Deep inside San Juan’s Estadio del Bicentenario the Wales head coach could not help but raise a smile. Warren Gatland had just been asked about his plethora of back-row options leading up to the World Cup next year, barely minutes after watching James Davies produce a man-of-the-match display in his team’s 23-10 victory against Argentina on Saturday night.
While England’s search for an out-and-out openside flanker for Japan in 2019 continues – their 42-29 defeat to South Africa hasn’t helped Eddie Jones – Wales’s back-row stocks are jam-packed.
Wales’s tour co-captain Ellis Jenkins produced a stand-out individual display in the red No 7 jersey in the 22-20 win against the Springboks in Washington DC, but this time it was Davies who impressed.
The brother of the Wales and British & Irish Lions centre Jonathan has been turning in these sorts of displays for the Scarlets for two years now, but this was only his second Test start. His fine showing has given Gatland plenty of food for thought. Wales will take no more than six back-row options to the World Cup, but narrowing down his selection to that number looks like an impossible task for Gatland right now.
“We’re blessed at the moment. Ellis was great last week and I spoke to James before the game, it was the perfect match for him and he got on the ball,” the New Zealander said. “He was outstanding and we are very lucky at the moment. I’ve got a little bit of a headache. We could play in a sevens series with all these loose forwards and they’d be champions of the world. It’s nice to be in this position and it’s great for everyone to feel like they’re not guaranteed selection because there are people really biting at their heels and putting them under pressure.”
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How Eddie Jones must dream of such a selection luxury. The reality is that barring injury – Wales will have to pick six World Cup back-row forwards from the following; Sam Warburton, Taulupe Faletau, Ross Moriarty, Justin Tipuric, Josh Navidi, Aaron Shingler, Jenkins and Davies. Thomas Young and Dan Lydiate are also options. It is an embarrassment of riches.
“Navidi has been good recently, we’ve got Sam coming back, we haven’t got Faletau here and Shingler has been good for us too,” Gatland said. “At the moment we’re putting different combinations out, doing different things, and the boys were excellent. They stood up to be counted and you couldn’t ask for more.”
Gatland has every right to be happy right now. He is building a squad of such impressive depth that he is in real danger of giving himself a selection migraine.
In the foothills of the Andes, this game in San Juan showed Wales’s youngsters have what it takes to be a real World Cup force. Wild dogs roam the streets here, but it was Gatland’s men who showed their bite, comfortably taming a Pumas side packed full of Test experience. In the end, it was facile.
Nicolás Sánchez kicked an early penalty, but after that Davies waltzed in for his first Wales try following a superb Hallam Amos offload. George North added a second and Rhys Patchell kicked 10 points.
Wales’s young forward pack stood up to be counted, with James Davies standing out. Swift, agile but rock solid at the contact area for a small man, he was brilliant. The inexperienced Elliot Dee, Dillon Lewis and Adam Beard all stood up, with Patchell and Hadleigh Parkes also impressing behind the scrum. Gatland deserves a great deal of credit for this success.
The head coach has placed real faith in Wales’s next generation on this tour and they repaid him in spades. A late consolation home try from Tomás Lazana failed to hide the fact the Pumas were beaten easily.
Wales returned to Buenos Aires on Sunday before thee second Test next Saturday in Santa Fe, where they will attempt to seal their first series win in Argentina since 1999. “Welsh rugby is in a really good place at the moment,” Gatland said.