It’s January. It’s cold, it’s still dark in the mornings and the only thing to contemplate are the Christmas bills heading for the doormat. But, wait! The Six Nations is coming! Steffan Thomas considers whether Wales could look over the Severn Bridge for a couple of young thrusters.
With just over a month to go until the start of the Six Nations Wales interim coach Rob Howley and his backroom team have no doubt been running the rule over potential candidates for the squad.
Howley was a visible spectator at most of the regional derbies over the festive period. However, the Lions backs coach will also have been keeping a close eye on the form of a number of Welsh exiles.
The likes of Leigh Halfpenny, Jamie Roberts, Taulupe Faletau (injury permitting) and Ross Moriarty are certainties to figure against Italy in Rome on the opening weekend of the tournament.
However, there has been a growing clamour for the inclusion of two uncapped Welsh exiles.
So, let’s run the rule over two England-based Welshmen who could make a significant impact if selected in the upcoming Six Nations Championship.
Thomas Young
The 24-year-old loose forward comes from good rugby stock with his father and current Wasps head honcho Dai Young having represented both Wales and the Lions.
The former Wales Under 20s star began his career at the Cardiff Blues before moving on to join his father at Wasps.
Having enjoyed a season under the expert tutelage of Wallaby great George Smith it will come as no surprise that Young is seen by many as the best openside flanker in the Aviva Premiership.
The Aberdare product may not be the biggest, but he is extremely difficult to shift once over the ball and is also an explosive ball-carrier having made 308 metres this season.
It is difficult to imagine Young ousting Wales skipper Sam Warburton and the gifted Justin Tipuric from Wales’ 23 to face Italy in Rome.
However, the Welsh management are thought to be huge admirers of the versatile back-row forward and are drawn to his industrious nature and sheer physicality at the breakdown.
Owen Williams
When the Ystradgynlais product left the Scarlets for Leicester it was very much seen as a stab in the dark type of signing by the Tigers.
Toby Flood was England’s first choice No.10 at the time, while the Midlands club had also signed the highly rated Freddie Burns from Gloucester. Williams was seen as very much the third choice 10.
Clearly, the 24-year-old hadn’t been given any copies of the script with Williams establishing himself as first choice at one of European rugby’s premier clubs within a matter of months.
Arguably, the main criticism of the national side of over the past few years has been a game-plan that is so entrenched in the players’ mind-set that they cannot think outside the box. That constrictive framework is then compounded by a lack of basic skills.
For the vast majority of the Warren Gatland era Wales have stuck with Jamie Roberts at 12 and have only recently turned to Scott Williams.
The Scarlets man is a fine player who is as dangerous a game-breaking midfielder as one could find in the northern hemisphere.
However, Wales still crave a player who can mix physicality with a subtle passing game that can unleash a dangerous back three.
Williams is a deadly goal-kicker who has landed a number of match-winning penalties for the Tigers, but he also has a top class passing game with bags of peripheral vision in his armoury.
It could be argued that Wales require a second playmaker at 12, an Austalian style second five-eighth not seen in Wales since Gavin Henson donned the Welsh shirt.
The former Scarlets man is probably not worth a place at 10 ahead of Dan Biggar or Sam Davies, but he could be the second playmaker that Wales so desperately crave in midfield.