Inside No. 10 - the jersey that weighs so heavy

In this week's Inside Welsh rugby newsletter, the six candidates and what Warren Gatland is actually looking for are assessed.

There’s no position that pulls in the attention of the Welsh public like fly-half.

No. 10 as a role has been romanticised to the point of becoming an albatross around the neck of its incumbent, with tales of fly-half factories and names from bygone eras never too far away in the Welsh psyche.

So much of the publicity around Dan Biggar’s recent autobiography - beyond his relationship with Warren Gatland which, in light of Johnny Sexton’s bromance with Rieko Ioane, seems a little timid - was around the pressure of that famous 10 jersey.

There’s often a cycle that Welsh fly-halves go through. You’d only need ask any of them to realise this.

Before you pull on the jersey, you’re the bright new thing - the one who can unlock the secrets that the jersey possesses.

Then, when you pull it on, you’re the placeholder - the A.N. Other ahead of Gareth Davies in 1985. Sure, you’re in the jersey now, but that other new shiny fly-half could do better.

Some fly-halves are condemned for being too risk-averse, others too much of a maverick. Some who stay around long enough manage to fit into both camps.

Then, only when it’s said and done, do the retrospectives start. Maybe they weren’t so bad after all. Certainly better than the current guy.

It’s a tiring old cycle that, even now, shows no sign of abating. Wales are currently locked in that cycle as we speak, with the fly-half jersey up for grabs.

Last weekend, Warren Gatland took in the performances of six 10s. You’d be hard-pressed to say with certainty which one will be starting against Fiji on November 10. In this week's Inside Welsh rugby newsletter, the six candidates, and what Warren Gatland is actually looking for, are assessed.

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