I've had a nasty dose of man flu so was unable to make the trip to Beddau on Saturday (unfortunately Pooler went down yet again this time 29-8). Instead I rather overdosed on watching rugby on the TV. When I think back I'm amazed (and I suppose a little ashamed) at just how much rugby I watched.
It started on Friday evening with the Ospreys at Ulster and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed a really competitive match. The winning try from Bevington, the Ospreys prop was outstanding. This really whetted the appetite for what was to follow.
Saturday afternoon began with a quick look at the Northampton v Gloucester match. Not very inspriring but, as Gloucester used to be known as "the poorman's Pontypool", I always have had a soft spot for them and I was glad that they won. It was good to see Will James who played a season or so at the Park still plying his trade.
So to the Six Nations and Scotand v Italy. Scotland played an all-blackesque type of game. They surrendered possession and territory but struck clinically whenever they had a chance. Italy were the architects of their own downfall with mistake after mistake destroyng any momentum that they managed to build up. They looked like that had been indulging in a Roman orgy or two since their famous victory against France the previous weekend. It'll be a spell in the amphiteatre for the Ben Hur XV after this.
They main event in Paris kicked off at 5.00pm and I was filled with apprehension - if we lost, the wooden spoon became a distinct possibility. We kept being reminded that France were "a wounded animal" but were reassured that "Wales couldn't become a bad side overnight". As it turned out, it was a pretty poor game with both sides short on accuracy and confidence. The pitch was awful with the turf coming up at every scrum. What you couldn't fault was Wales' committment and their defence was tremendous The magic moment came with about ten minutes to go with the score 6-6. Biggar's accurate chip was collected by George North at speed just short of the French try line. He managed to use his strength and agility to get the ball down in the corner before his feet hit the corner flag. A fantastic conversion from the touchline from Halfpenny gave us a seven point lead. Even though the French looked dispirited, we didn't think that the game was over - the four Australian games had shown us that. Halfpenny eased our fears with a long range penalty but still you had a nagging feeling that we could blow it. The French harboured no such belief and their last efforts fizzled out. Wales had won at last and there was an incredible outpouring of emotion. The interview with Jamie Roberts on S4C when he was actually in tears summed up how much it meant to the team. For Wales, it will hopefully free the shackles of a long losing run and they will recapture the vim of last season. For France, a trip to Twickenham beckons and it looks rather unlikely that they will get any joy there. But if there is one team that can surprise everyone then it is the French - vive la France.
On Sunday afternoon, the Wales under 20's had an excellent win against their French counterparts showing plenty of grit and determination against bigger opponents.There was also a rather turgid affair in Dublin where England made fewer mistakes and won on penalties. The grand slam merchandising machine has put on another shift and there is plenty of overtime on offer if you are interested.
I fear it is down to Wales to stop us all suffering from English hype for the next year. On the weekend's evidence, we will need to improve massively if we are going to do the rugby world a favour. Next stop for Wales is Rome and we will need a strong performance against yet another "wounded animal'.
Next Saturday, Pooler will be entertaining the "Blue Pigs" of Newbridge let's hope we can follow the example of Wales and end our losing streak. We are a "wounded animal" aren't we?
No comments:
Post a Comment