ONE problem with Dan Biggar nailing down his spot with Wales is that a positional debate needs to be manufactured elsewhere.

A back row selection discussion isn’t quite as glamorous as talk about who should be the starter at 10 yet Justin Tipuric isn’t your average flanker.

The Ospreys man stood out like bright blue among beige in Wales’ World Cup warm-up defeat to Ireland last Saturday. He scored a lovely try, showed some delightful handling and also made 23 tackles.

The timing of the performance led some to ponder whether it was worth revisiting a back row that features both Tipuric and captain Sam Warburton given that on Saturday lunchtime Australia triumphed against the All Blacks by putting David Pocock and Michael Hooper – two nuggety players – in with blindside Scott Fardy.

Two years ago there was a bit of a debate about whether the skipper deserved his spot at 7 but he put that to bed with some super displays and the Cardiff Blues man was excellent in international rugby in 2014/15.

That means it is Dan Lydiate in the firing line with the former Newport Gwent Dragons blindside’s cause not helped by a miserable spell in Paris with Racing Metro.

But balance is everything and the current Lydiate-Warburton-Taulupe Faletau combination has that.

Tipuric’s supporters will point to the part he played alongside Warburton and Faletau in the 2013 destruction of England while Lydiate was sidelined with an ankle injury.

However, it was Stuart Lancaster who got his balance all wrong on that occasion with an unfit Tom Croft, who like Tipuric thrives in the expanses, at 6 and Tom Wood, a blindside, at number eight.

Tupuric and Warburton are both fine players who can combine together but Warren Gatland has to concentrate on getting the best out of the latter, who is a genuine world class, destructive openside.

One imagines if more all-round action to Lydiate’s honest toil is wanted then perhaps it will be Ross Moriarty or James King that provides it, giving a combination of ball-carrying in the tight and also thriving at the ugly stuff.

Wales are fortunate to be blessed with someone like Tipuric on the bench and as cover but unfortunately for him – and he is not the sort to sulk – his route to 7 is blocked.