By Gareth James
Wayne Pivac is happy with the balance of his squad for the Autumn Nations Series having selected a blend of experience and youth.
The Wales head coach welcomes back experienced campaigners Leigh Halfpenny and Ken Owens from long-term injuries but has also selected five uncapped players with one eye on next year’s Rugby World Cup. And Pivac believes the experience the likes of Halfpenny and Owens to the squad will be invaluable ahead of their clash with New Zealand at the Principality Stadium on November 5.
“It’s really good to have some of the experienced players back fit,” said Pivac. “Leigh Halfpenny has steadily been getting better and better.
“A lot of people don’t see his positional play, the little things in wide rucks, maintaining possession, getting an early scanning, securing ball for us. His goal kicking is obviously going really well, and he’s just getting tidier and tidier each week as he’s getting his confidence back.
“I think you’ll see him growing. Tips is a class player, and I’ve no doubt he’ll be firing ready to go in time for these internationals.
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“With Ken you can see in his game the frustration of where the Scarlets have been. He’s throwing himself about.
“Each outing he’s had in training he’ll get better and better. They are all quality players and bring a lot of experience to the squad.”
Among the new caps are Scarlets trio Dane Blacker, Sam Costelow, and Josh Macleod along with Dragons wing Rio Dyer and Ospreys centre Joe Hawkins. Pivac maintains this is a golden opportunity for these players to force their way into his World Cup plans.
“We’ve got a squad of 35 players, and we’ll probably bring another young one in to train with us,” he said. “It’s also about development and you don’t have to play rugby for it to be about development.
“There’s a stage from playing club footy or being a top age grade player, and then getting in and rubbing shoulders with the big boys in training. A lot is learnt there as well in terms of the intensity of the training sessions which, to be quite honest, are probably double that of a club training session.
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“The players are really tested physically and mentally in these training sessions, so players learn a lot and that sets them up for future campaigns. There’s a bit of the here and now with players.
“If you go through the list and work out who you think would be in the starting team, and then there’s a group of players coming in who will hopefully be big players for Wales in the very very near future.”
Wales made history in South Africa this summer winning a test against the Springboks for the first time on their home soil. They have an opportunity to build on what was a positive tour next month with tests against the All Blacks, Argentina, Georgia, and Australia in Cardiff.
And Pivac has challenged his side to improve on their performances in South Africa as he targets a first win over New Zealand since 1953.
“We love playing the All Blacks it’s a fantastic game, there’ll be a sell-out crowd I have no doubt, the atmosphere is going to be like it was pre-covid with the bands and all the excitement,” he said.
Wayne Pivac says Wales would dearly love to make some history by recording a first victory over New Zealand since 1953.
— Simon Thomas Rugby (@simonrug) October 18, 2022
“I’m really looking forward to it. I know the players are looking forward to it and it’s an opportunity to create history.
“We were hell bent on doing that in South Africa and we’ll love to create some history in that (NZ) match. We’ve got a couple of weeks to prepare for that come Monday.
“We looked at that All Blacks v Australia game. The pace of the game… it was a different game to what we are playing at the moment.
“We’ve got a hell of an adjustment period in two weeks just to play with the intensity and the speed they play at. Australia as well.
“They put 40 on Australia and 50 on Argentina. I think since the changes they’ve made in their back-room staff, and they’ve settled on a squad it looks a pretty exciting squad to me.
“Any team that can put 50 and 40 on those two sides are probably going to be a dangerous animal.”
