What a
great day to be Welsh! Of course it is always a great day to be Welsh but yesterday
was even better than normal. The Welsh rugby team clinched the Grand Slam, the
Triple Crown and the Six Nations’ Championship with a convincing win over
reigning champions Ireland. Despite Eddie Jones’ diagnosis that Wales were too
tired to win and Joe Schmidt insisting on trying to drown us in the torrential
rain, Wales grabbed the glory with both hands.
From the
moment Wales took an early lead with a well taken try from Parkes after a
precise chip by Anscombe, they looked in control. From then on, it was a matter
of keeping the Irish at bay whilst accumulating points through the boot of
Anscombe who was unerring from the kicking tee. Wales also lost George North
early on through injury which meant a rejigged back line with Biggar coming in
at outside half, Anscombe moving to full back and Liam Williams to the wing. This
setback and the heavy rain did nothing to dampen the indomitable spirit and
belief of this Welsh team who led 16-0 at half time and then 25-0 as the final
whistle approached. Ireland grabbed a late consolation try but by then the
whole of Wales was in celebration mode. If the roof had been on it would have
been raised by the exultant Welsh team and fans in the stadium. For the record,
the final score was 25-7 with Anscombe kicking twenty points to add to the Parkes
try.
This Grand
Slam unlike some of the others in the past was not built on scintillating
attacking rugby but rather on rock solid defence and a tremendous team spirit
and work ethic. This is epitomised by the captain Alun Wyn Jones who led by
example and surely must be a strong contender for the player of the tournament.
A Grand Slam looked to be a million miles away when Wales were 16-0 down at
half time in the first match in Paris. Somehow with a little help from the
French they found a way back and they were on the path to glory. There were
some tense moments along the way but their belief held firm. I heartily congratulate
all involved – you have made an old man have a powerful hangover.
The Welsh
national team look in good shape with the Rugby World Cup approaching but the
same cannot be said about Welsh regional rugby. Surely we must be able to capitalise
somehow on being Six Nations’ champions and find a way forward. The nation has
a real feel good factor about rugby at the moment. Somebody grab it please.
I did
watch the second half of the extraordinary game at Twickenham. I really felt
for the Scots as they came back from being thirty one points down to lead 31-38
with moments to go. England somehow managed to score a last gasp equalising
converted try. It was England who looked tired in the second half as the Scots
tore them apart. Italy too came close to upsetting the French but eventually
went down 14-25. It has not been a great tournament for any of the teams
wearing blue though.
Talking of
teams wearing blue brings to mind the small matter of Pontypool’s forthcoming Welsh
National Cup match against Bridgend. Pooler are hoping for a large crowd as
they try to do some more giant killing against Premiership opposition. It
promises to be an intriguing affair and I am really looking forward to it.
Well done
Wales!
Come on Pooler!
No comments:
Post a Comment