Shane Williams column: Ireland match holds the key to another Wales Grand Slam

No sooner have we all welcomed in the New Year than the Six Nations is upon us. It all kicks-off in the Aviva Stadium for Wales in a month’s time and I think we’re going to go into the tournament with a stronger squad than we had for the World Cup.
The injury woes that bedevilled Wales at England 2015 seem to have eased. So much so, in fact, that only Leigh Halfpenny is likely to be missing from the 2016 Six Nations campaign.
Jonathan Davies is back in action and scoring tries for Clermont, Rhys Webb is back training and set to return this month, while Liam Williams is running again at the Scarlets. Rhodri Jones is in action in the Scarlets front-row, Samson Lee is now fully fit, Eli Walker’s hamstring problems have been resolved and we are about to see Hallam Amos and Tyler Morgan return to the Dragons side.
Hat-trick hero Cory Allen has been restored to the Blues back line and only Gareth Anscombe has yet to re-emerge from his World Cup injury. All in all, it is a pretty clean bill of health!
I know we’ve just lost Jake Ball for up to 10 weeks, but second-row is one of those positions in which there is plenty of cover – Alun Wyn Jones, Luke Charteris, Bradley Davies, Dom Day and Rory Thornton.
But what will be even more gratifying for Warren Gatland when he returns from New Zealand this week will be the form of a number of the fringe players over the Christmas derbies. Tom James was in superb form for the Blues and must be pushing for a recall and Dan Evans is playing out of his skin at full-back for the Ospreys.
Aaron Shingler has been a real workhorse for the Scarlets and Dorian Jones has put up his hand at the Dragons. It promises to be a pretty lengthy and stormy selection meeting when Warren finally sits down with his coaches to pick the squad.
Going to face Ireland, the reigning champions, in the first game is bound to be difficult, but they are not the side they once were. They don’t have the same strength in depth as they used to and they lack firepower compared to when they had Brian O’Driscoll leading their back division.
Wales won in Dublin a few years ago to kick-start a Grand Slam campaign. If they can win again then, with three home games, they could complete another clean sweep.