Wales against Italy to kick off the Six Nations offered Rob Howley a chance to be bold and adventurous in selection. But Robin Davey argues that chance has been wasted.
If ever a Welsh team has to deliver the goods, it’s in the eternal city on Sunday when they have to storm the Roman fortress and knock it down.
For rarely has a Wales line-up been greeted with such coolness, amounting almost to a lack of interest.
For sure, Italy are capable of an upset. Ask the South Africans who were knocked over in the autumn. But a side built almost entirely around the hapless pair of Treviso and Zebre should surely be ripe for the picking.
It’s not so much that, but the apparent lack of adventure in the Wales line-up despite interim coach Rob Howley’s description of the team being “exciting” that has disappointed Welsh fans.
For if a game against Italy doesn’t offer the opportunity to experiment a little, to be bold, then nothing does.
There were seven uncapped players chosen in the Six Nations squad, yet all have been ignored, not one of them in the match-day 23.
Back row pair Thomas Young, on fire with Wasps, and Olly Cracknell, outstanding for the Ospreys, plus Leicester’s Owen Williams, at home at 10 or 12, all had worthy claims to be at least on the bench against the Italians. But they’ve been overlooked.
Far from being an exciting Wales selection, labels such as predictable, lacking adventure, even boring look more appropriate. Certainly it’s got all the hallmarks of being a missed opportunity.
No-one doubts that it’s imperative for Wales to start the Six Nations on a winning note, especially with the imposing juggernaut which is England looming on the horizon in Cardiff a mere six days later.
To lose for what would be only the third time in 25 meetings between the two countries would clearly be a disaster – and England would be in no mood to let Wales off the hook.
So Howley has chosen a tried and tested line-up, full of experience but one which failed to fire in the autumn and looks very much safety first.
There were some decent enough wins in the autumn series, including the downing of the Springboks, but they were considered the worst line-up in South African history.
Most of the familiar faces are in the Wales line-up, even if there is no Jamie Roberts in the starting XV, and Howley has clearly banked on experience to do the job.
They surely ought to do just that, even if talisman Sergio Parisse is back in the Italian line-up and accepting that new coach Conor O’Shea and assistant Mike Catt will want to create an impression from the off in their Six Nations debuts in their respective new roles.
But it has to be a convincing Welsh performance and it has to be delivered with a style which was missing back in November.
For Wales appear to have fallen between two stools – trying to break away from a previous stilted approach – dismissed as ‘Warrenball’ by many – and blossom into a more expansive way of playing.
Whether they’ve got the tools to do the job, even against the lowly Italians, given the lack of imagination in the team selection, remains to be seen.
Howley says Sam Davies will have a huge role to play on Sunday – odd, given that he’s on the bench.
How early will Dan Biggar be removed, then? Why not start with Davies? Why not try Biggar at 12? Why not give Williams a shout? Why not try either Young or Cracknell?
Questions, questions. What the Welsh public want on Sunday is answers.