When Wales’ Six Nations squad was named last week, the name which dominated the headlines was that of a certain Danny John Lydiate.
The recall for the mid Walian farmer, famed for his chop-tackling, was certainly deserved. A reward for form as the blindside flanker has stood up for the Ospreys when times have been considerably tougher than they currently are.
Of course, with Lydiate back in the squad after an absence of two and a half years, it meant the youth we saw blooded in the autumn – particularly Shane Lewis-Hughes – were not selected this time.
That didn’t go down too well in some quarters, with those feeling that despite Lewis-Hughes’ lack of years, his room for improvement should have seen him get the nod.
It’s a fair argument, no doubt, but it’s perhaps not even the most pertinent one.
Because, at the end of the day, both Lydiate and Lewis-Hughes are playing regular, good rugby. The other back-row choice, Josh Navidi, hasn’t been doing that – through no fault of his own, it should be added.
Navidi hasn’t played since August, having suffered concussion during an internal training match with the Cardiff Blues in September.
He was selected for Wales’ autumn campaign, but was never in a position to take part in any action. That’s only right, with Navidi’s health and welfare being the main priority.
He is now back. However, with just one off-the-bench cameo against the Scarlets under his belt, some have questioned whether he should be back in the squad so soon.
Again, it’s a valid argument.
The idea Wales have often parachuted recently-fit players back into the side based on reputation is one which has rankled with many over the years.
It’s often been seen as a selection flaw which flies in the face of those on form.
In the case of Navidi at least, Pivac disagrees.
“In the past, when he has had time out of the game, he came back and played against England in the last Six Nations at Twickenham,” said the Wales boss.
“He’d been out for a number of weeks and we suspected he’d only last 50 or 60 minutes in that one.
“He was playing so well he ended up playing the 80 minutes. He’s an extraordinary player.
“Not many people can do that but he’s one that has a huge engine and he can drive himself through that pain barrier that players have to go through.
“It’s great to have him back, albeit with half a game under his belt. But he’s doing a lot of work in training, as is Ken Owens and others that have been out of the game for a bit.”
Once upon a time, it appeared as though Navidi was going to be one of those players who would continually shine at domestic level, but was never given the chance to make the step up to Test level.
He eventually made that step up and now, the reality is that he, as a player, is far too important to what Wales want to do to simply not select him because he’s short on minutes.
If there was one player Wales missed the most in the autumn, it was undoubtedly Navidi.
Wales switched their back-row around often during the campaign as they struggled to find the right balance.
There were issues with ball retention and getting numbers to clear out breakdowns effectively. Wales also struggled to slow down opposition ball.
The back-row just felt stretched as Pivac’s ideals of what he wanted from them didn’t exactly come to fruition.
Taulupe Faletau looked like a passenger early on as he seemingly followed instructions to hang around in wide channels. The upside of Faletau in wide channels is obvious, but at the expense of his work around the park? Less so.
Meanwhile, Justin Tipuric often appeared to be missing a foil, while whoever was playing blindside didn’t always seem confident in what their role was.
At times, they would also stay wide – even as Wales’ issues with ball retention continued.
With Navidi back, and the rounded skills to his game, you’d hope that balance will be a little more refined if he’s given the nod.
He brings a destructiveness which allows the likes of Faletau and Tipuric to roam in the wide channels.
He also punches above his weight with ball-in-hand, proven when former All Black coach Steve Hansen once asked Warren Gatland “where did you get that kid with the dreadlocks?” after a typically robust performance.
In that match against England mentioned above by Pivac, Navidi showed his remarkable ability as a player able to generate quick ball with smart, explosive carrying.
Taking the ball with no latcher or real support, he still manages to dictate the contact with a smart angle, some deceptive power and, finally, perfectly clean presentation.
With ball in hand, he’s more than adept too. When Gatland wanted to play Pivac-style rugby in the 2018 Six Nations, it was Navidi and Aaron Shingler who were deployed in wide channels to provide a dash of physicality and athleticism with soft hands.
The late tries Wales scored in the Dublin defeat to Ireland that year came from Navidi’s ability to hold defenders with simple basics such as holding the ball in two hands and using head movement as a tool for deception.
He did similar work in the build-up to Tipuric’s superb try at Twickenham last year, holding Ben Youngs – who was covering behind the England kick-off chase – before feeding Nick Tompkins in space.
He’s also remarkably effective at the breakdown on both sides of the ball. His clearout work is one of his biggest strengths, which is why Gatland was so willing to bring him back following injury ahead of the 2019 World Cup.
In particular, that skill alone is perhaps the one thing which makes him most enticing to Wales and Pivac. It’s not that he’s doing anything markedly different to anyone else, it’s just how efficiently he’s doing it.
That’s the beauty of Navidi, really. It’s rugby basics done well.
In the autumn, Wales suffered with their latching technique at times. They’d have the numbers set up to retain ball, but the execution would let them down. You can see an example of how Wales could commit numbers in support, only to leave the ball-carrier isolated in this analysis here.
But Navidi just brings an efficiency to this area of the game. Time after time, he’s there with a tidy latch that secures possession – the sort of action you only notice when it goes wrong.
It’s just remarkable fitness and flawless technique to continually be one of the first in support time and time again, even when he’s not expected to be there, as shown by his work in catching up to Wales’ quick penalty against England in the World Cup warm-up match in 2019.
Technically, he’s so effective on both sides of the ball, which will be vital to how Wales’ back-row functions.
Someone capable of disrupting opposition ball with the jackal – especially on the back-foot as above – could be vital for Wales. Pivac’s Scarlets were known for launching attacks off transition ball, but Wales have largely sent out mixed signals with their breakdown philosophy under him.
Another jackal presence is handy as Pivac works to simplify and tweak some of the missteps from last year.
You sense had Navidi been in the Welsh back-row in the autumn, the issues of balance wouldn’t have been so prevalent.
Of course, in his absence, Pivac has made some adjustments already – with Faletau and Tipuric being moved closer together in phase play against Italy to solve their respective problems.
“We’ve got to be a little bit more all courts in rugby in how we probably anticipated the game,” said Pivac at the Six Nations launch.
“We’ve adjusted our game and made little tweaks in terms of what we want to do. It’s about making sure we’ve got the game to be successful at this level.
“We’ve got a lot of pace and attacking players in the back-row, but we’ve got good defenders and players over the ball. We’ve got a pretty good balance.”
It’s feasible that Lydiate, or Aaron Wainwright, could start against Ireland and put in a blinder. Those tweaks have probably made things a little easier for anyone stepping into the breach.
However, if Navidi is deemed fit to start alongside Tipuric and Faletau for the first time under Pivac then he could certainly add something different to Wales’ back-row balance.
Something that, depending on where Pivac’s philosophy has landed following his tweaks, could provide Wales with as even-keeled a back-row as we’ve seen under the former Scarlets coach.
-- to www.walesonline.co.uk
