From Feeling Down to a Triple Crown

In the dark depths of November, I have to admit I never thought that we would be celebrating Wales winning the Triple Crown in 2021. Yesterday’s stunning victory over England sealed the deal and to a large extent expunged the memory of the poor run that had gone before. Sure, there was some luck along the way but the improvement from game to game and the tremendous spirit in the squad is there for all to see. As all involved freely admit, there is still plenty to work on but for now let’s celebrate.

The game against England was yet another roller coaster that had me cheering and agonising almost in equal measure. The first half was bizarre with Wales benefiting from two controversial tries. The first a bit of quick thinking from Dan Biggar when his precision kick found Josh Adams in space from a Welsh penalty. When the penalty was awarded, the referee signalled time off and asked Farrell to talk to his team about the mounting number of infringements. A few seconds later he blew his whistle and signalled time on. Before England had a chance to gather their wits, Biggar had put Adams in. The English protested to no avail. Quick thinking or refereeing error each camp will have its own ideas on that. Suffice it to say the seven points went on the scoreboard. In any case it would have been an easy three points from a kick at goal.

The second Welsh try looked for all the world to be a knock on by Rees Zammit at first sight. Forensic examination by the match officials ruled that it was not and Liam Williams who had gathered the loose ball could claim his try. This gave Wales a healthy 17-6 lead with half time approaching. Wales tactical kicking was not the best and gave England ample opportunities to run the ball back at them. The excellent Watson was on hand to score in the corner and although the conversion failed a Farrell penalty just before half time closed the gap to 17-14 and it was all to play for. The worrying thing for Wales was that England looked to be able to make good ground when they ran the ball.

Biggar was replaced by Sheedy early in the second half and he was to play a key role. First though, a quickly taken tapped penalty from the alert Hardy saw him scoot over from twenty metres out as the English defence were caught napping. Wales had established a ten point lead at 24-14. A rather off-colour Jon Davies was replaced by Halaholo and a wealth of experience had departed the scene with half an hour remaining. Could Wales hold out?

England came storming back. A penalty from Farrell and a try by Youngs and they were back level at 24-24 with just over a quarter of an hour left on the clock. England were bringing on some heavy artillery as they brought on their forward replacements. Wales too brought on their replacements who seemed to relish the challenge. This was going to be tough!

A combination of Welsh pressure and English indiscipline decided the outcome. England gave away three kickable penalties and Sheedy dispelled all doubts about his ability to kick under pressure. He slotted them with aplomb with each one bringing Wales nearer to victory as the clock ticked down.

England weren’t done and attacked furiously but a smart interception by Sheedy sent Rees Zammit racing down the field in pursuit of the fly half’s kick ahead. This time the awkward bounce of the ball was the winner but England had knocked on right on their line. England knew full well that the game was up and it was left to Hill to apply the coup de grace with a try under the posts from short range in the last minute. This was converted by Sheedy and brought up the try bonus point. Wales had won 40-24 and had scored sixteen points in the last fifteen minutes.

I felt quite drained as I sat on the couch watching the post match interviews. I found the interviews of Farrell and Eddie Jones poorly judged and almost excruciating as the interviewer desperately tried to goad them into blaming the referee. Thankfully they weren’t to be drawn.

Did Wales deserve to win? Of course they did. England had their chances but poor discipline let them down, Wales seized their chances with alacrity. That’s rugby.

Well done Wales, you proved me wrong for one. It is now on to Rome to face Italy who were on the wrong end of a drubbing by Ireland. No game can be taken lightly and Wales have come unstuck in Rome before now so there is no room for complacency. It should be all set up for a showdown against France in Paris on the final weekend. This wretched pandemic may well have other ideas of course.

On a more parochial note, it is great to see the renovation work at Pontypool Park progressing so well. I am missing watching the Pooler – Saturday afternoons are just not the same. Let us hope we can start rugby again soon but that will not not be until September I fear.

That was brilliant Wales - I am sure you have lifted the spirits of the nation in these troubled times.

Have a great St David’s day everyone. 

Rolling and Coasting in Couchland

Things started serenely enough in couchland. England were made to work hard for their victory at Twickenham against a spirited Italian side but ultimately prevailed with a rather flattering scoreline of 41- 18. England were not at their best but their strength in depth was too much for the Azurri despite the visitors drawing first blood with a smart try.

The main event was the visit of Wales to Scotland. Scotland were feeling confident after putting away England the previous weekend while Wales had just about got home against Ireland. I have had the pleasure of witnessing many brilliant games between these two Celtic cousins and know full well how unpredictable they can be. The overhead pictures of Murrayfield showed frost and snow in the area surrounding the stadium which looked a bit like an oasis.  I bet it was bloody freezing though.

