I have just
returned from Rome after a very enjoyable weekend. There is so much about Rome
that is inspiring and we were fortunate to have lovely weather. Sadly the least
inspiring moments of the weekend surrounded what was meant to be the focal point
– the match. Yes, us old ruins do like looking at other old ruins but really we
wanted to be inspired by an exciting Welsh performance against Italy.
The
Olympic Stadium in Rome is a great venue in a lot of ways especially when the
sun shines. Whilst it is a good way out of the centre of the city, the great
expanse of space outside the stadium allows the spectators to indulge a range
of pre-match activities with plenty of entertainment provided. This brings
almost a carnival atmosphere with music and loads of people in fancy dress. The
Peroni Village does a roaring in trade in beer that is for sure.
Inside,
the stadium is a vast bowl which could probably accommodate twice the number of
spectators than those that turned up. The Welsh were there in numbers with plenty
of red everywhere you looked. Because it is a multi-purpose stadium it is not
ideal for rugby with the athletics track meaning that you are further from the
action than would like. Our seats were low down and behind the posts so we didn’t
really have a very good view of what was going in on. We really are spoilt by
playing at the Principality Stadium which is purpose built for rugby. There
were big screens but even these seemed a long way away so it is difficult to
get to grips with the intricacies of the match.
The game
itself was not of the greatest quality with a disjointed performance from an
experimental Welsh team against an Italian team that strove hard but were generally
lacking in quality. Nobody really expected the Italians to win and although
they got close to Wales just after half time, in truth, they didn’t actually
look like toppling the Welsh. The frustration as a spectator was that Wales managed
to work their way into many promising positions but didn’t seem to have the
guile to score the tries we craved. The Italians on the other hand didn’t get
into scoring conditions often but did actually look more likely to score a try.
From our
vantage point it was difficult to assess whether any of the Welsh hopefuls had furthered
their cause in a compelling way. The lineout certainly didn’t function well and
the three-quarters did not show much sparkle apart from the odd flash from Adams.
The Anscombe v Biggar debate will rage on but, as I have said before, we really
do need to include a top class goal kicker against England. This time last year
Eddie Jones was being disparaging about Patchell who was had a run of
unfortunate injuries so is out of the picture. I suspect Gatland will return to
the tried and tested and rely to a large extent on the starting fifteen against
France.
History
will show that Wales won by 26-15 with the teams scoring two tries apiece.
Wales did not get the winning bonus point nor the Italians the losing bonus
point and it was a rather deflated bunch of supporters from both sides that
headed back to the city centre after the match. For Wales it was rather
self-inflicted with the ten changes they made after the French game clearly
having a bearing on their lack of cohesion. It is rather like the
self-inflicted pain associated with not picking Rhys Webb. Yes, Wales have
recorded a record equalling eleven wins in a row but it hardly felt like a
cause for celebration. They really will need to find themselves many higher
gears if they are to trouble a rampant England side in a couple of weeks.
I didn’t
manage to see any of the Scotland v Ireland game and only the closing moments
of England v France. Watching the highlights, it is striking just how many of
the tries scored come from opposition cock-ups rather than planned attacking
play. England have taken full toll from the lack of an experienced opposition fullback
in their two convincing wins with their kicking game exposing the weak link
mercilessly. There is no doubt that they will be a handful when they come to
Cardiff and Gatland and his team will need to have a few tricks up their
sleeves and the boys will need to have plenty of hwyl. Hopefully we will not
have to hear too much of Eddie Jones’ drivel in the lead up to the match but I
am not holding my breath. He has already started talking about taking down “the
best ever Welsh team”. I suppose there is always the off button.
Next week
it is back to real rugby with Pontypool back in action against Newcastle Emlyn.
Their lack of rugby has meant that the top of the Championship looks a bit
closer but Pontypool now have several games in hand on the chasing pack.
Come on
Pooler!
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