What a day
for the Welsh in Cardiff! The much vaunted and confident English rugby team
came unstuck on their seemingly unstoppable path to a Grand Slam and all that
lay beyond. The chariot was derailed and how!
Forget
about the Irish backstop, the Welsh backstop in the form of Liam Williams was
certainly not going to give free access to the Welsh try line. He had a magnificent
game and with a help of a few of his friends managed to negate the English
kicking game which had proved to be match-winning against Ireland and France.
Shorn of this, the English began to look bereft of ideas – they had no plan B.
Wales were
on the back foot for most of the first half as the aggressive English defence
stifled their every move and the English forwards carried strongly at every
opportunity. The Welsh defence was resolute too and gave very little ground as
the players thundered into each other. England scored the first try when the
Welsh lost the ball at a maul and the English seized on it and made good ground
before Curry burst out of a ruck to cross near the posts. The half time score
was 3-10 in favour of England and the feeling amongst the Welsh fans around me
was that Wales had done a good job in staying in touch.
The second
half was different as Wales rolled up their sleeves and began to take control.
True they were still rocked back at times by the English defence but you could
sense that the momentum was shifting. England did not really look like adding
to their try tally as their kicking game became more and more ineffective.
Wales were looking more and more menacing as their forwards seemed to gain
strength while the English began to fade. Even though the substitutions had started
in earnest, a Welsh win began to look a distinct possibility
As we
entered the last quarter, it was still nip and tuck as Wales attacked
ferociously and England defended desperately. It was that rather unsung hero
Corey Hill who broke the deadlock as he heaved himself over the line for a
Welsh try. With the conversion from Biggar, Wales were in the lead. The Welsh
fans were euphoric as England did not really look like being able to respond
with a try. Those of us who have been in this situation many times before and bear the scars were not quite so sure. We needn’t have worried, Wales kept a
stranglehold on possession and territory and even had the temerity to score a
second try when Adams juggled a Biggar cross kick but managed to hang on to the
ball long enough to touch down. The conversion sailed wide but it didn’t matter
Wales were winning 21-13 with time running out. It just remained to make sure
England were denied a losing bonus point and then cue jubilation.
This was a
deserved victory for Wales on the basis of their strong second half showing.
Liam Williams was the obvious choice as man of the match but really this was a
great team performance from Wales with everyone getting stuck in. The Anscombe
v Biggar debate will surely rage on with Biggar looking assured when he came on
in the second half but not having to face the full ferocity of the English rush
defence as Anscombe had done in the early stages. A couple of what looked like
kickable penalties were not attempted in the first half presumably because they
were out of Anscombes’s range. The most important thing, of course, is that Wales
won and, in the final analysis, seemed strong and fitter than the English as
the game wore on. Everyone played their part and put their bodies on the line
and deserve hearty congratulations. Let us hope there are not too many
injuries.
Next up
for Wales is a trip up to Scotland in two weeks’ time. Even though a depleted
Scottish team was beaten by France, they will be tough opposition as always.
Wales will need to be at their very best if they are to keep their marvellous
winning streak going. All power to their elbows.
Talking of
winning streaks, next weekend Pontypool are back in action with a visit to
Maesteg Quins. A far cry from the Principality Stadium but something to look
forward to. Pontypool need to get back into the groove after struggling to find
any fluency against Newcastle Emlyn. Maesteg Quins will be a tough prospect on
their own ground that is for sure. The National Cup quarter final tie against
Bridgend is looming too.
Sadly I
didn’t manage to get to the Pontypool RFC dinner celebrating the 150 years of
rugby. By all accounts it was a marvellous occasion and marked this important milestone
with aplomb. Hearty congratulations to this great rugby club.
Well done
Wales and come on Pooler!
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