There’s a case for viewing selection as the most important part of being a rugby coach.
Warren Gatland excelled at it during his first stint in charge of Wales, with countless big calls coming off. He knew what he wanted, didn’t pay too much heed to outside influences and backed his own judgement. Most of the time he got things spot-on, though individual players might not always have agreed.
Not for Gatland indecision and confusion in the manner of the pundit who once said of the England football team “the midfield picks itself: Beckham, Scholes, Gerrard and A. N. Other”.
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At club or regional level, team picks are just as important, affecting not only the fortunes of the side but also the wider prospects of individual players.
And so to the Scarlets, where there won’t be many bigger calls over the festive season than who the west Walians pick at scrum-half. Head coach Dwayne Peel has three front-line No. 9s at his disposal, two of them internationals in Gareth Davies and Kieran Hardy and the other a player with Test ambitions of his own in Dane Blacker.
Davies has been carrying a bump but it will still be intriguing who Peel runs with as a starter for the United Rugby Championship clash against the Ospreys in Swansea on Boxing Day. Potentially, the call could have a knock-on effect for Wales, with Gatland likely to take notice of the perceived pecking order out west.
Does the coach opt for Blacker ahead his two Test men, assuming both are fit?
The ex-Cardiff player has impressed in the run-on XV the Scarlets have sent out in Europe this month, helping the Llanelli-based team play at a high tempo. They won the first half 25-7 against Bayonne and piled up 37 points before the break against the Cheetahs. Wayne Pivac included Blacker in Wales’ squad for the autumn but didn’t play him. What does Peel do for next Monday?
It’s a headache, but one the Scarlets head coach welcomes, saying: “Gar was unavailable last week, but having him, Kieran and Dane there gives us good quality and depth.
“Dane’s been excellent over the last two weeks, just as he has been at other times this season and during my time here. It’s great that he’s stood up in the last two games and played really well.
“It’s good to have those selection dilemmas. I’m looking forward to seeing the boys go again this week up against Rhys Webb. It’s going to be a good challenge.”
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How does Peel make his selection calls? Is he a reputation man or one who’s mainly guided by recent performances? “Form has a lot to do with it,” he said.
“Sometimes it’s a bit of a gut feel, as well, in terms of the opposition, but you can’t ignore form most of the time. So we’ll go with what we feel is right and who’s playing the best and also the combinations — that’s a big one, because some guys play better with each other.
“But in terms of this coming game, we’ll be going on form over the last couple of weeks.”
Just maybe, that's a clue that could herald positive tidings for Blacker.
But we’ll see.
The No. 9 the Scarlets will be facing, Webb, has also been on song, shining for the Ospreys against Montpellier in the Heineken Champions Cup last week after catching the eye against Leicester Tigers the Saturday before.
Boasting armour-plated self-belief — he'd fancy his chances going up against an amalgam of Gareth Edwards, Terry Holmes, Rob Howley, Antoine Dupont and Aaron Smith — he’ll also want to give Gatland a nudge.
How does Peel assess the threat he poses? “He’s been playing well all year,” said the Scarlets’ coach. “He’s a focal point for them, a player with a wealth of experience and one who plays the game he wants to play and is comfortable with the team around him, which comes with experience as a nine. When you get into that groove and you feel like the team know you are running the side and you are the marshal, it’s good fun,” said a man capped 76 times by Wales and three times by the Lions.
“He seems that way. He’s a good operator and we’ll have to be on our mettle.”
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