Wales hand debut to Josh Hathaway in first Test against Australia, avoiding repeat of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso saga
When Cardiff-born Immanuel Feyi-Waboso decided to play for England instead of Wales at the start of the year, Warren Gatland played down the significance of the Exeter winger’s decision.
Feyi-Waboso’s performances at both club and international level this season have shown he has been a huge loss to Wales.
Senior figures at the Welsh Rugby Union – including executive director of rugby Nigel Walker – were unhappy that Feyi-Waboso lost to England and this was made clear to Gatland.
A few months later, the Wales manager took swift action to ensure the same mistake was not made again.
Gatland has ensured that Gloucester player Josh Hathaway, who is still just 20, will not be lost to England by handing him an international debut for Wales against Australia in Sydney on Saturday.
Josh Hathaway, pictured here in an earlier exclusive with Mail Sport, makes his first start for Wales against Australia this weekend
Warren Gatland has named an interesting team to play Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies
Hathaway, like Feyi-Waboso, was eligible to play for both England and Wales, having represented both nations at Under-20 level, but will now be tied to Wales, where he was born.
“Getting him in a red shirt is probably something we really wanted to do,” Gatland told reporters in Australia on Thursday when asked about Hathaway.
The quote was telling. It would have been another nightmare for Wales – and there have been plenty of them of late – if Hathaway had lost to England, as Feyi-Waboso did. In May, Hathaway told Mail Sport that he had not yet decided whether he would play for England or Wales, but that international rugby had been his lifelong goal – and his father Darren’s too.
“International rugby has been a dream of mine since I was three or four years old,” Hathaway said.
‘As soon as I could talk I said I wanted to play Test rugby. If I do that it would be a dream come true, not just for me but for my dad as well. I will do everything I can to achieve that.’
Hathaway’s dreams are about to become reality. He has had a breakthrough season with Gloucester and has impressed Gatland and the Wales management this summer.
“He’s just trained really well,” Gatland said of Hathaway, who becomes the 1,207th man to represent Wales.
“For us it’s about creating a bit more strength in some positions. He’s got a chance, moving Liam Williams back to full-back and keeping some experience on the pitch.
“He looked really sharp in training. It’s a good opportunity for him. I just wanted to know more about him.
“We know what great attacking skills he has. We’ve worked hard with him in defence.
“It’s a great opportunity for him.”
Hathaway’s parents will be in Sydney for his first senior Wales appearance. Gatland has selected a more than interesting XV, with Cardiff’s Ben Thomas starting at fly-half for only his third cap. Thomas is used to playing inside centre at club level and is inexperienced internationally, so his selection of Sam Costelow is a surprise. Thomas has never started a Test before.
After the retirement of Dan Biggar and the unavailability of Gareth Anscombe, Costleow looked like Wales’ long-term promise at No.10. He is on the bench in Sydney.
As Gatland acknowledged, Williams’ selection at full-back gives Wales much-needed experience in what is otherwise an inexperienced team. Ellis Bevan is scrum-half alongside his Cardiff colleague Thomas. Bevan only made his Test debut in a heavy defeat to South Africa before Wales flew to the southern hemisphere.
Wales’ Test series with the Wallabies isn’t the biggest event in rugby this summer, not unlike the nail-biting encounters between New Zealand and England and South Africa and Ireland. But they promise to be intriguing matches nonetheless. Both teams are starting from a more than low ebb. Wales have lost their last seven games and are bottom of the Six Nations pile. Any win in Australia would be huge for Gatland and his young players.
They play their first game against a Wallabies team led by former Ireland manager Joe Schmidt. Australia are looking to bounce back from a truly disastrous World Cup campaign. Eddie Jones was at the helm of that nightmare tournament, but the controversial figure has now fled the scene of the crime to join Japan.
Wales beat Australia 40-6 at last year’s World Cup, but have been on a downward spiral ever since.
Gloucester’s Hathaway looked sharp in training and was given the nod
In short, expect the unexpected. This series is certainly a tough one to predict. The Australian team is also full of rookies, so Wales have a chance. They will be hoping to make number 8 Aaron Wainwright’s 50th cap memorable by sealing a win that would be very welcome.
“We’ve had a good week of preparation here in Sydney and are looking forward to getting out on the field on Saturday,” said Gatland.
“This first Test is going to be a big challenge for us. Test matches are all about small margins and we know we have to be accurate, disciplined and in the fight for 80 minutes. There is a lot of talent in the Australian squad and we know they will want to come out and perform against us this weekend.”