Wayne Pivac has described Exeter prospect Christ Tshiunza as “a big player for the future” forward of an Autumn Nations Series that might see him put down a World Cup marker.
The Wales head coach capped 20-year-old Tshiunza throughout final season’s autumn Tests, making his debut as a substitute towards Fiji in Cardiff.
The versatile back-five ahead has continued on an upward curve, making distinguished contributions throughout Exeter’s present Gallagher Premiership marketing campaign.
And that development was highlighted via a blistering two-try show, together with the match-winning rating, when Exeter beat Harlequins 43-42 final month.
“People like Christ we’ve had in the environment before and he has done well coming off the bench in two Tests,” Pivac mentioned.
“He has then gone and built on that for his club and we know a lot more about him. I was down in Exeter last week and we have a lot of dialogue with the English coaches who are coaching our players.
“He is making great progress at club level, they’ve got a great setup there, a great coaching team, and he is learning a lot. You can see that in his game.
“Christ is a lot more confident than when he first came in here. He is really maturing and developing nicely. He is going to be a big player for the future, definitely.”
It could be no shock to see Tshiunza, who was born within the Democratic Republic of Congo however moved to Wales 12 years in the past, function in Wales’ matchday 23 towards New Zealand on 5 November.
Argentina, Georgia and Australia then observe the All Blacks on Wales’ autumn schedule, so alternatives might current themselves for a participant whose skill to function within the second row or again row makes him a useful asset.
Pivac added: “It’s just great to see the development and the evolving of these players.
“It bodes well, not only for the World Cup next year – hopefully, we get a great pool of players without too many injuries for that – but looking through to 2027, there is a core of young guys there to take the team forward.
“What we have to do is learn from past World Cups and make sure we have as much depth as we possibly can. We have done that over the last three years, and now it is about trying to settle on a squad.”
Pivac’s back-row assets seem notably robust, galvanised by a fit-again Justin Tipuric, who has been named captain for the autumn and is poised for a primary Wales look in 19 months because of a severe shoulder damage that noticed him miss all of final season.
“Justin has, like a number of players, suffered a serious injury in the last 18 months and done exceptionally well to work hard to get back to this level of the game,” Pivac mentioned.
“I admire those players that get through those dark times, and when they come out the other side they are generally a lot stronger for it.
“He is, in a way, fortunate he is at a stage in his career where he understands and knows these things can happen.
“He has probably had a few injuries before, but that was probably a particularly nasty one. I am just pleased to have him back available for Wales.”
Source: www.unbiased.co.uk
