It is an area of the Wales team that Wayne Pivac doesn’t lose any sleep over.
Indeed, Shane Williams believes the back-three which started the final Test against South Africa this summer is arguably the best in the northern hemisphere, with Josh Adams, Liam Williams and Louis Rees-Zammit all performing strongly.
Wales’ greatest wing of the professional era has listed seven other players he feels add to Pivac’s riches in that area of the side and reckons the national coach will have “a hell of a job” selecting his men at the back for the World Cup in France next year.
Read next: Wales stars express fears over Team GB plans
In a column for The Rugby Paper, he writes that while All Black conquerors Ireland have the edge over Wales in most positions, he wouldn’t swap any of their leading lights in the back-three positions for those available to Pivac.
Adams, he reckons, is “arguably the smartest wing in Europe”, while Liam Williams is “easily in the top three full-backs in the world game”. And of Rees-Zammit, who had an excellent tour of South Africa, the scorer of 58 Test tries for Wales is particularly enthused, saying the youngster could develop into the best wing in the game.
Williams further lauds Alex Cuthbert and mentions Johnny McNicholl, saying: “If the status quo stays fit, then it’s very hard for Pivac to look past them.”
But he then underlines where the challenges could come from, with a familiar face who has been sidelined for 13 months because of injury potentially leading the way. “One player I wouldn’t rule out is Leigh Halfpenny,” says Williams. “He seems to be the forgotten man of Welsh rugby, and at 33 years old many people will have discounted him, but rule Halfpenny out at your peril.
“If you look at some of Pivac’s recent selections then it is clear that he has no problem with selecting players well into their 30s such as Dan Lydiate, Alex Cuthbert, Alun Wyn Jones and Rhys Priestland. Halfpenny is in that class of player, and if he can get fit and back on the field after his horrific injury, then he'll put his hand up for selection again.
"His experience is invaluable, and he is a world-class goalkicker while his positional play is second to none. If you are playing a World Cup knockout game and you have a fully fit Halfpenny available for selection you’d have to seriously consider starting him because he is a big-game player who doesn’t flinch under pressure.”
There are mentions, too, for young wings Ryan Conbeeer, Tom Rogers and Keelan Giles but, Williams contends, “the ace up Pivac’s sleeve" could be Regan Grace, who will be playing for Racing 92 in the new season, of course, after signing from rugby league.
“We must be a bit patient because union is a totally different sport to league, especially from a defensive point of view, but Grace’s skillset is unique," Williams said. "Even though I’ve just been waxing lyrical about Wales’ back-three options Grace offers something different to the rest. He’s got top-end pace, but his footwork is unreal, and it would be nice if he could be our version of Jason Robinson.”
Pivac has already welcomed Grace's move back to 15-a-side, and Williams' mention of him in the same breath as England and Lions great Robinson underlines his potential. But first Grace has to put himself in serious contention. Even given his undoubted quality, it won’t be an easy task.
Read more:
Who Wales will actually have to beat to reach the Rugby World Cup final next year
