Wales head coach Steve Tandy has admitted his side are heavily reliant on Tomos Williams, after the scrum-half once again played the full 80 minutes last weekend.
The Saracens half-back lasted the full match against Japan last Saturday, being the fifth time under Tandy that he's not been replaced. The British and Irish Lions tourist has proven a key figure in Tandy's side, playing the vast majority of minutes in the Wales coach's first year in charge.
Williams' Dominant Role
Apart from last year's match against South Africa, when Williams wasn't available as it was out of the Test window, Williams has started every other Test match for Wales during Tandy's reign.
Across those 12 Tests, Williams has averaged around 74 minutes per Test match under Tandy - with the scrum-half having also picked up two yellow cards to slightly lower that average.
Back-Up Options Struggle
The two bench options - Ospreys duo Kieran Hardy and Reuben Morgan-Williams - have struggled to get onto the field, with Wales' bench options at scrum-half averaging just four minutes per Test when Williams has started.
Between the two of them, Tandy has turned to his replacement scrum-half for just 48 minutes over those 12 matches. Hardy, who was the scrum-half cover on 10 occasions, has mustered just 41 minutes from the bench - being overlooked on four occasions.
As for Morgan-Williams, he's only been a deputy to Williams twice. On the first occasion, he managed seven minutes in the summer against South Africa, but, like Hardy before him, he was kept on the sidelines last weekend as Wales saw out a nervy win over Japan.
The irony is that, in the one match Williams was unavailable for, both Hardy and Morgan-Williams played more minutes in that one fixture than they've managed for the rest of the year under Tandy combined. Hardy played 49 minutes, before Tandy went to the bench relatively early - giving Morgan-Williams 31 minutes on the field.
Growing Depth Ahead of World Cup
This is all to say that Wales are heavily reliant on the 31-year-old. Even more so now that Hardy has been ruled out for the season, with his chances of making the World Cup up in the air.
That has seen three cap Morgan-Williams joined by the uncapped Dragons half-back Che Hope in the squad. Scarlets scrum-half Dane Blacker - also uncapped after failing to get on against Georgia in 2022 - is arguably the next cab off the rank, unless Tandy saw fit to convince 36-year-old Gareth Davies to reverse his international retirement.
And while Tandy is quick to admit his side are reliant on the abilities of Williams, he is acutely aware that there's a pressing need to grow depth ahead of next year's World Cup in Australia, with many fans questioning the apparent reluctance to give others a chance.
"It is a big balance to strike," he said. "When one of your best players, a British and Irish Lion, is in that position, there probably is an overdemand on Tomos."
"Reuben is doing really well. Che is an exciting young talent, it's just making sure that we feel we manage that bit correctly. Doing it right for that person, as well as Tomos. Because there is a massive reliance on Tomos."
"You can't run away from that. It's something that our intention is about how we grow that space. We have to. At the end of the day, most teams are reliant on big players. Tomos loves playing."
"If you look at getting a rhythm, Tomos loves playing rugby. Being taken off, not that it is an issue, but at Saracens, it's probably more of a rotation policy. Some boys like being in the groove, while some can handle that rotation policy. But at the minute, he's in a great space."
Williams' performances haven't been universally praised in the last year or so, with some online critics questioning whether his club form truly translates to Test rugby. Lions coach Andy Farrell didn't appear to be of that opinion, taking him to Australia last year as just one of two Welshmen.
Tandy would appear to be equally happy with his performances in the last year, but there will come a point where the likes of Morgan-Williams and Hope are given time in the saddle. Otherwise, Wales run the risk of losing Williams to injury and having a greenhorn replacement thrown straight into the starting team.
Wales have held camps with their scrum-halves throughout the early parts of the season, with new kicking coach Alex Davies working closely with them. However, there's only so much a camp like that can prepare a young player for the Test environment.
"No, there's no substitute (for actually playing Tests)," admitted Tandy. "But you've also got to do right by them, with who you're playing against."
"Potentially putting Che in to start against New Zealand, those are the things we, as coaches, take into consideration. We know we need to grow that depth. But also, backing them in the game too."
