Jamie Roberts believes Wales must get the most out of their powerful midfield options this November, insisting Eddie James "has to play" and that the current crop could be just as destructive as the sides he featured in if given the right service.
The former centre spent years crashing into defences for Wales and the British and Irish Lions. He now sees a midfield group available to Steve Tandy that, in his view, could prove similarly effective when properly supplied.
James the key man
Joe Hawkins and Eddie James have been Tandy's go-to pairing over the past 12 months, playing together in six consecutive Tests earlier this year. With Ben Thomas, Tandy's other option at inside centre, injured, uncapped Aneurin Owen has been called up. There is also a view that, given the size of James, Max Llewellyn and Louie Hennessey, moving James to inside centre could help get Wales' most powerful players into the game.
"It's hard in the midfield to know who he's going to pick," Roberts told WalesOnline. "Eddie James has to play and essentially it's who he plays with.
"That's all going to be dictated by how they want to play their rugby. It's great to see Max Llewelyn back in the mix as well. So whether Joe, Max, Aneurin or Louie partner Eddie James, I haven't got a clue.
"But it wasn't so long ago when we were talking about strength and depth, with it maybe being a problem. Credit to those young players who have put in the hard work to be ready for Test rugby."
Using the big centres
On the size of Wales' centres, Roberts added: "I love to see it, the big boys! Steve and his coaching staff, they'll want to bring out a style of play where they can get the best out of those players.
"I love some of the lines that Max, Eddie, Joe, Louie and Aneurin can run. But they're also deft with their hands. So it's good to see.
"That 10-12-13 combination, because your fly-half is important as well, is going to be really fascinating to see them nailing their style of play. Matt Sherratt, as a coach, likes to play a certain way. It's trying to manufacture opportunities for those lads to bring their strengths to the team.
"We've got some big lads. I want them to be in the game, flat on the advantage line. Sometimes, getting the ball deep and trying to use their footwork is not the best use of their skill set.
"Sometimes, running 100 per cent at the advantage line, these boys can cause some damage. They're some big lads and can use their weight well. Hopefully we can see instances of that in November.
"I love that as a centre, as everyone probably knows, and I love seeing it. I love seeing those lads tear it up. It's exciting."
Confidence in the squad
Roberts added that he believes Wales could manage at least two victories in the Nations Championship this month. Following matches against Japan, New Zealand and Australia, Wales will play in the finals weekend at Allianz Stadium, with a rematch against Japan or summer opponents Fiji the likeliest scenario.
"I saw this squad and got super excited," he said. "I think there's some young players who are superb.
"You look at guys like Kane James, Aneurin Owen and Louie Hennessey, I just get super excited. I love seeing Aneurin in there.
"He was a kid when I played with him at the Dragons, and I've loved seeing how he's matured over the past few seasons. Louie Hennessey as well is a super bright talent who's developed immensely and matured brilliantly.
"They're just some of the new faces, but the more experienced lads are delivering on the highest stage of club rugby regularly and consistently. I just really hope Wales can put in performances that match the ability of the group.
"They've got so much ability in that squad. It's a squad where you look at it and go 'Right, they can win two or three games this November'. I sincerely believe that two of the three initial games is a really achievable goal for them.
"Besides winning and losing, I think they're really capable of some great performances. I just look at back-row and midfield and I'm blown away by the amount of talent there.
"Good luck Steve Tandy trying to pick the starting back-row and midfield! You've got Jac Morgan and Aaron Wainwright, then who on earth are you picking at six between Alex Mann, Taine Plumtree and James Botham? It's awesome to see. A year out from a World Cup, it's exciting to see that strength in depth."
Former rugby player turned doctor Jamie Roberts headlined Vodafone's Opportunity Hub pop-up in Abergavenny this week, inspiring local people to turn light bulb moments into action. The free event celebrated local network upgrades from VodafoneThree that have made download speeds up to nine times faster in parts of Abergavenny, giving local communities the connectivity they need to pursue new ideas and opportunities.
