Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Ben James

The reason Wales are set to pick Seb Davies in selection that's surprised everyone

If you searched Seb Davies' name on social media on Monday night, you'd have likely been met with two things.

The news that the Cardiff second-row is set to start in a new-look back-row for Wales against France this Friday evening.

And that Welsh Rugby Twitter™ was losing its collective mind over it.

Many bemoaned the fact that Pivac was once again changing his back-row, trying to make Davies' switch from the middle of the scrum to the side of it happen once again.

The change, while surprising, is hardly obscene. In his 26 games in charge of Wales, this would be Pivac's 18th different back-row combination.

In Warren Gatland's final 26 games, he too went through 18 different trios in his back-row.

And while Seb Davies hasn't actually started in the back-row since three appearances there under Gatland in 2018 - one No. 8 outing against Tonga and two shifts on the blindside against South Africa and Argentina - Pivac has slowly been testing the waters of Davies being a 4-6 hybrid that Wales desperately want.

It's a growing trend in rugby to utilise a second-row in the back-row.

Pivac has looked to do it with Davies, handing him bench cameos last autumn, while the injured Christ Tshiunza is another Wales have lined up to feature in that role.

He's the first to admit that he's marginally more comfortable at lock, but it's clear what Wales want from the position and, in Pivac and his coaching tickets' mind, Davies could be an answer heading into the World Cup next year.

“I think, for me, that is the way forward, you do need an abrasive 6 who can do those things,” said defence coach Gethin Jenkins earlier in the campaign.

“Ideally, we have someone who is that type of player.

“But I just end up putting pressure on whoever is in that jersey.

“We tend to have a lot of 7s, a little less 8s and then even less 6s in Wales at the moment.

“We have got to try and develop people, for example Seb Davies, who has been on the bench the last two games covering 6.

“We are trying to develop him into someone who can maybe play in that position come World Cup time.

“A lot of our work is going into making him aware what it takes to be in that position.”

An "abrasive 6" is probably not how you'd describe Davies.

At his best, he possesses a footballing ability that few other forwards in Wales, baring someone like Justin Tipuric, can boast.

Former Cardiff No. 8 Nick Williams told RugbyPass+ recently that his natural skillset is one of his biggest strengths.

“When you think about a front-five forward, you think it’s all tunnel vision," said Williams.

"For his position, Seb has to be one of the best I’ve ever seen and that’s coming from someone who comes from a part of the world where skill level is extremely high.

"He can pass comfortably off both hands whereas if you look at some second-rowers, they struggle to pass off one. His skillset is miles above some of the best players I’ve seen in his position.”

Make no mistake, that's a big selling point for Pivac. A blindside who can handle in the wide channels is ideal as Wales look to rediscover the offloading game which has served them well at times.

Wales want their back-rowers to operate in wider channels. Taulupe Faletau is a natural at that, while we've seen glimpses of Ross Moriarty and Taine Basham do it too.

But Davies' handling ability to get the ball free should come in useful if Wales get opportunities in transition or find themselves building repeat phases.

With Tipuric out injured and Adam Beard taking on a different role in the pack this campaign, Wales' forwards are lacking a link man.

In that sense, as Davies has admitted before, he's not bound by his jersey number.

The hope is that his kicking game won't be needed, but Wales at their best saw a number of different players - including Tipuric for Josh Adams' try in Paris - put boot to ball.

However, that will all come after doing the basics.

The general consensus is that Davies has been picked for his height, with France's back-row of Francois Cross, Anthony Jelonch and Gregory Alldritt all north of 6ft 3in.

Throwing Davies into the fray alongside Wales' two starting second-rows of Adam Beard and Will Rowlands should allow Wales to counter that.

And adding Navidi to the mix with Davies and Faletau means that Wales should, in theory, have all corners covered off when it comes to the lineout and the breakdown.

In particular, Navidi's presence - providing he hits the ground running - should help Wales in the clearout, while Davies is equally adept in that area.

“It’s an area that is a constant thread throughout the game. Attack, defence, the kicking game, it allows us an opportunity to launch attacks, retain ball, but to also win ball back in defence,” Pivac said about the breakdown before the Six Nations.

“I don’t necessarily focus on how much attention it gets externally. The importance is that we hold a value and an appetite for it as a team. But I do think it’s great that conversations and interest of the area develops, especially as it is a constant aspect within the game.”

Given France took Scotland apart largely on transition ball, this back-row might well have been selected on the basis of clearout efficiency and at the expense of their own jackal threat.

Win Wales v Italy tickets and watch Six Nations game for free:

You can also fill in the entry form and sign up to our newsletter here.

While Moriarty, Basham and Aaron Wainwright are all in contention for a bench spot, Jac Morgan wearing the 20 jersey might be the best bet for that very reason.

Of course, given the surprise nature of this back-row, there are undoubtedly flaws that will need to be addressed.

Davies isn't quite the abrasive 6 Jenkins described and it's easy to argue that Wales would have been far better off with a Moriarty or Basham there, or even going back to the most obvious choice of Navidi slotting in to the blindside jersey alongside an openside.

As mentioned before, Wales are likely sacrificing a bit of jackal presence to address other areas.

So, once again, where we're at here is heading somewhere into the unknown.

It's hard to honestly know whether this back-row is purely to spoil France's game or if there's an element of a more dynamic breakaway trio that Pivac thinks could work moving forward.

There are, despite what Twitter would have you believe, some upsides to this experiment. But, despite those possible pros, the list of cons pointed out readily are more than fair.

It's going to take some performance from Davies and the back-row as a whole against a Grand Slam-chasing France to silence the doubters.

To get the latest rugby news and analysis, sign up for our Welsh rugby newsletter.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.