As against Ireland, Wales started brightly and kept the ball for a protracted series of phases and were finally rewarded with a penalty and a three point lead. This stung the Scots into action and the next half an hour was miserable for a Wales player and supporters alike. Scotland tore into Wales and Wales duly started to leak penalties. The Scottish tactical kicking was astute while the Welsh quite simply were glad to just boot the ball up field and hope for the best. Kicking the ball away to someone as talented as Stuart Hogg just won’t do. The Scots were always on the front foot and there was only one result. A penalty and two smartly taken converted tries from Graham and Hogg put Scotland firmly in the driving seat at 17-3.

Scotland were hungry for more and another try would surely have put the game beyond the visitors’ reach. Wales managed to win a couple of penalties and completely against the run of play gave themselves a lifeline when some sharp passing put Rees-Zammit in the clear. His searing pace and a smart step did the rest and the youngster touched down for a much needed try. Although the conversion was missed Wales had a glimmer of hope with a 17-8 half time score that could have been a whole lot worse.

The second half started with the Scots camped on the Welsh line looking for all the world like they were going to rebuild their lead. I was squirming uncomfortably on the couch and thinking I needed a stroll in the garden as the Scots crashed over the line. Then, thankfully, I could plonk myself back down as the try was disallowed for obstruction. The subsequent penalty gave much needed relief and Wales worked their way back down the field. A call went out for another can of lager to refresh the parts….

The Welsh backs had actually looked quite dangerous when they had not kicked the ball away. A slick passing move created an overlap for Rees-Zammit to put Liam Williams in for a try. The conversion was good and Wales were very much back from a seemingly inevitable defeat at 17-15. This was much more like it but you knew that the Scots would surely bounce back.

Then disaster for Scotland, prop Zander Fagerson charged into a ruck and made contact with Wyn Jones’ head. This was not spotted by the referee who was awarding a kickable penalty to the Scots down field. The TMO brought the Fagerson indiscretion to the referee’s attention and it was red card. Wales were up against fourteen men just like the previous week against Ireland.

You could see Welsh spirits visibly lifted and moments later they were pressing on the Scotland line and Wyn Jones drove over for their third try. Wales had actually taken the lead at 17-20. Hardy and Sheedy had replaced the starting half backs and it was Sheedy who missed what could have been a crucial conversion with normal kickers Biggar and Halfpenny (head injury) off the field.

The benches were emptied as a tough encounter took its toll. Scotland opted to replace a wing in Graham with a forward, Gray, and were all set to play a forward dominated game. The Scots marched down field and laid siege on the Welsh line. The Welsh defence against the Scottish forward drives was brilliant. The Scots finally passed the ball out and the Welsh defence out wide was found wanting against the redoubtable Hogg who powered through some flimsy tacking to score. The conversion sailed over and Wales were behind again at 24-20 with about ten minutes left.

“Cometh the hour, cometh the man”, they say. That man was Rees-Zammit. He received the ball with a small amount of room to work with and took off down the wing. He had the skill and presence of mind to dink a perfectly weighted kick over the approaching Hogg and then win the race for the touch down. A brilliant try that the late J.J. Williams would have been proud of. Agonisingly, the crucial conversion was missed but Wales had the narrowest of leads 24-25 and had secured a bonus point.

The last few minutes of the game were all Scotland as they strove desperately to get their noses in front. The Welsh defence was superb and a brilliant relieving kick from Rees-Zammit pinned the Scots back in their twenty two. With the clock in the red, van de Merwe broke clear with Hogg in support. It looked odds on a Scotland try but a last-ditch ankle tap from Watkin saved the day. Van de Merwe couldn’t get the ball away cleanly and Hogg knocked on. Wales had done it!

I collapsed on the couch and sent for a cold towel. This old heart can’t stand too much more of this!

What a fantastic game! A real roller coaster of emotions. This is the second week running that Wales have managed to squeeze home against depleted opposition. It will surely do wonders for team spirit and the nation will perhaps get right behind the beleaguered Pivac. Wales clearly have a lot of work to do but to score four tries, three from the backs, is a feat in itself.

Next up is England in Cardiff with the Triple Crown up for grabs. Wales have a couple of weeks to lick their wounds and recharge their batteries. Team selection will be interesting to say the least. With the exception of number six, the forwards probably pick themselves fitness permitting. I would like to see Navidi selected against the English and then have one or more of the younger contenders in the team against the Italians.

The backs will be a bit of a conundrum though with strength in the back three with Halfpenny, Williams, Adams, North, Rees-Zammit and Amos staking their claims if fit. Finding the centre combination is the most troublesome area. Will North play in the centre at 13 ahead of a fit again Jon Davies? Who will play at 12?

