Wonderful Williams rescues Wales' Grand-Slam dreams

For all the pre-match hype surrounding Wales in this showdown, it was England who almost stole the show, and taking with it Wales' Grand-Slam hopes. Wales, at times, looked nervous, and often couldn't break down a solid England midfield, led superbly by my man of the match Brad Barritt. England on the other hand, were on top for large periods of the game, and had they had the killer instinct of old, then maybe they would be leaving Twickenham with the victory, sending the Welsh back across the Severn with their tails between their legs.  Scott Williams leaves Twickenham with the plaudits though, after his stunning 50-yard chip through and collect led to the only try of the game being scored, and crucially, gave Wales the lead for the first time, which they never surrendered.  Strettle's over the line dart at the end might have rescued a share of the spoils, depending on what colour shirt you were wearing you would call it either way. Multiple replays seem to suggest that the ball did not quite touch the ground, but it was a gallant last-gasp attempt by an England team hungry for a victory over their neighbours. However, this speculation will not change the final scoreline of a 19-12 victory to Wales, and their first Triple-Crown on English soil. Time for my review of the game, using the same system as before: positives (+), negatives (-), and uncertainties (?):

Positives: 

+ Though Wales never really got into top gear with the ball in hand, they were patient when it mattered. Mike Phillips, who again was well contained by England, still managed to move the ball well, though often it was through the forwards, rather than the expansive back play that Wales have freely shown so far. Regardless, it worked, and they went through the phases expertly, tiring England's resistance.

+ It was a physical game, with emphasis again being thrown onto the forwards of both teams. Wales rose to England's test, and out-muscled them convincingly. Their scrummaging was spot-on, Adam Jones and Gethin Jenkins leading the line well as they normally do. Though I thought England's Dan Cole and Alex Corbisiero, who I am a big fan of, would be a tough test for them, they rose above, yet again staking their claim as the best Prop pairing in the world.

+ Sam Warburton was Wales' stand out performer. His tackle to stop Manu Tuilagi crossing the line was something special, his power and determination to get to the ruck first was second to none, and the fact that he kept this up for the full 80 minutes is a credit to his fitness, especially after being ruled out against Scotland with a dead leg.

Negatives:

- Wales just did not get going! I was screaming at my television for the whole second half for Wales to break out of their 22 and get hands on the ball, but for whatever reason, they just looked overawed by the occasion. Credit must be given to England for throwing Wales off their game completely, something no team has been able to do since last year's 6 Nations tournament. But even I expected Wales to somehow pull an expansive, flowing play out of the bag, but it never materialised. They will have to improve that if they want to remain a top-level international team.

- I hate to moan about referees, I always feel they should be given the benefit of the doubt as their job is mightily tough. However, how an offside tackle can result in a yellow card yet an illegal pull down from a line-out is only a penalty is beyond me. Yes, Wales had been warned about going offside, and the tackle stopped a potential try-scoring opportunity, so Priestland's yellow was justified. But a dangerous play like Robshaw's on Warburton in the line-out surely deserves a yellow? Another reason that IRB needs to clarify tackling laws.

Uncertainties:

? This is more of a general poser, but can Wales actually win the Grand-Slam,  now that they have secured the Triple-Crown? They have stuttered by over England, and France is another stern test to come. Not only that, but we have to get past a stubborn Italian side as well. Though another win will boost the confidence further, we really need to step it up against Italy so that hopefully we can be in the right vein of form to face France on March 17th. 

Overall, a thoroughly unconvincing performance by Wales. However, it has proven that we can grind out a result, and win ugly if we have to. The question is though, does that highlight any frailties that we might have, or does it serve as a warning to the Italy and France that we don't have to be at our best to win? We shall see in two weeks, when we take on the Italy in the Millennium Stadium, and then a week later when we entertain France in what could be the title-decider, again in Cardiff. Lets hope that Roberts' injury is not too serious, and that we can have a fully-fit squad to choose from for these games, because we are going to need it. The Dragon is still roaring, just.

Final Score: Wales 19 - Tries: S Williams. Convs: Halfpenny. Pens: Halfpenny (4)
                England 12 - Pens: Farrell (4)

Dewch ar Cymru!

Wales vs England. Need I say more?

