Dan's destined to be Biggar star in Wales.

Byline: ANDREW BALDOCK

DAN BIGGAR hopes to begin a journey tomorrow night that could lead all the way towards the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.

The gifted 20-year-old Ospreys playmaker will make his fourth Test match appearance when Wales tackle Millennium Stadium visitors Samoa.

And, as early auditions go, he has a golden opportunity to grab centre stage and stake his claim to be Stephen Jones' long-term successor at fly-half.

Jones, 12 years Biggar's senior and with 81 caps, will be closing in on his 34th birthday when Wales head to All Blacks country less than two years from now.

Wales boss Warren Gatland has hailed Biggar as representing the next generation of Wales number 10s. And the 6ft 2in Ospreys academy product knows tomorrow's fixture provides him with a chance to lay down his marker.

Biggar has established himself as the Ospreys' premier fly-half this term - no mean feat, given the versatile James Hook is among his team-mates - and Wales expect their exciting new kid on the block to deliver.

More to the point, so does Biggar. "With Stephen here, it's a massive challenge, but one I am going to thrive on," he said. "I am sure Stephen will as well but, hopefully, I will push him all the way. And, obviously, I hope the end result is to take that 10 shirt every game."

Gatland has resisted the temptation to make wholesale changes for Samoa's visit to the Millennium Stadium tomorrow night, bringing in only five players - Biggar, wing Tom James, scrum-half Dwayne Peel, hooker Huw Bennett and flanker Sam Warburton - who did not start against New Zealand last Saturday.

And, if Biggar hits top gear, the coach will have a tough choice to make between the Ospreys protege and Jones when Argentina arrive in Cardiff next week.

Needless to say, Biggar intends making Gatland's life difficult.

"I've got a chance on Friday and hopefully I will take it and stake a claim for the next game," he added. "I enjoy responsibility - I thrive on it. It's a fine line when you make a call whether it will be the right or the wrong one, you have got a split-second to decide.

"So it's a fine line between making the right call and getting all the praise - or the wrong one, and being slightly slated. I would love to have started all the games at 10 this autumn but you have got to be realistic - Stephen is in pole position.

"It was the same at the Ospreys last season with James (Hook), so it is not going to happen overnight, it's going to take time.

"If I don't get another start for Wales this autumn, so be it but, if I continue playing the way I have during the opening three months of this season, I think it will be a very difficult position for the coaches.

"I would like to think it would be very close between Stephen and myself."

Biggar's rapid development this term from promising prospect to fully-fledged tactical controller in the Heineken Cup and Magners Stephen League has not been lost on Gatland.

"I suppose he (Biggar) has confidence and maturity for a player of that age. That is most noticeable," said Gatland.

"The way we want the game played and controlled, it's important we have a 10 that is quite vocal and domineering in that position.

"He has got a very subtle kicking game and a huge variety of kicks. The great thing about players these days is you don't want to coach the flair out of them.

"They are not afraid to try a banana kick or kick off the outside of the foot."

Gatland feels areas such as defence and attacking awareness are target zones for Biggar to improve upon.

He added: "Probably defensively, Stephen is a little bit stronger than Dan at the moment. I see Dan as a player of the next generation and a 10 in Wales who has got an advantage of having had a bit more experience than say Gareth Owen (Ospreys) or Rhys Priestland (Scarlets). "They are players who might come on and give Dan a little bit of pressure."

Wales players ignore Armistice Day silence - PAGE 5

CAPTION(S):

Wales' young fly-half Dan Biggar in action against Canada during the summer