Wales open their Six Nations campaign at home to Italy in Cardiff on Saturday, February 1 (2.15pm kick-off).
Wednesday 29 January 2020 10:20, UK
New school term, new headmaster appointed. Warren Gatland's 12-year tenure as Wales head coach has come to an end. How will Wayne Pivac fare?
Gatland will be regarded as one of, if not the most successful coach in the history of Welsh Rugby. He led Wales to three Grand Slam titles (2008, 2012 & 2019) - not many coaches have gates named after them!
Whenever there's change, there's always a sense of stepping into the unknown. Take Alun Wyn Jones for example. The Welsh captain has been capped 134 times by Wales. He's the most-capped Welshman of all-time but life under Gatland is all he's been used to. It's a fresh challenge for Jones & co.
It's hard to predict how they'll fare in this year's campaign but one thing is for certain, it'll be a far more expansive style of play under Pivac. The former Scarlets head coach brought a joue joue approach to his style of play during his time with the west Wales region and many are predicting this will continue in his new role.
Back-row Battle
The back row department is Wales' ace card. Picking three out of this bunch (Aaron Shingler, Aaron Wainwright, Taulupe Faletau, Ross Moriarty, Josh Navidi, Justin Tipuric) will be one of Pivac's biggest headaches; they're all world-class. Whoever he picks, the ones that miss out can count themselves very unlucky.
New Kids on the Block
When Pivac announced his first Wales squad, most folk west side of the Severn were googling the name 'Will Rowlands'. It made for pleasant reading. Welsh qualified (obviously, the surname gives that away), but also, his credentials stood out: 6ft 8in and 19st 5Ibs. He was named Wasps' Players' Player of the Season at the end of 2018/19 and has scored seven tries in 83 club appearances.
Louis Rees-Zammit was also named. He's rapid and has good banter to add, silencing Andy Goode on twitter, a case in point. He's scored 10 tries in 12 appearances for Gloucester in all competitions so far this season. He's already a proven try-scorer, and at only 18, he can only get better.
Nick Tompkins was the final surprise selection. The Saracens centre represented England at age-group level and qualifies for Wales through his Wrexham-born grandmother. He's also a proven try scorer, most famously scoring a hat-trick as a replacement in last season's Premiership semi-final victory over Gloucester.
The 2014 Junior World Championship winner with England also tops the charts for carries, metres made and defenders beaten on a regular basis in the Gallagher Premiership.
Who'll wear the 13 shirt? Jonathan Davies is a big loss for Wales in this year's showpiece. His knee injury, which he picked up during the World Cup has ruled him out of contention and the debate has been rumbling on as to who should take his position.
There's talk of George North, but let's be honest, he's been out of form. Also, picking someone as direct as North would probably go against Pivac's game plan. Yes, he's powerful, but a distributor he ain't. North's been capped 91 times by Wales and scored 39 tries. Only four of those caps have been in midfield.
How about turning a negative into a positive? Italy first up. Put Tompkins in the 13 shirt and on current club form, the debate ends there.
It's a new era for Wales - welcome to Wayne's World. He's definitely had a strong start. He's appointed Byron Hayward (Defence), Stephen Jones (Attack), Jonathan Humphreys (Forwards), and kept on Neil Jenkins (Skills). He's also brought in Martyn Williams (Team Manager) and Sam Warburton (Technical Advisor: Defence/Breakdown).
They're definitely shrewd appointments. He's surrounded himself by Welsh rugby legends. As long as positive results follow, he'll be a popular choice.
A fit Taulupe Faletau is a game-changer. Wales definitely missed his presence during the World Cup and he's rated by many as being the best No 8 in the northern hemisphere and is up there alongside Kieran Read on a world level.
If he remains fit throughout the tournament, the Six Nations trophy could well be staying in Wales. Monsieur Shaun Edwards, however, will be doing his utmost to prevent that from happening.
Forwards (21): Rhys Carre, Rob Evans, Wyn Jones, Elliot Dee, Ryan Elias, Ken Owens, Leon Brown, WillGriff John, Dillon Lewis, Jake Ball, Adam Beard, Seb Davies, Alun Wyn Jones (c), Will Rowlands, Cory Hill, Aaron Shingler, Aaron Wainwright, Taulupe Faletau, Ross Moriarty, Josh Navidi, Justin Tipuric.
Backs (17): Gareth Davies, Rhys Webb, Tomos Williams, Dan Biggar, Owen Williams, Jarrod Evans, Hadleigh Parkes, Nick Tompkins, Owen Watkin, George North, Josh Adams, Owen Lane, Johnny McNicholl, Louis Rees-Zammit, Jonah Holmes, Leigh Halfpenny, Liam Williams.
