Jamie Roberts relishing double act with Jonathan Davies

Jamie Roberts is relishing the prospect of Wales’ record-breaking midfield partnership being reunited in Dublin next Sunday.

And Roberts says his fellow centre Jonathan Davies is “bouncing around the place” ahead of a probable Test match return.

Head coach Warren Gatland will name his team today for Wales’ RBS 6 Nations opener against Ireland, with Roberts and Davies poised for a 40th start together.

It would unquestionably have been more than that by now, but Davies suffered a knee ligament injury playing for French club Clermont Auvergne last May that ruled him out of the World Cup .

And Wales, despite reaching the World Cup quarter-finals, unquestionably missed Davies’ power and creativity, which suggests his international comeback will be key to hopes of landing a fourth Six Nations title since Gatland took charge in early 2008.

“I’ve played a lot of rugby with Jon down the years, and if we do play on Sunday, it will be our 40th match together,” said Roberts, who is poised to win his 75th cap.

“He is a quality player who has shown big moments in big games. He is a good guy who does his best for the side.

“I said it last week, but I’ve had injuries myself and I know how hard that must have been for him watching the World Cup, to have done all that preparation and not be part of it.

“He has come back in and is bouncing around the place, ready to go.

“He has had a good month or so with Clermont, getting back to match fitness. I think you will see a fired-up Jonathan Davies in Dublin, no doubt about that.

“We are both athletic, big guys, and we’ve worked hard on improving our passing skills, reading each other in attack and defence, and letting things become second-nature.

“We expect high standards of each other, and the environment here demands high standards of everyone. It’s important that Jon and I, as senior players, push those standards and look to help develop the younger players like Cory Allen and Tyler Morgan.

“Those guys will wear the centre jerseys for Wales in the future, but I am enjoying the partnership with Jon, and we have to look to develop it further.

“You are never too old to learn, and it’s important for us to keep improving our understanding.”

Roberts will head into the Six Nations campaign following a post-World Cup spell that saw him represent Cambridge in the Varsity Match before joining up with his new club Harlequins.

And Roberts believes that period at Cambridge, when he embarked on a medical science masters degree, was just what the doctor ordered.

“It was a low-pressure environment, playing with a group of lads who were obviously playing for fun,” he added.

“A few of the lads were late for training because they were coming straight from lectures, which was just awesome. It was brilliant. Not me, though — I didn’t go to lectures!

“I suppose it (rugby) has been really, really serious for eight-nine years on the trot, and to do it at that point of my career was great. I probably found, if anything, a new-found love of the game.”

Meanwhile Liam Williams looks on course to be involved er against Ireland — despite playing barely an hour of rugby since the World Cup.

Wales assistant coach Robin McBryde said that “everything is good” with Williams following his return from injury for Scarlets in last Saturday’s Guinness Pro12 clash against Connacht.

Williams limped out of the World Cup during the pool stage loss to Australia at Twickenham in October, having suffered a foot injury.

And his return to action ahead of the Six Nations is a timely one, given that he offers Wales boss Gatland full-back and wing options, with regular number 15 Leigh Halfpenny currently sidelined while he continues his recovery from a pre-World Cup injury.

“Liam had 60 minutes under his belt, and everything is good with him,” McBryde said. “And (Ospreys flanker) Dan Lydiate has joined back in full training.

“Things went as well as they could for Liam. He won definitely one of the collisions he was involved in (against Connacht), and he was pretty secure under the high ball.

“It was difficult circumstances for him, but from our point of view he has come through unscathed. Whether he is fit enough to start an 80 minutes, we will wait and see, but he is certainly fit enough to play some sort of part.”

Wales captain Sam Warburton, meanwhile, has played just one game since late November — against Calvisano on January 22 — after suffering an ankle injury, with Gatland then opting not to release him for Cardiff Blues’ PRO12 appointment with Edinburgh three days ago.

“Sam does not need a lot of game-time and he is straight back up there,” McBryde said.

“Warren held him back, and made the decision to keep him with us.

“It was hard to manage last week because we lost the English and French boys (to their clubs) towards the end of the week, which left us with 10 or 11 boys on the Friday and Saturday sessions.”

If Lydiate is not considered for Dublin, it is likely that Warburton would move from openside to blindside flanker, with in-form Ospreys number seven Justin Tipuric handed a starting berth.

And such a scenario would hardly weaken Wales, given Tipuric’s outstanding displays this term, particularly in the European Champions Cup.

“Justin Tipuric has been an outstanding and consistent performer throughout for the Ospreys,” McBryde said.

“He is a hugely-influential link between backs and forwards in the role that he plays for his region.

“‘Tips’ is very much uncoachable with regards to what you can tell him, because he has that natural instinct as a ball player.

“He has contributed fantastically to the environment here with his knowledge and bringing different ideas to the table. So, I can’t speak highly enough of him.”