To use his own words, it has been a stop-start Six Nations for Josh Adams - a campaign of frustrations and lessons learned. The Cardiff winger began the tournament playing out of position in the centre during the 29-5 defeat to Ireland, picking up a yellow card along the way. He then missed the victory over Scotland due to a calf problem before sharing in the four-point losses against England and France.
He started both of those last two games back in his accustomed wing berth, but then ended up playing the final 15 minutes in midfield versus Les Bleus. Now he will round off the campaign with No. 11 on his jersey in Saturday’s Principality Stadium clash with Italy.
"I have definitely learned things," he says when reflecting on the past seven weeks. "I do learn a lot from each campaign and this one especially so, having the time in midfield. I feel it’s been a bit stop-start. That little niggle I picked up the week before Scotland was quite frustrating for me. Off the back of the Ireland game, it was a great chance for us as a team to right some wrongs and put a performance in. So I was frustrated that week leading into that game. I was back in against England, picked up a try, and the second-half performance from us was brilliant, but the game is played over two halves and 80 minutes. It doesn’t really matter what your second-half performance is like if you’ve lost.
"France, again, was so close. I honestly thought we were the better team that game. We controlled the majority of the ball and the game-plan worked really well. We just couldn’t finish off the chances. We had two or three chances that in the past we might have taken. We just weren’t quite able to take the opportunities. To be the best and to beat the best, you’ve got to be able to do that. So I think there are a lot of learnings from us."
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In terms of Adams’ move into the centre, that is something Wales coach Wayne Pivac has been keen to try out for some time, having originally selected him there for the Fiji match in November only for injury to intervene. So how does the player himself feel about adding another string to his bow?
"Being able to play in multiple positions does help in situations like touring squads, World Cups and things. That is certainly a benefit," he said. "Learning new things, new experiences, getting put under pressure in different positions certainly helps you grow as a player. I had a game at 13 for Cardiff against Toulouse. I learned a lot from that. I learned even more from stepping up into the international level, playing against a wonderful attacking team like Ireland. Moving in there during games is good as well, towards maybe the last 20 minutes or so. Most players will experience this at some point where they are asked to play in an unfamiliar position and it’s certainly valuable for us as players to learn things in different positions."
As for his thoughts on Wales’ campaign overall, the 26-year-old says: "We have been great in patches, disappointed in other patches. It’s been a bit hot and cold I’d say. But we are all learning. We are a lot better now than when we came in. The most important thing is to keep on improving by chipping away, so we make sure in 18 months' time we are in the best possible place. As players, we are all desperate to be involved in the World Cup and every performance is a stepping stone to getting in that squad to go."
Whereas Wales scored 20 tries in winning the Six Nations title last season, they have only crossed the whitewash five times so far this time around. "Obviously it’s clear to see we haven’t been as ruthless in attack this year," said Adams. "There are a lot of nuts and bolts around it in terms of why. You could say it’s time without the ball and we’ve defended for long periods without the ball. We’ve mixed and matched combinations as well and tried new things, but ultimately it falls on us. For whatever reason, it hasn’t quite been there. We’ve created some clear-cut chances where everyone is probably thinking 'how did they not score that?' These are the frustrating things for us when we look at it back. We could have been a lot more ruthless with the ball this campaign. I’d like to think we’d be able to put our best attacking game together this weekend."
It will be a big day for Alun Wyn Jones and Dan Biggar as they win their 150th and 100th Welsh caps respectively against the Azzurri. "They are both hitting incredible milestones this weekend, it is thoroughly deserved," said Adams. "They are terrific players and are both huge characters and leaders for us. They are the ones to calm us down when things are not going great and the ones driving the standards leading from the front. It’s extra nice they get to have these milestones at home in front of their family and friends. It’s important we put on a performance, the best of this campaign, and celebrate both these players’ incredible milestones with a victory."
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