Tipuric Holds Key To Wales Success

I WAS delighted to see some of the new names in the Wales squad this week, but it’s a more familiar face who I’m looking forward to seeing most against Scotland a week on Saturday.

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The selection of in-form players James Davies and Josh Adams is to be applauded. Warren Gatland’s squad needs freshening up and these two will certainly do that because they deserve a chance to make the step up to international level and show what they can do.

Wales have some cards up their sleeve which they can play in this Six Nations and that’s an exciting place to be. But, for me, the key to our tournament hopes is Justin Tipuric.

Of course one player can’t carry the hopes of a nation and Wales are far from a one-man team, but I can’t wait to see Justin in action over the next few weeks for a few reasons. The first of which is that he’s now fully fit. Justin struggled in the autumn with injuries and we barely saw him in action.

Now, it’s different. Justin is back and firing on all cylinders and he’s been playing for an Ospreys team which has found its form in recent weeks, especially in Europe. That will give him plenty of confidence.

I think the way Justin plays the game is perfect for Wales’ new style of play. We’ve talked till we’re blue in the face about Warren’s change of approach and the switch to a wider, more attacking game. There were certainly positives to take from the autumn in that regard, though there were a few sticking points in terms of the interaction between backs and forwards.