Following Wales’ team announcement for their Six Nations opener against France, Planet Rugby assesses the key winners and losers from Warren Gatland’s selection.
Winners
Liam Williams and Josh Adams
The return of the experienced backline duo will be a massive double boost for Wales as they look to end their horrific 12-match losing streak at Test level which stretches back to the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
Williams and Adams missed most of the 2024 international campaign due to injuries with Adams last representing his country during last year’s Six Nations before a knee issue kept him on the sidelines for their mid-year Tests against the Wallabies in Australia as well as the Autumn Nations Series campaign.
Meanwhile, Williams played in three Tests last year, against the Springboks and Wallabies (twice), and is one of the most senior players in Wales head coach Warren Gatland’s squad.
He missed last year’s Six Nations before announcing at the end of 2024 that he would return to Saracens for a second stint from Japanese outfit Kubota Spears.
Owen Watkin and Nick Tompkins
The experienced duo will line up alongside each other in Wales’ midfield and they can expect a tough day at the office against an exciting Les Bleus centre pairing of Yoram Moefana and Pierre-Louis Barassi.
Watkin and Tompkins are both excellent defenders and will be expected to lead the way in that department for the Welsh but both will also be expected to be at their best on attack and will be expected to create try-scroing opportunities for their outside backs with their playmaking abilities.
Ben Thomas
With Sam Costelow injured, Cardiff’s Ben Thomas will be pulling the strings in Wales’ line-up and he will have a tough assignment in his direct duel with Romain Ntamack, who is one of the world’s best fly-halves.
Cardiff have been one of the surprise packages during this season’s United Rugby Championship (URC) as they are currently in fifth position on the table in the 16-team competition.
Thomas started some Tests at inside centre last year and has played most of his club matches in that position but will have to be at his best from the outset as Wales’ chief playmaker against Les Bleus.
Tomos Williams
Despite all Wales’ struggles over the past 12 months, the Gloucester scrum-half has been arguably their best player as he has delivered several excellent performances for club and country on a consistent basis.
The 30-year-old’s attacking ability is of a high quality as he is rapid around the breakdown, provides a slick service to his outside backs and has a keen eye for a gap which makes him dangerous to opposing defences.
Williams is also solid in the execution of his defensive duties but it’s his attacking prowess which is his biggest strength and if he can get good front foot ball from his forwards, he should ask plenty of questions of France around the fringes.
Jac Morgan
With first-choice hooker Dewi Lake ruled out through injury, his Ospreys clubmate Jac Morgan takes over Wales’ captaincy – a position which he is no stranger to as he served as co-captain alongside Lake at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
The 25-year-old is renowned for his all-action style of play and usually empties the tank on both sides of the ball.
Morgan, who can play at all three back-row positions, will pack down on the openside flank for Wales this weekend and will be expected to lead his side’s onslaught in the breakdown battle.
Another player who missed the bulk of Wales’ forgetful 2024 international campaign due to injury but has delivered some fine performances since returning to action for the Ospreys and will be hoping to transfer his club form to rugby’s greatest championship.
Dafydd Jenkins
The young second-row is another one of Wales’ players who is on the comeback trail in the international arena after he missed last year’s Autumn Nations Series due to knee and shoulder surgery.
The 22-year-old only returned to full fitness in Exeter’s Champions Cup loss against Toulouse last month but has been a regular in matchday squads at club level since then.
His impressive form for the Chiefs earned him a recall to the Wales squad and after captaining his country during last year’s Six Nations, he was in the running for the leadership role again before Gatland opted for Morgan.
Evan Lloyd
The Cardiff hooker is still relatively inexperienced at Test level but with regular hooker and captain Lake sidelined with injury, Gatland has opted to name him to start in this important fixture.
Lloyd gets the nod ahead of the more experienced Elliot Dee – who will start amongst the replacements – and Sam Parry but the 25-year-old has been in good form for Cardiff and will have to hit the ground running in Paris on Friday.
Losers
Josh Hathaway
The 21-year-old Gloucester speedster made his Test debut on Wales’ tour of Australia last year and is yet to get another chance in the international arena.
He had some good moments in defeat against the Wallabies before missing the remaining two matches of the tour – against Australia and the Reds – due to injury.
He is not on Wales’ replacements bench and missing out on the Six Nations opener, Hathaway will be hoping for a chance in one of the other Tests.
Joe Roberts and Eddie James
Just like Cardiff, the Scarlets have also impressed in the URC as they are currently in sixth position on the table and the midfield duo of Joe Roberts and Eddie James have caught the eye with some fine performances at that level.
However, both are still relatively young and inexperienced in the international arena and miss out to their more experienced rivals Watkin and Tompkins who line up in Wales’ run-on side against France.
Like all the other players outside the matchday squad, Roberts and James will be hoping to get a chance further down the line in the competition.
Ellis Bevan
With Tomos Williams firmly entrenched as Wales’ first-choice scrum-half, it was a shootout between Bevan and Rhodri Williams to be the back-up number nine for Wales’ Six Nations opener.
Williams and Bevan have both impressed at club level for the Scarlets and Cardiff respectively but Gatland has backed Williams to come off the bench during the latter stages of this match to re-energise the Welsh cause.
Bevan, who made his Wales debut in 2024 and eventually won three Test caps, will obviously be disappointed not to be involved in the matchday squad but will continue to give his best at training in a bid to convince Gatland to select him in other Tests during the Championship.
Taulupe Faletau and Tommy Reffell
Gatland has said that the experienced Taulupe Faletau is close to full fitness after sustaining a knee injury earlier this month and should be available for selection for Wales’ second Six Nations Test in Rome early next month.
Faletau’s absence will be keenly felt as he has proven over the years that he is one of the best loose forwards in the game. He has had wretched luck with injuries since the World Cup in France as apart from that knee injury, he also broke his arm against Georgia at the global showpiece before suffering a serious shoulder injury upon his return to action.
That means he has not played in any of Wales’ 12 losses in a row. Meanwhile, fellow back-row Tommy Reffell has been named on the replacements bench and although he will be disappointed not to be in the run-on side, he should play a key role off the bench as Wales look to return to winning ways.
Christ Tshiunza
The Exeter Chiefs second-row has given good service to Wales since making his international debut against Fiji in Cardiff in 2021.
Although the 23-year-old always puts in solid performances in the international arena, he was competing for a spot with his clubmate Jenkins, who is slightly more experienced at Test level.
However, Christ Tshiunza can consider himself unlucky not to be on the replacement bench for this fixture – as he can also cover the back-row – with Gloucester’s Freddie Thomas preferred to him.
Elliot Dee
Despite having played in 51 Tests, the 30-year-old hooker was overlooked for a position in the starting line-up and this could be due to his club, the Dragons’ struggles in the URC where they are languishing at the bottom of the standings.
While that will be a setback, Dee will be hoping to make full use of his opportunity off the replacements bench as he is solid in the execution of his core duties.
Keiron Assiratti
Another Cardiff stalwart in Wales’ squad, Keiron Assiratti has not disappointed his country since making his Test debut in 2023 and he will be hoping to make a positive impact off the bench.
A solid scrummager, who also defends well – especially at close quarters – the 27-year-old is the back-up tighthead prop to the more experienced Henry Thomas but should give a good account of himself when he inevitably enters the fray.
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/wales-team-winners-and-losers-warren-gatland-backs-experience-in-bid-to-end-horrific-losing-streak
