To change or not to change, that is the question. Should Dan Biggar make way at No.10 for Sam Davies when Wales play Scotland at Murrayfield? Dai Sport columnist Phil Bennett says Sam is now the man.

 

Dan Biggar was magnificent against England, but Sam Davies should be chosen to start at No.10 for Wales next week.

Scotland at Murrayfield is a match Wales have to win to stay in contention for this Six Nations title, where there will be an urgent need to score tries and maybe sneak a bonus point.

It promises to be a more open game than last week and as Wales strive to change their style, the time has come to start with Sam.

The England game was incredibly intense, as absorbing a contest as you will find in international rugby, and for long periods Wales played extremely well.

I’ve heard so much since about how Wales blew it in the last five minutes, how it was all Jonathan Davies’s fault for not booting the ball into touch, or Alex Cuthbert’s for not making that tackle on Elliot Daly.

Yes, I would have liked to have seen the kick go into the stands. Of course, if Daly had been dragged into touch that would have been handy.

But there were a good four minutes left. Who’s to say England would not have driven a line-out from either touchline and scored a try to win the game?

No, the reason Wales lost to England was the same reason why Wales lost to 13-man Australia in the World Cup, still the biggest missed opportunity of the last decade.

They don’t score enough tries when they are on top, when they are dominating possession and territory.

They go through the phases, but not through the options.

They feel secure running into contact, instead of into space. They still try and break the door down, instead of using a key.

Old habits die hard and these are ingrained after eight years of Warrenball. That was a style which brought success, but the game has moved on.

Which brings me back to Sam Davies. This is a guy who makes decisions based on what he sees in front of him. He creates, rather than produces.

Sam Davies. Pic: Getty Images.

Biggar did everything that could have been asked of him against England. He reads the game brilliantly and he has many strengths.

But I would put him on the bench against the Scots, to come on when a win needs protecting, rather than start with him and then expect Sam to emerge as a game-changer.

That would force Wales to go more fully down the route of their evolving style right from the start.

Sam will make mistakes because that’s what you get when you play a riskier game. But Rob Howley should tell him that barring a total disaster he will also be starting against Ireland, too.

That’s what you want to hear as a player – backing to play to your strengths, which gives confidence, and, in turn, usually means fewer mistakes.

After eight years of encouraging players to continually crash into people, the coaches were always going to find a different message would take time to sink in.

That’s why a different player in a pivotal position would help matters. It would be a clear break from the past.

Dan can be a very dangerous player for opponents and his kicking game is up there with the very best.  But Sam bring a different danger and it’s that difference that Wales must now pursue.

If George North is fit, then he also has to come back into the team and replace Cuthbert.

Some of the stuff said about Cuthbert is as misguided and ignorant as the rubbish that was spouted about Rhys Priestland a while back.

Alex is a good rugby player, but he needs to go back to the Blues and re-build his confidence.

Scotland will be a very difficult game and I love the fact that Murrayfield sounds like a proper rugby stadium again. A few years ago, it was like attending a funeral.

The Scots run the ball earlier than England do and with Stuart Hogg in their side, a fabulous talent, it’s a good tactic.

But Wales – for whom certain players like Jake Ball are now coming of age as real Test forces – that should be something to welcome and meet head on.

If Wales are to challenge and beat the best teams in the world, then they have to play a pacier, more dynamic game, with comfortable ball-handlers all over the field.

The All Blacks are in that mode all the time, but then so are their Super 18 teams. Watch the Chiefs, the Hurricanes, the Highlanders, or the Crusaders and they all play that high-octane game.

But the Welsh regions all play different styles. The Ospreys are far removed from the Dragons and the Blues are different again from the Scarlets.

That means it’s going to take Howley a while to imprint something on this Wales team that lasts and proves influential.

This year is his opportunity to make his own mark, while Warren Gatland is away. He has started that process, but one defeat against England shouldn’t discourage him.

On the contrary, he needs to press on and go further.