The scrum that surely earned Wales prop a recall by Warren Gatland
If one scrum could perfectly sum up the form that Ospreys loosehead Nicky Smith is in at the moment, it was a scrum inside the first ten minutes against Leinster on Saturday.
Up against the United Rugby Championship leaders, the Ospreys knew they had to pull out all the stops to beat them, and they did in the first half before Leinster pulled away. A scrum on 8 minutes typified their performance in the first half, and Smith was at the heart of it, lifting his opposite man Michael Ala’alatoa to the point where his feet were not just slightly off the ground, they were about two foot from the ground. That is pretty humiliating for a prop, let alone a 126kg Samoa international.
On the back of that scrum, and similar scrummaging performances, a recall to the Wales team seems likely for Smith under Warren Gatland. Smith only earned seven of his 42 caps under Wayne Pivac, although that did include a recall last autumn against the All Blacks, but he flourished under Gatland, meaning the coaching change was probably music to his ears.
Wales get their Six Nations underway against reigning world number ones Ireland at the Principality Stadium in just over three weeks, meaning Smith has only a couple more games to impress Gatland.
Take a look at the scrum:
I can’t remember Mike Ala’alatoa being driven back like that. Ever.
Hell of a shove from Nicky Smith. #OSPvLEI pic.twitter.com/jjR8Mc7AsU
— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) January 7, 2023
