Shane Williams column: Stand firm up front and put Jamie Roberts on rampage
I spoke last week about how delighted I was to see George North looking like he was back to his best – but Roberts is an absolute colossus. He epitomises what Wales are about in defence, he’s big, aggressive and powerful – and the rest of the team are following.
I remember being in the dressing room before games and thanking my lucky stars that Roberts was on my side.
He is also showing more touches with the ball and that is something he doesn’t get enough credit for.
Some think the giant centre sums up Wales in a negative way, that he is one dimensional and not creative enough. But without a rock in the middle of the park or a guy who can break the gain-line, the likes of Jonathan Davies, Liam Williams and North can’t go anywhere.
Wales were too lateral against Ireland and desperately needed direction. That’s exactly what Roberts provides, especially in the second half against Scotland.
But while we love seeing Jamie crashing forward, Wales need to have other options and in that regard, we are still very much a work in progress.
But next week at the Principality Stadium, the Welsh pack have a huge job to do and if Sam Warburton, Alun Wyn Jones and Taulupe Faletau do the business – Wales can rack up a fifth win in a row against France.
That’s something I could never have imagined when I was a youngster growing up in the Amman Valley in the Eighties.
For those of us old enough to remember watching rugby then, we still carry that fear factor of what France can do.
Back then facing Les Bleus was always a painful experience and we lost all 12 encounters between 1983 and 1993.
But there has been a huge shift in recent years and that has gone arm in arm with having a pack that can muscle up to the French bully-boy tactics.
When we talk about France of the past we often think of guys like Serge Blanco, Philippe Sella and Didier Camberabero.
But the truth was that those players only strutted their stuff because of the big, grizzly and nasty blokes they had up front. In a way, little has changed.
The shame with France is that they have forgotten how much talent they have in the back line.
When there are guys like Maxime Medard, Jules Plisson and Maxime Mermoz ready to attack, you have to be on your guard for anything.
But in recent years, France have failed to get the best out of others like Wesley Fofana, who is injured this Championship.
I blame the Top 14. Their domestic championship is so forward dominated, so physical and so tough that it has stifled any flair. As a result, there are precious few tries in the league and that rubs off on the national team.
There have been glimpses under Guy Noves of a far more organised and structured team. And for a moment early on in the opening game against Italy, I thought we were going to see France break lose.
I watched the game with Gareth ‘Alfie’ Thomas and when Virimi Vakatawa sped over, we wondered whether this could be the start of a rejuvenated team.
But then they tightened up, made mistakes and conceded a lot of penalties and we were back to where they began.
Against Ireland, they simply reverted to their giant pack to steamroller their way over the line. So there we are, it’s the same old story with France, you just don’t know what you’re going to get.
But the message to Wales will be to stop those big forwards getting any momentum and then the French could fall apart.
Warren Gatland may be tempted to make a couple of changes up front. Rob Evans has done a great job in defence and carrying the ball against Ireland but Wales have missed Gethin Jenkins at the breakdown.
Dan Lydiate could be regarded as the best horse for the course against such big opposition. And while we hope Luke Charteris – who has been in outstanding form yet again – returns from Racing fit to play, that’s the one position Wales genuinely have options in Bradley Davies and Jake Ball.
With Rhys Webb unlikely to return, I would keep the backline as it is – and centred upon Jamie Roberts.