The half backs also pose a dilemma as the Welsh tactical kicking has been sub-standard. Only the work done behind closed doors will decide this. The substitution of Biggar and Davies on Saturday maybe a signal of what is to come.

I am glad I don’t have to wrestle with these problems but we are in a stronger position than we thought we would be only a few weeks ago with a couple of victories under our belts. So all powr to their elbows

Well done everyone now let’s get ready for England.

Come on Wales!

Wales Hang On, Scotland Bang On

Here we go then! The Six Nations Championship is under way. I found it a strange weekend as I would normally been watching Wales in the flesh but that was not to be. So it was the couch and the TV for me.

Things started predictably enough with France giving Italy a thumping without really being stretched. The Italians did show some nice touches at times but were outclassed by the resurgent French who are beginning to look like the real deal with Dupont to the fore.

Then on to Twickenham where the Scots were the visitors. It started badly for England when someone had forgotten their rugby jerseys and they had to wear tee shirts for the match. On top of this the national Anthem was sung in so high a key that only the bats hanging at the back of the West Stand could hear most of it. Never mind, they thought, the papers had predicted that morning that they were going to win the Grand Slam so they would be just fine.

As it turned out, England were far from being just fine as the Scots tore into them from the first whistle. The Scots dominated the game from start to finish and the England players looked despairingly at each other as they quickly ran out of ideas as to what to do. The strange thing is that, although Scotland were in charge, they never managed to pull clear on the scoreboard and the result was far from certain until the final whistle. A flaky drop goal attempt by Russell near the end might have cost them dear. In the end the Scots won 6-11 with the score line flattering England greatly. The much-vaunted England pack had been bested in all phases and the English backs had looked clueless. In contrast the Scots bristled with aggression and purpose and must have been left wondering how they only managed one try. Sadly, there was no one there to sing “Swing Low Sweet Chariots” but then I don’t think anyone would have wanted to even if the stadium was full.

Wales had to wait until Sunday afternoon to make their bow against the Irish. Much had been written in the Irish press about how the Irish would turn over Wales quite comfortably. This only served to reinforce my doubts but I am sure it was great motivation for the Welsh team who were on a pretty awful run of results.

Wales started really brightly moving the ball with purpose and soon were 6-0 up. Their cause would surely be helped by the early dismissal of O’Mahony for an elbow to Tom Francis’ head. Wales too lost their starting No 6 when the unfortunate Lydiate was forced off with a knee injury. Wales, however, could bring on Navidi while the Irish would have to play with fourteen men for more than threequarters of the game. The loss of O’Mahony seemed to spur Ireland on and they completely dominated the second quarter in terms of territory and possession. So much so that they overturned the Welsh lead and with a converted try and two penalties went in at half time with a 6-13 lead. If Ireland had been good, Wales were poor with the lineout vulnerable and the penalty count against them rising alarmingly.

The second half started with Wales looking far better. They moved the ball well and scored two well-worked tries in the right hand corner. There were excellent finishes from North and Rees Zammit to complete good passing movements. One of the tries was converted and with a further penalty from Halfpenny Wales established an eight point lead at 21-13. The Irish were not about to roll over and stormed back at Wales. It was rough and tough and the injury toll for both sides was alarming.

The Irish reduced the deficit to five points with a penalty at 21-16 and we were in for a nail-biting finish. Wales had forgotten how to win, I thought as I covered my eyes with my hands. The clock ticked on incredibly slowly but relief was on hand. A sliced kick from Ireland went straight into touch and Wales had a scrum near the Irish twenty-two. There was only a minute left. The Welsh scrum held firm. Just hang on to the ball for a couple of carries and the game is ours. For reasons only he will know, Gareth Davies kicked ahead and gave possession to the Irish. Moments later the Irish were awarded a penalty in the Welsh half. Tragically for the Irish, substitute fly half Billy Burns put too much on his kick to the corner and their last chance had disappeared. The sigh of relief from the Welsh throughout the land would have sent a thousand wind turbines into overdrive.

Wales will be all the better for this win but it was far from a convincing victory against fourteen men for most of the game. The injury toll looks like it will be formidable and with a trip to Murrayfield in the offing with just a six day turnaround the squad will be stretched to the limit. The Scots must be feeling cock-a-hoop after their victory and must start as strong favourites.

I guess Wales would like to go into that match with the same team but that clearly not be possible with a minimum of four enforced changes due to injury. Liam Williams is now available which will help and there are many options in the back row. It is difficult to speculate until the full extent of the injury list is known of course.

Any weekend that sees Wales win and England lose is reason to celebrate I think. Perhaps Wales and Scotland will not be scrapping it out for fourth and fifth places after all.

Well done Wales and good luck in Scotland.