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Mark Orders

The likely Wales team to face Scotland as Wayne Pivac considers five big changes

It’s a big selection for Wayne Pivac after Wales’ dismal performance against Ireland in Dublin.

In other news, there's snow on the ground in the Arctic and eating too many sweets can cause tooth decay.

Let's return to Pivac.

For sure, the coach faces a challenging pick for the game with Scotland in Cardiff on Saturday.

There again, he might feel he has few options, anyway, amid an injury crisis the New Zealander might not even wish on his rivals.

His challenge is to avoid simply altering things for the sake of it, but he’ll also know the effort in the Irish capital was so ordinary that some changes have to be made.

Wales will be up against a Scottish side stacked with confidence after their win over England.

Here is the team which Pivac seems likely to pick.

It contains five changes from the starting line-up which took the field at the Aviva Stadium, two of them positional.

15. Liam Williams

Many post-match reviews highlighted Williams’ failure to stop Garry Ringrose from scoring.

Not so many focused on the try he saved by bringing down Tadhg Beirne and other instances of last-ditch defence that kept out Ireland.

Wales didn’t lose because of Williams.

Plenty of others deserve to be axed ahead of him.

14. Louis Rees-Zammit

It could be Johnny McNicholl named here, depending on Rees-Zammit’s fitness, with the Gloucester playing hurting an ankle during the warm-up.

He never really looked on his game in the round one clash from the moment Mack Hansen shrugged him off in the first couple of minutes. He tried hard enough, but there were two forward passes and he missed one in three of his tackles.

Pivac will know he’s a lethal finisher, though.

On that basis, if he’s fit, he plays.

13. Nick Tompkins

Beyond Tomos Williams and Dan Biggar, Wales’ backs made 41 tackles, with Tompkins making 21 of them.

Had it not been for him, particularly in the first half, things could have turned seriously messy at Irish rugby’s headquarters.

Pivac likes him and his strong defensive show against Ireland would surely have been appreciated.

He could move from 12 to 13.

But the coach will remind him that Wales need to improve the accuracy of their passing and general craft behind the scrum.

12. Willis Halaholo

Willis Halaholo during a gym session in the autumn (Huw Evans Picture Agency)

Another call that will depend on fitness, with Halaholo off limits for the Ireland game — a good one to miss — because of hamstring issues.

But he is creative, classy and offers something different in attack.

He’s also good over the ball and he and Tompkins played together in the win over Australia in the autumn.

Halaholo would improve matters the blunt attacking game on view over the weekend.

But he first needs to prove he’s ready.

11. Josh Adams

Pivac defended Adams’ performance against Ireland, but the reality is that playing him in the centre was an experiment that failed totally and utterly.

The Cardiff player didn’t look comfortable there from the word 'go' and Ireland sensed it.

When he switched to a wide role, he appeared far more at ease.

It would be harsh to drop him after playing him out of position, and he is a wing of proven quality.

10. Dan Biggar

Not his finest hour against Ireland, not by a long chalk, but would it have been any different if Wales had fielded a different 10?

Big Irish forwards and backs were running directly at the Wales fly-half, making for an uncomfortable afternoon.

But ditching the captain amid choppy waters isn’t always the best way forward — in fact, it’s rarely the best way forward.

The cliché tells us that Biggar rarely has two ordinary games in a row, and the cliché is true.

If Wales can put in place a half-decent platform against Scotland, the Northampton Saint can be expected to deliver.

9. Tomos Williams

The great scrum-halves prove their worth in adversity.

Terry Holmes played behind a number of beaten Welsh packs in the 1980s yet emerged as Wales’ best player on any number of occasions.

Tomos Williams couldn’t manage to pull that one off at the Aviva Stadium. There again, so rickety was the platform Wayne Pivac’s first-choice No. 9 was working off, even Holmes in his pomp might have been pushed to stand out.

Gareth Davies looked calm and compose and didn’t do his chances of a start next time any harm.

But would making an alteration are No. 9 just be an exercise in change for change’s sake?

1. Wyn Jones

A close call here.

Gareth Thomas made a mark when he came on and it was from his scything tackle on Tadhg Beine that Wales scored their only try. There were no scrum problems on his side and he also made his tackles.

Jones gave away two penalties against Ireland but the Welsh scrum was largely firm and he was up against Tadhg Furlong - so a plus there for holding his ground.

The thinking is Jones will edge it.

2. Dewi Lake

Dewi Lake featured off the bench for Wales against Ireland (Huw Evans Picture Agency)

This one will depend on how confident the Wales coaches are in Lake’s arrows.

But he can carry the ball. On Saturday, he made 11 metres from three runs while the Welsh starting front five made just 14 metres collectively. Lake also hits hard in the tackle and turns over opposition ball. On a good day he can be a serious force.

His throwing clearly has to be reliable, though, because the last thing Wales need to do is hand over possession on a plate to the Scots.

But if Wales think he can be trusted on that front he’ll stand a decent chance of playing as they have to achieve go-forward up front and Lake will give them that.

The decision between him and Ryan Elias could involve much midnight oil being burned.

3. Tomas Francis

Not a single penalty conceded against Andrew Porter and could count himself a shade unlucky one or two didn’t go his way as he more than held his own in the scrums.

If his carrying game didn’t put in appearance in Dublin, he defended well.

The Osprey keeps his place.

4. Will Rowlands

The Dragon attracted mixed reviews for his effort over the Irish Sea.

With Wales dining on scraps of quality possession, he only managed four runs with ball in hand. On the positive side, he did his best to put the brakes on Ireland’s possession and chipped in with an impressive 17 tackles and no misses. By any standard, that’s a decent defensive effort.

5. Adam Beard

Wales may have been out-muscled at forward but Beard rolled up his sleeves in defence and pulled off a trademark maul turnover.

He also pinched an Irish lineout.

He’ll know there needs to be more.

But the likelihood is the vice-captain will keep his place.

6. Ross Moriarty

An option for Pivac would be to pick Jac Morgan — outstanding for the Ospreys this season — at six and Moriarty at No. 8, but this is a team that the coach is likely to choose rather than the side he should select.

Ellis Jenkins had a quiet game in Dublin so he’s likely to make way.

Moriarty’s a hard man who bristles with physicality, something Wales could have used more of from the first whistle against Ireland.

He starts.

7. Taine Basham

Nothing to see here.

He was the official man of the match when Wales played Australia and he was immense against Ireland, doing all he could to counter an outstanding home team.

The thing about him is he has an all-court game.

He can put in 20 tackles and still carry the ball 15 times.

Oh, and he’ll also scrap for the ball at the breakdown.

This week, he’ll be the first name on the team-sheet.

8. Aaron Wainwright

His place would only be in jeopardy if Pivac opted to bring Jac Morgan into his back row and switched Ross Moriarty to No. 8.

But Wainwright wasn’t the worst against Ireland.

Far from it.

He at least got into double figures in terms of metres made with his ball carrying. Only one other starting forward, Taine Basham, managed that.

So the Dragon can expect to hold his place.

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