Wales squad review.
As the Six Nations has been halted due to the public health concerns associated with Covid 19, Wales finish the winter with one win under their belts and a series of regrets from games against Ireland, France and England. How did each individual perform and what does the future hold for the players who didn’t see any action?

So in Alphabetical order of surname here we go.

Josh Adams- Came into the tournament on the back of a scintillating world cup and he scored a hat trick against Italy in the opening fixture. He took a knock against Ireland and then suffered an ankle injury against France which saw the premature end of his campaign. Adams is abrasive and physical and has a poachers instinct for scoring. He was a big loss against England and has secured himself as the main man at 11. He faces 12 weeks on the sidelines having played a lot of international rugby in the last 12 months. Adams will have his sights set on a seat on the plane to South Africa for the lions tour in 2021

Hallam Amos- A late call up to replace Owen lane, the Monmouth school product suffered a season ending injury and he seems to have no luck on the fitness front. Luckily he is studying for a medical degree and has a form of distraction from the mental turmoil of another injury rehabilitation.

Jake Ball- He had a bruising world cup and came into the six nations as one of Wales main ball carriers. He gave his all in every game for Wales and suffered an injury against England which would have seen him miss out against scotland. Another player whose cumulative workload has been huge over the last 12 months.

Adam Beard- As the World Cup approached last summer Beard seemed to be the first choice partner of Alun Wyn in the second row. He experienced appendicitis and had to stay behind in the UK to have his appendix removed. This saw beard lose a significant amount of weight and he seems to have been playing catch up since. One appearence off the bench in Dublin was all we saw of Beard as he struggled to make an impact in the midst of storm Ciara. Beard has time on his side and will want to help steer the ospreys ship when the pro 14 resumes.

Dan Biggar- My bold statement of the article is coming ‘ Dan Biggar won’t be fully appreciated until he retires from rugby’. He has been superb in this tournament and he has played through the pain barrier in the England game where his knee was excessively strapped and he looked like he was struggling to put weight on it during the week after he was injured playing for Northampton. He can overstep the mark when conversing with a referee as he did against France but his sheer will to win is inspiring and he has played at a very high level. But the most impressive thing biggar did during the tournament was reach out to the family of Matthew J Watkins in his post match interview at Twickenham.

Dan Biggar ended his @5liveSport interview with a tribute to Matthew J Watkins. “If we can offer any support to his family, all they have to do is pick a phone up.” https://t.co/Am696Kn8bF

Leon Brown- He has been steady off the bench in the four tests this year, brown has shown steady improvement so far and is a work in progress. He will continue to improve and will push Dillon Lewis as first choice tight head in the next world cup.

Rhys Carre- Came into the tourmanent on the back foot as he was suspended following a Red card against Ospreys in the Champions Cup. Carre made two replacement appearences and was due to make a third against scotland. Continues to find his feet at Test level.

Gareth Davies- I think the amount of rugby he has played combined with the injury he carried into the competition has seen Davies lose a bit of his edge. He could do with a rest to allow him to get back to his electric self.

Seb Davies- Has not featured so far this year, he is a talented athlete but has struggled to break into the 23 due to the talent in the back row and second row. Will look to have some quality game time with the Blues in the next few months.

Elliot Dee- Missed the opener against Italy through injury and has not featured since. A talented player who now has competition from Ryan Elias and Dewi Lake for the second Hooker spot.

Ryan Elias- Has performed well off the bench and appears physically to be every bit an international hooker. Is a quality player who has never had a bad game for his country.

Rob Evans- A shock exclusion from the world cup squad and he seems to have struggled to find his best form since. Bringing him in and out hasn’t helped, Evans will improve the more he plays. He is either still carrying an injury or needs more game time. Evans is a top quality player when firing and Wales need him back in top form.

Jarrod Evans- At one point he was the last man standing as Owen Williams and Dan Biggar were injured heading into the Twickenham fixture. Hasn’t put a foot wrong to be fair to him and impressed in Dublin in tricky conditions. Set to win more caps in the future.

Taulupe Faletau- Would anyone else be tasked with returning from injury being exposed to international rugby and being expected to perform to their best immediately? Such are his qualities that is what Faletau has been tasked with doing, oh and he played in a full blooded West Country derby in a fallow week, give the man a break after his injury difficulties. He is a world class player and is vital to Wales when fit. Saying that i would like to see him return to Wales, especially to the Blues.

Leigh Halfpenny- A glaring error against France where he spilled a high ball under pressure which saw France score the first try. He also bit in against England allowing Elliot Daly to score as George North tried to catch him. Halfpenny has had good moments in 2020 but it seems that he will face a fight to keep the 15 jersey with Liam williams pushing him hard for club and country.
Jonah Holmes- Has the misfortune of playing in a position where Wales still have strength in depth, although this has been tested this year. Holmes has not featured and with the emergence of Louis Rees zammit and the talent in Wales with Rio dyer and Ashton Hewitt at the dragons and Owen lane aiming to return to fitness, as well as Matt Protheroe signing for the ospreys. Holmes may find himself out of sight and out of mind with Leicester next season.

Will Griff John- Looked set to win his first cap against scotland having come through the long way to test rugby via semi pro rugby in new Zealand, the English championship and now sale. But he wasn’t able to win his first cap due to the game being called off. So John still searches for his opportunity to represent Wales. But Wayne Pivac and Jonathan humphries will have had a good look at the powerhouse prop.

Alun Wyn Jones- Struggled for fitness post Japan and came into the Italy game undercooked. Sam Warburton used to say he needed three games to reach international intensity, Wyn Jones was in an Ospreys team well beaten by Saracens and then Munster heading into 2020. He continues to be the on field leader and leads by example in every facet of the game. His restraint in not reacting to Joe Marler was exemplary and it seems that England targeted Jones to seek a reaction as he did to Kyle Sinckler in Cardiff last year. I wouldn’t bet against the ex Bishop Gore pupil to be named in a fourth Lions squad next year, he will need careful management and good luck for that and will face a titanic battle for a test spot.

Dillon Lewis- Had faced criticism for his perceived shortcomings at scrum time, which is crap if you ask me. Lewis offers a threat at the breakdown and has secured a few key turnovers in this tournament, it’s also worth noting that penalties have predominantly come on Wales loose head than Lewis’s side. He scored his first try for Wales against France and needs exposure for his scrummaging to improve further. He picked up an Ankle injury against England which saw him miss out on selection against Scotland. Lewis will be battling Leon brown, Will Griff John, Tomas Francis and Samson Lee for a place in the world cup squad in three years and he offers more around the field than a lot of his competitors.