Pivac tips Tshiunza to shine on big stage

By Andrew Baldock
28/10/22

Wales boss Wayne Pivac has described Exeter Chiefs prospect Christ Tshiunza as a big player for the future ahead of an Autumn Nations Series that could see him put down a World Cup marker.

The head coach capped 20-year-old Tshiunza during last season’s autumn Tests, making his debut as a replacement against Fiji in Cardiff.

The versatile back-five forward has continued on an upward curve, making prominent contributions during Exeter’s current Gallagher Premiership campaign, and that progression was highlighted through a blistering two-try display, including the match-winning score, when Exeter beat Harlequins 43-42 last month.

“People like Christ we have had in the environment before and he has done well coming off the bench in two Tests,” explained Wales boss Pivac. “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 have 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 would be no surprise to see Tshiunza, who was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo but moved to Wales twelve years ago, feature in Wales’ match-day 23 against New Zealand on November 5.

Argentina, Georgia and Australia then follow the All Blacks on Wales’ autumn schedule, so opportunities could present themselves for a player whose ability to feature in the second row or back row makes him an invaluable 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 resources appear particularly strong, galvanised by a fit-again Justin Tipuric, who has been named captain for the autumn and is poised for a first Wales appearance in 19 months due to a serious shoulder injury that saw him miss all of last 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 said.