Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Matthew Southcombe

The last-minute Wales team selection decisions as new boy set for biggest night of career

Wales are a side that are desperate for some consistency in selection and head coach Wayne Pivac has regularly suggested that he'll be aiming to provide that in the coming weeks.

Centre Nick Tompkins has also admitted that it has been tough being part of a Welsh midfield that is constantly chopping and changing. He hopes to build a relationship with George North but also pointed out that it is down to the players to perform and give Pivac no reason to ponder their place in the side.

Some familiarity would likely help Wales grow during their three Test series in South Africa but that is not to say that blind faith should be placed in the same XV that started the dramatic 32-29 defeat at Loftus Versfeld. One or two tweaks would not dramatically inhibit the flow of the side.

Pivac will be keen to keep the ship steady but there will be a few selection dilemmas that will be occupying his mind before the team is announced on Thursday.

COMMENT: Springboks' selection devalues Wales series no matter how good the second string are

A call for Cuthbert

There are question marks over just how fit Josh Adams is. The thought of leaving a finisher like him out of the side is almost unfathomable but he didn't really make a mark on the first Test.

Adams hadn't played since injuring his knee at the start of April. There was a significant amount of strapping on the joint at Loftus and he didn't appear to be moving as fluidly as he normally does. He was replaced relatively early in the match, which is almost unheard of where Adams is concerned.

It all leads to question marks over his readiness. Which takes us to Alex Cuthbert, who was arguably unfortunate to miss out last weekend, with Pivac citing a niggle he was carrying in the build-up.

He had a huge impact when he was drafted into the side during the Six Nations and there would have been few complaints if he made the 23 last weekend. He is playing with the freedom of a man who is just enjoying the ride, having thought his international career was over when he moved to Exeter Chiefs.

That is one to look out for.

A change at hooker?

This is a tight call. Ryan Elias did very little wrong but there is an undercurrent of support for Dewi Lake, which is growing. The competition for the No.2 jersey seems to be bringing the best out of the two and there is now very little between them.

Lake appeared to relish the cauldron in Pretoria and there are fantastic images circulating of an exchange with the experienced Malcolm Marx, at one time deemed the best hooker in the world.

But Elias goes about his business and is equally as combative in the loose. Any gains by throwing Lake in from the start may only be marginal and is it worth making that call at the expense of consistency?

It's an interesting one.

A big evening looms

Tomas Francis has departed South Africa after suffering a concussion in his third consecutive campaign and, with Leon Brown left behind due to injury, Wales are down to the bare bones at tight-head.

Dillon Lewis will start the match and he did a very good job last time out. But coming off the bench will be one of Sam Wainwright and Harri O'Connor. The former has never started a game of professional first team rugby and the latter has started one.

It is going to be a huge challenge for one of them, with forwards coach Jonathan Humphreys dismissing the idea of using experienced loose-head Wyn Jones as tight-head cover, a role he performed at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. It means one of the two young tight-heads will be on the bench in Bloemfontein.

Wainwright was called up to the squad when Leon Brown was ruled out pre-tour, which suggests he is ahead in the pecking order. But that may have changed in training recently and O'Connor has experience against South African opposition in the URC this season.

For whoever is selected, it'll be the biggest night of their lives.

What about Navidi and Alun Wyn?

Few eyebrows were raised higher than mine when Josh Navidi was named on the bench for the first Test but it has to be said that Dan Lydiate and Tommy Reffell let nobody down.

Again, Navidi probably provides a little more explosiveness in the loose compared to the incumbents but is what he would add to the side worth interrupting consistent selection? That is a tight call.

In truth, the second row situation doesn't need to be touched. Adam Beard and Will Rowlands were among Wales' standout performers in the first Test. It's up to Alun Wyn Jones to disrupt that by showing form from the bench.

That being said, were Wales short of leaders in the Loftus cauldron? Potentially.

READ NEXT

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.