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Game-time has been a hard thing to come by for Archie Griffin at Bath but the Wales tighthead is confident competing with the likes of Springboks star Thomas du Toit, along with England and Lions powerhouse Will Stuart, will stand him in good stead this autumn. Tighthead prop is hardly a position of strength in Welsh rugby but Griffin is viewed by many as Wales' best hope. But the 24-year-old has only played twice in the Gallagher Prem this season with du Toit, Stuart and England U20s star Vilikesa Sela ahead of him in the pecking order. There are many who believe Griffin would be better served moving to another club in search of game-time but he does not subscribe to that theory. “I think Johann (van Graan) always talks about best attack versus best defence in our environment. It's competitive for a reason," he said. “Because we've got that depth, that's how we stay ahead of everyone. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. "Like we are meant to train like we're second best. “I think I certainly get that when I've got those two ahead of me (du Toit and Stuart) and then the opposite me. "I've got the likes of Bener (Beno Obano) and Franny (Francois van Wyk) and then Thomas when he goes across, I'm always getting tested. “And those two honest are very helpful. I remember coming off the back of the Oz tour last year. I had an off-season and then Thomas was in the Rugby Championship, so I didn't see him for eight, nine weeks. “First thing he comes up to me, doesn't even say hello, he's like, "I watched your stuff from Oz. This is what I think you can do better'. “I mean, I'm eager to do whatever I can for the shirt (Wales), and just try and hold onto it for as long as I can and keep playing.” Griffin will compete with Keiron Assiratti and Chris Coleman for the Wales number three jersey this autumn. And it will be a testing autumn with three of the best scrummaging sides in the world - Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa - rocking up at the Principality Stadium. "Scrummaging for me has been a big work on, consistency-wise," he said. "I've had some good performances, but others that have shown I have one or two areas to work on. Join WalesOnline Rugby's WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free "Around the park is something I can bring to the team, getting into spaces and providing some go-forward. "Consistency in scrummaging is something I've been working on." Griffin has won eight caps for Wales and finally tasted victory in the second Test against Japan in Kobe this summer. It's a fresh start for Wales this autumn under a new coaching team headed up by Steve Tandy. Griffin is happy with how things have gone so far and has revealed the biggest difference between Tandy's regime and Warren Gatland's. "Our week is a lot more structured to be that sling shot into the week," said Griffin. "Our schedule is a lot more suited to what they are trying to get out of it. Steve doesn't seem to be a head teacher type, he is trying to get more involved with the players and trying not to have a division. "He's trying to create an environment where you can go back and question coaches on why they are doing something if you don't think it's what it should be. "We are looking for three words to describe us - tough, brave and smart. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here. "Success would be that connection with the fans, and then when you ask them what do you think about the Wales team, those three words come out of their mouths. "Everything goes back to those three words and how we want to define ourselves. Success will be if those three words are how everyone else defines us. "I want to get my first win at home. Bath won twice here last season and I wasn't involved in either game. I'm hungry for a win here." * Follow all of our channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Welsh rugby news. Sign up to our free daily newsletter here and our WhatsApp channel here for all the breaking news. You can also follow us on social media on our X account , Facebook , Instagram and TikTok. For more exclusive stories and in-depth analysis, you can sign up for the Inside Welsh Rugby substack newsletter here.
