Ryan Jones
Points: 5 (1 try) -Although the IRB lists him as having 2, despite one officially being a penalty try.
Age: 29
Club: Ospreys
Pros: Ah, good old Ryan. A truly inspirational leader, with many positive qualities and, as a person, a top bloke. Until last year, he's always been Wales captain under Warren Gatland, so he's obviously got the respect of the squad and the leadership qualities to boot, always leading from the front and putting in countless tackles. Experience is on his side, too, as he's played over 50 test matches and 100+ matches for the Ospreys, more than anybody else on this list. He's also a thinking No. 8, which is a delight compared to the likes of Andy Powell
Cons: Smart man he may be, but he's not the solid man as well, or at least anymore. He use to be a really dynamic ball carrier, but has lost that in recent years. However, it's easy to forget how well he carried in the Six Nations, so he still could be the top man going into the world's No. 1 tournament.
Toby Faletau
Points: 0
Age: 20
Club: Newport-Gwent Dragons
Pros: He's an enormous Tongan with an afro! Where can you go wrong? Nowhere, it seems with Toby at the minute. He's in such great form, a brilliant ball carrier and with skills to match. He's also deceptively quick, meaning he can keep going once he busts through the defence. He's also a pretty handy kicker, if he needs to be.
Cons: Just look up at those stats. The number 0 pops up twice, while 1 and 2 also make single entries. He's inexperienced. He started quite slowly against the Barbarians on his sole cap, but he did quite well after a quite 20 minutes. He's certainly good enough, but is it simply too big a risk to throw him in the deep end against South Africa for his first 'proper' test match?
Andy Powell
Points: 0
Age: 29
Club: Sale Sharks
Pros: Just look at that picture up there. Phwoar! Smashing straight through McCaw, having already left Kaino in his wake. He's incredible strong and uses it to good effect, just bouncing people off and dragging them along. He's shown in the past what a well-rounded player he can be, for instance on his first man-of-the-match debut against South Africa a few years ago. But mostly, he's just an utter wrecking ball.
Cons: Unfortunately, that wrecking ball has smashed his brains out. Andy Powell is really, really thick. As in bone dead stupid. As in drink-drive a golf buggy up the M4 at the dead of night without any trousers on stupid. He doesn't know where to run or what to do, which is the second biggest issue with him to the way that he gives away countless silly penalties, which when your opposition has a goal kicker such as Morné Steyn, you can't afford to do.
Gareth Delve
Points: 5 (1 try)
Age: 28
Club: Melbourne Rebels
Pros: He's really, a complete No. 8. He's not as quick as Toby, but besides that he matches him in almost every department. He's in fantastic form, as any Australian Melbourne Rebels fans shall tell you, he's a great carrier and an equally good tackler. He's also capable in the air and in the lineout. He's an exception player.
Cons: ...But an exceptional player who plays in Australia. He's hardly played with any of the current Welsh squad, and when he has that's been in limited bursts. (One game plus one week training last year, and before that nothing since 2008.) While Toby hasn't been playing for Wales, he's been alongside the likes of Dan Lydiate and Aled Brew and playing against the other Welsh clubs, but Delve has been way out in Australia, waiting to be forgotten, which thankfully, he hasn't, meaning he's now in the Welsh training squad. He could be the man if he can get familiar with the Welsh set-up.
Or Someone Out of Position
Plays Number Eight up to Under 20s level, but hasn't started there since. While he's come off the bench once or twice in the position there for the Blues, he's established himself as the world's third-best openside flanker, where I think we all want him to continue. A no-no for me.
I keep talking about how good and how underrated Lydiate is, but nobody ever listens. He's up there with the best Blindsides in the world, but nobody ever notices him because he just gets about his job in private. But look at who he's come up against, and how they've played when opposite him. Rocky Elsom, Sean O'Brien, Richie McCaw and Thierry DusitoirLydiate's been their opposite number. Coincidence? Unlikely. Anyway, he's too useful on the flank to move him to No. 8, means he can't do as much defensive work and ruck-smashing as he's too busy focusing on carrying the ball and his positioning.
Of all the 'out of positon' options I've thrown up here, I'd say McCusker is the most realistic. While he's not a No. 8 by trade, he has played there quite a few times for the Scarlets and has done a decent enough job in the positon. He's a good carrier and is looking rather adept at international level, (See him against the All Blacks last year, he played 60 minutes against the top team in the world and didn't look out of place at all, despite having just one cap and being somewhat of a wildcard for squad selection.) while also capable of doing Lydiate-style ruck-smashing, he could be a realistic option as a last-minute filler, although I wouldn't go starting him there above any of the four specialists.
NO.
Anyway, that's my assessment of the No. 8s in Wales (Or Australia, whichever the case may be.) and while my overall pick would vary, I think I'm leaning towards Ryan Jones for the opener against the Springboks, because we'll need every ounce of leadership and experience we can muster for that game, but Toby will be perfectly suited for the other games, especially since with his Tongan heritage, playing against Fiji and Samoa is basically a local derby! Just so long as we don't pick JT, it'll be fine.
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