level on many occasions and we look forward to him being back out there bringing that experience.”
Looking ahead to the meeting with Grand Slam-chasing France, Pivac said: “We’ve had two very good games with them in the Six Nations in previous years and it’s come down to one score in each.
“It’s well documented the players that are missing, so it’s going to be a big, big challenge, but playing at home is certainly an advantage to us.
“We love playing at home. What better challenge than to have a team like France who have so many threats across the park?”
Last year’s Six Nations meeting between the two countries in Paris ended with the French scoring a last gasp match-winning try to deny Wales the Grand Slam.
“It was a day we should have been celebrating a championship, but we had to wait a week," said Pivac.
“It had a bit of everything - red card, yellow card, 13 vs 14 in the final minutes. It really was a great game to be a part of - and that’s easier to say looking back - but certainly at the time it was emotionally charged as well.”
Welsh fans are hoping Friday night proves to be another epic shootout - only this time with a different result.
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