Wales skipper Dewi Lake is a major doubt for the upcoming Six Nations, with Ospreys boss Mark Jones confirming the Lions hopeful is set for a 12-week spell on the sidelines.
Lake, who started in all three of Wales’ Autumn Nations Series games, underwent bicep surgery prior to Christmas.
“I think 12 weeks was the high end of it,” said Jones on his return timeframe.
“We know the operation went well, so there’s nothing to suggest he can’t beat that target.”
Jones added: “I know Dewi, he has an awesome mindset and is a great professional. I messaged him over Christmas and he is set on getting that as low as he can.”
But, with the hooker likely to miss Wales‘ Six Nations opener against France later this month – and if it is the full 12-week period he would probably miss the whole of the championship – it begs the question who could take over from him as captain? Well, here are some of the options available to Warren Gatland.
Jac Morgan
The most probable replacement as skipper would be Lake’s World Cup co-captain Jac Morgan. The 24-year-old was a standout for Gatland’s side in November and seems to be their only genuine world-class talent. He is one of those players who lets his actions do the talking for him, with some simply superb efforts despite the heavy defeats his side took this year.
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On top of this, he boasts decent captaincy experience with both Wales – albeit as co-captain – and the Ospreys too, which should see him take to the mantel of skipper well if called upon for the Six Nations.
Dafydd Jenkins
The Exeter man has fully hit his stride again after returning from double knee/shoulder surgery last month, and could easily see himself named as captain yet again this year. Like Morgan, he is one of those players who leads by example on the pitch, with his workhorse nature setting the standards for the other players around him.
Jenkins, still only 22, also has captaincy experience at both club and country. He led Wales into the last Six Nations campaign and has also served as Exeter’s skipper since the beginning of last season. His leadership skills have also been talked up by Rob Baxter too, saying he sets the tone in training, which is exactly what Wales need after a year without a win.
Liam Williams
Potentially a left-field shout, but Liam Williams could actually be a good option to come in as captain. The Saracens man would add the sort of experience Wales have been lacking, both in terms of caps and also with the knowledge of winning Six Nations titles.
Whilst he might not be your traditional captain, the quality he brings to an would certainly lift the rest of the squad to improve. It could be a great call from Gatland.
Aaron Wainwright
The big basher has been one of Wales’ top talents this year, and he would also be a great player to give the armband to this Six Nations. Again, this is a bold call considering he’s yet to captain either the Dragons or Wales in his career, but his approach to the game is exactly the sort of thing Wales need from a captain and would be the perfect tonic to cure the Lake hangover should he miss the championship.
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/dewi-lake-out-four-potential-wales-captains-for-the-six-nations-including-genuine-world-class-talent
