Taine Basham is close to a Wales recall next week, having impressed at No. 8 for Cardiff after a difficult period out of the Test side.
The 26-year-old has not started a Test for Wales since the 2022 Six Nations, with Jac Morgan and Tommy Reffell both capped in the meantime. He made six cameos off the bench under Warren Gatland, going to the 2023 World Cup before featuring once in the following Six Nations. In the two years since, he has not had a look-in with his country.
That could soon change, with Steve Tandy naming his autumn squad next week. Right now, Basham is making an undeniably strong case to merit inclusion.
Form at Cardiff
Basham joined Cardiff last summer, looking for a fresh start to kickstart his Test career. One year on, it is on the brink of working.
With Wales' talismanic No. 8 Taulupe Faletau having struggled with injuries in recent seasons, Basham enjoyed an extended run at the back of the scrum at the Arms Park last season. Until his move to Cardiff, Basham had never started more than five matches in a season wearing the No. 8 jersey. However, he started eight matches there in the second-half of last season.
Now, he has started the first three matches in the jersey - even stepping in at the last minute in Dublin on the weekend after Faletau's comeback from injury was pushed back at the final second.
Coach's praise
"I have to tip my hat off for him, because it was less than a minute to go to kick-off," said his coach at Cardiff, Corniel van Zyl. "All of a sudden, he had to strap his legs and put his mouthguard in, so it was pleasing to see how he reacted to that situation."
"He performed really well, so credit to his character. I believe he's had a bit of a defensive effort as well in that Leinster game. That's another step forward for him."
Van Zyl added: "If you look at the back end of last season, where he came into his right, and then this season's form, I've got no doubts they will definitely look at him."
Why Basham works at No. 8
Clearly though, Cardiff are getting the best out of the former Dragons man at No. 8. During his first stint with Wales, his explosive carrying shone through - but there were perhaps more traditional opensides coming through.
In Pivac's attack, wearing the seven jersey sometimes saw Basham carrying in parts of the field that didn't suit him or those in support. As van Zyl noted at the start of the season, he possess "very, very good footwork" that makes him "very, very tough to put down". He added that "he's a handful for any defence to put down".
That perhaps leant itself to those cameos as a carrying threat under Gatland a few years ago, but maybe there's a more regular place in the squad beckoning now he's seemingly found his best position.
"I think in our system, No. 8 suits him very well because it's a little bit less about set-piece detail," explained van Zyl about why he's so effective in the role. "Yes, he's in lineouts and scrums, but probably not as a primary jumper or in set-piece mauls.
"Taine's strong point is just his footwork close to the line, he likes to beat defenders. In the way that we play, the role of the No. 8 is obviously in that position to receive the ball a lot of the time. So I think that just makes him stand out, as he does it very well."
