It is reaching the point where Wales seem to be treating the centre position as if it were an offshoot of the Schleswig-Holstein question.
A famous quote from Lord Palmerston back in the day described the aforementioned poser as being so complicated that “only three men in Europe have understood it. One was Prince Albert, who is no more. The second was a German professor, who became mad. I am the third and I have forgotten about it.”
The problem of who should start for Wales in the centre is rapidly approaching similar dimensions. Or at least the selectors appear to view it that way. Is there anyone who knows who Wayne Pivac’s preferred front-line midfield operators are right at this moment in time?
Willis Halaholo and Owen Watkin will this weekend make up the 13th different pairing Pivac has tried in 27 Tests as head coach. Inside centres have sometimes been used as outside centres and wings have been trialled at No. 13.
This season alone six different players have featured in midfield, with the one many regard as the best-performing centre of the lot in domestic rugby, Scott Williams, not being involved at all. There isn’t any panic from Pivac and his coaches, with attack coach Stephen Jones noting that injury issues have played a part: “George North has been out, while we’ve also picked up other injuries.
"It's just the nature of the game, especially in the centre. It's such a brutal part of the game. There is so much contact, collisions are high-speed. As a coach, you always want everyone available for selection, but through bumps and bruises, sometimes your hand gets forced.”
Part of the problem for the selectors is that there has been no playmaking inside centre to complement Dan Biggar at fly-half. Biggar’s game management has been good, but having a footballing 12 outside him would help spark Pivac’s side.
Without such an individual, it has meant the midfield has lacked creativity, with a lack of tries resulting — just five arriving over this campaign, a total bettered by every other country in the tournament bar Italy.
Wales give Halaholo a chance in the inside-centre role against Italy on Saturday and he is a player with a lot of skill, though it isn’t sure his kicking game is of renown. Nick Tompkins? He played well over the first three games in a Nick Tompkins kind of way: busy, bustling and totally selfless.
Pivac likes him and he has started more Tests in the centre for the national team under the New Zealander than any other player. The creativity issue for the team remains unsolved, though.
What of Owen Watkin at 13 this term? Quietly, he’s had a solid campaign. He’s played in every game with no other Wales centre able to say the same. For a player who figured in just one Test in 2021 it’s been a time of progress then. He has run hard and been solid in defence, proving conclusively that he has the physicality needed for Test rugby.
Gael Fickou and Jonathan Danty have been excellent in attack for France this season, but they didn’t get much change out of Watkin and Jonathan Davies last week, with neither of the French pair managing a clean break. Watkin has also made more dominant hits than any other Welsh player and hasn’t made a single handling error over the four games. Without fanfare, he’s been turning himself into a reliable Test player, then.
The coaches have been pleased with him, too, with Stephen Jones saying: “Credit to Owen. He played for Wales before, including at the last World Cup. The way he has conducted himself is a credit to himself.
“He’s worked hard to develop his game with his region. He’s come in with us, trained well and been very diligent and professional in knowing his roles. I feel his game is improving with every match. I can’t speak highly enough of what Owen has done for us.”
Just to be clear: the Welsh midfield conundrum isn’t solved — far from it. But it seems reasonable to conclude Watkin and Tompkins have done themselves no harm in this Six Nations.
Halaholo, meantime, faces a big game this weekend. Pivac will be looking to see if he can add to Wales’ attacking game while the coach will factor in Italy’s limitations.
Wales need their centres to click and Pivac and Jones will be watching closely. It isn’t too late for opinions to be changed but every chance has to be taken between now and the World Cup. Places in France could depend on it.
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