Minus so many players to injuries, Wayne Pivac didn’t have huge room to manoeuvre in his selection for Wales’ Six Nations opener against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.
But there are still several calls that not everyone would have expected.
Among them is the naming of Josh Adams in the centre.
Shane Williams had said at the weekend that he’d hate to see the Cardiff player moved into the middle as he’s a world-class wing and "needs to stay where he can make most impact and is most comfortable".
A lot of people would have agreed with that take on matters.
But Pivac has taken a different view. Here’s the verdict on that call and others Pivac’s has made.
Adams takes centre stage
The old adage suggests that experience is the hardest kind of teacher, one that gives you the test first and the lesson later.
And so to Josh Adams starting an international at outside centre for the first time in his career.
To date, all 36 of his caps have been won on the wing.
There he has proven a huge success, with 17 tries coming his way. He has closed down Israel Folau, outscored Josua Tuisova in a World Cup head-to-head and made so few mistakes they can be counted on one hand.
Now Wayne Pivac has picked him at 13 for the Six Nations opener against Ireland, evidently wanting from Adams what George North delivered for him last year, namely pace, power and penetration in the midfield role.
It’s a gamble, particularly against centres of the quality of Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose.
But Pivac feels it’s worth taking.
He lacks a ready-made and natural outside centre at this time.
Three months shy of his 34th birthday, Jon Davies may not have the pace to play international rugby at No. 13 any more, while the Ospreys have been using Owen Watkin largely at inside centre.
So it's over to Adams. He will add to Wales’ strikepower in a key area and his selection also enables the coach to accommodate Liam Williams and Johnny McNicholl in his back three alongside Louis Rees-Zammit.
The challenge for Adams will be to learn on the job, and particularly the defensive disciplines of his new role. Scott Williams once spoke of how challenging the outside centre position can be, saying: “No.13 is one of the toughest places to defend, because you have bodies coming through your channel and a large space to defend. You just have to make sure you take the right option and make the right decision in defence.”
But every test Adams has faced in Test rugby he has passed.
Pivac will hope he comes through this one with flying colours as well.
Jenkins wins the vote at six
Many had expected Ross Moriarty to be named as Pivac's six-shooter.
The big man has immense physicality, after all, a quality that could come in handy from the start against Ireland in Dublin.
But the men in green are also playing some of the quickest rugby on the planet right now, with their ruck speed leaving even the All Blacks struggling to contain them. Throw sharp and accurate passing into the mix and you have a team that can be brutally difficult to keep in check.
Pivac will hope Ellis Jenkins and Taine Basham can slow down Irish ball at the breakdown.
What Wales lose in terms of Moriarty’s power and presence, they gain from Jenkins’ ability to turn over opposition possession and apply a brake even for a split second.
Pivac also factored in that Moriarty has only just returned to action after three months out, meaning there are bound to be questions over his match fitness. He made a strong return for the Dragons against Benetton, but international rugby is not so much a step up from that level as an entire Himalayan mountain range up.
Nonetheless, bringing on someone of his stature and power around the 50–minute mark could prove useful in Dublin.
Jenkins may not be a natural No. 6, but there are few more intelligent flankers than the Cardiff player and he has creative skills to go with it.
Extra backline threat
A challenge for Pivac was how he could squeeze Johnny McNicholl and Liam Williams into his team with Josh Adams and Louis Rees-Zammit also in the mix.
The Scarlets pair performed well in Wales’ pre-Christmas games.
McNicholl barely made a mistake and when Williams featured at full-back against Fiji he was Wales’ best player before banging in a big performance against Australia the following weekend.
Williams may not have set the world alight for the Scarlets of late, but he is a player who can raise his game and his aerial skills will come in handy at the Aviva Stadium.
McNicholl is also good under the high ball and so is Dan Biggar.
It means Wales should be able to counter Ireland in an area where they are traditionally strong — and where Johnny Sexton will look to test the visitors.
On paper, a Wales back three of Williams, McNicholl and Rees-Zammit looks dangerous.
That’s unlikely to be the area where the game is won and lost.
Lake ready for debut
It will be fascinating to see how Dewi Lake takes to the Test stage.
The Ospreys hooker has been named on the bench and will win a debut cap should he take the field.
At 6ft 1in and 17st 4lb, he is a unit, a player with immense power and skill as a ball-carrier and defender. In full-flight he can resemble a tank thundering around the field.
When he played in the U20 Six Nations in 2019, he made 56 tackles and nailed every one. No other player made as many tackles in the tournament without missing a hit. Lake also took the ball forward 45 times, the most carries of any Welsh player in the competition that year.
He can also turn opposition ball over.
Then we come to the area of concern for Lake.
The former back rower has to make sure he hits the board with his darts, with throwing such a key part of a hooker’s role and Lake having experienced more than the odd problem in that area in the past.
The Ospreys have brought in former England World Cup line-out guru Simon Hardy in the hope that he can improve matters.
Last time out, for the Ospreys against Sale, Lake was more accurate.
Wales will hope the improvement continues.
Wyn’s in…
Pivac called out Wyn Jones in the autumn, saying the prop knew he had work to do to get back to the fitness levels required for Test rugby.
The campaign proved a tough one for the Welsh scrum, with Wales coming out second best against New Zealand, South Africa and Australia in the pushing and shoving game.
In particular, the game with the Wallabies was a challenge for the Welsh front row.
Taniela Tupou pretty much destroyed the home scrum but if it’s any consolation for the Welsh props he looked good enough to pulverise any set-piece that day.
Jones looked better against Bordeaux-Begles recently. The Scarlets may have lost heavily but their scrum proved solid.
If Wales are struggling in that area, Pivac has the option of turning to Gareth Thomas, who has been a key part of a strong Ospreys set-piece.
Wales can't afford to misfire in the scrum because they are up against opponents who boast arguably the top front row in European rugby in Andew Porter, Ronan Kelleher and Tadhg Beirne.
Cave in up front and the visitors can forget any hopes of springing a surprise.
Then, it would be about damage limitation.
Jones, Ryan Elias and Tomas Francis will not be seeing it that way.
Of course they won't.
But all three will need to be on top of their games. The assumption is they will see it as a chance to put down a marker.
Watkin’s back
It’s been close on a year since Owen Watkin pulled off the last-ditch tackle on Duhan van der Merwe that kept Wales’ Grand Slam challenge going.
After it, ex-England fly-half Andy Goode said the centre should be “given the freedom of Wales right now”.
Instead, he didn’t play another minute in the championship and was left out for the summer and autumn Tests.
Gratitude isn’t what it used to be.
But Watkin has been playing well for the Ospreys this season.
He has made improvements to his attacking game and has been defending solidly, with his ability to rip possession from ball-carriers helping to stop a number of opposition attacks.
Pioac hasn’t named him as a starter but he deserves his place in the matchday 23.
If he is used off the bench, he won’t let Wales down.
Want the latest Welsh rugby news sent straight to you? Look no further.
