Wayne Pivac has explained why Dan Biggar was his pick to replace Alun Wyn Jones as Wales captain for the 2022 Six Nations.
The Wales boss also backed his fly-half to keep a handle on his temperament having, at times, let his blood run a little too hot down the years.
With lock Jones missing the campaign with a shoulder injury, Biggar pipped Ellis Jenkins and Jonathan Davies to the leadership role, despite the duo having led the side in the autumn.
Read more: The latest on the Wales squad here
Explaining his decision, Pivac suggested that Biggar’s place in the starting side was a little more guaranteed.
“It’s a number of things that we look at,” said Pivac.
“We’ve lost 680 caps [to injury] and that’s a lot of experience gone. Dan brings a wealth of experience, a wealth of experience in this competition.
“Also, we’re looking at form, at players who are competing in different positions and the captain has to have a guaranteed position in the team bolted on.
“Dan, at the moment is the form 10, and there’s a lot of competition in the other positions.
“We’ve gone with Dan, he brings that experience.”
The playing capabilities of the vastly-experienced 32-year-old have never been in question by those paying close attention.
But he hasn’t always communicated well with officials, sometimes letting his frustrations get the better of him and perhaps voicing his displeasure a little too vociferously.
Pivac, though, insists it’s something the 95-capper has been working on.
“I’ve been very supportive of Dan because we’ve selected him in pretty much most games since we came in in 2019, so clearly we like him as a player,” said Pivac.
“We like the competitive nature that he brings.
“You’re talking about one part of the game where we focus on one or two discussions with the match official.
“It’s something Dan has worked hard on with his club coach at Northampton, Chris Boyd, and the communication we’ve had there is that Dan is an excellent role model.
“We expect him to represent himself and the team very well. He’s relishing the opportunity so I know he’ll do a very good job.”
Pivac added: “I think it’ll add to Dan’s game. It’s well-documented that Dan is a highly-motivated player, he’s very competitive and he speaks his mind.
“We don’t want to change him as a competitive player. We want him to take on the role as a captain and the duties that go with that with referees.”
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