I have always been a Wales fan. Though by blood I am half Welsh, half English, I can honestly say that my allegiance to Welsh rugby has never been tested. Not when Johnny kicked "that" drop-goal. Not when they thumped us 62-5 in August 2007. I have always stuck to my Mother's roots, and pulled on my red shirt when the two behemoths collided. However, I don't think I can recall a game where so much was on the line.

For Wales, it is a chance to finally stand up and say that they are the better rugby-playing side. For a country where Rugby is the national sport, this would be a monumental occasion. Since 2005, minus the blip aforementioned in 2007, Wales have been knocking on England's door, worrying them on more than one occasion. If the last two test matches the sides played last summer is anything to go by, Wales, though only winning one of them, played the better rugby in both, and it set them up perfectly for the World Cup. There is nothing that Wales like more than beating England, something that fly-half Phil Bennett could relate to in 1977. Before facing the English, he gave the team a famous pre-match pep talk, saying:

"Look what these bastards have done to Wales. They've taken our coal, our water, our steel. They buy our houses and only live in them for a fortnight every 12 months. What have they given us? Absolutely nothing. We've been exploited, raped, controlled and punished by the English - and that's who you're playing this afternoon"

As you can tell, there is no love lost there. And with Wales starting to build up a head of steam in this tournament, they look like recapturing the form that they had at the World Cup. Therefore it is no surprise that they start as favourites on Saturday.

For England, it is a chance to show the rest of the rugby world, and especially Wales, that they are still top six contenders. After a torrid World Cup, beset by off the field incidents and on the field dourness, England are a much changed side. A new coach in Stuart Lancaster, a new crop of players, England are going some-way to rebuild their reputation that was so badly tarnished in New Zealand. Even so, they do start the game as underdogs for the first time in a while, even though they have home-field advantage. This is mainly due to the fact that while Wales have been climbing the gears, England seem to be stuck in second. They were pushed close by Scotland at Murrayfield, before almost imploding against Italy. In fact, had Tobias Botes not left his kicking boots at home, England would have come away from Rome empty-handed. However, they need no motivation to play Wales, and this will definitely be a totally different side to those that have appeared so far in the tournament. Added to this, Wales have only beaten England once in the past 24 years at Twickenham, that victory coming in the Grand-Slam winning campaign of 2008. England therefore have just as much reason to be confident of getting the victory this time around too. 

As far as the teams go, Wales have the fit again Alun-Wyn Jones back at number 4, replacing Ryan Jones, who drops to the bench. Also captain Sam Warburton has finally shaken off the dead leg that kept him out of the Scotland game, and he comes in to replace the unlucky Aaron Shingler, who was formidable last week on his debut. Hooker Ken Owens comes in as well, replacing the injured Huw Bennett, with Matthew Rees still not fully fit.

England have powerful centre Manu Tuilagi back from a hamstring injury to replace their only try scorer Charlie Hodgson, with young Owen Farrell moving to fly-half. There are also starts for lock Ben Morgan, number 8 Geoff Parling, and scrum-half Lee Dickson, replacing Tom Palmer, Phil Dowson and Ben Youngs respectively. Palmer misses out on the squad altogether, while Dowson and Youngs are joined on the bench by the fit-again Toby Flood and Courtney Lawes. 

Wales' expansive back play is enough to worry any defence, and this could be the key for the victory, If England can contain Wales' backs, especially the sublime George North, then Wales will have to rely on their forward line to get them the win. For once though, Wales should win the battle up-front, with arguably the most impressive pack in the tournament. An area that England could target though is the line-out, especially with relative rookie Owens on the field. Wales have lost the ball 6 times on their own throw in the opening two games, but they do have A-W Jones back to try and steady the play.

For me, the game is too close to call. With my Welsh head on, I can only see a Wales victory. They are playing too well, and have the better squad on the pitch. However, this is England at Twickenham, and they know how to play Wales at home. There are only two guarantees. One, It will be a physical, absorbing game, as it always is. The other? For the victor, the satisfaction and bragging rights will be the sweetest reward of this tournament, bar nothing else. This is the game that both sets of teams and fans alike want to win, badly.

As a final bit of fun, here is David Mitchell talking about his mixed heritage, and Wales and England's rivalry. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bOqY2xSD6U

Wales:

Backs: Halfpenny; Cuthbert, J Davies, Roberts, North; Priestland, Phillips.

Fowards: Jenkins, Owens, A Jones, A-W Jones, Evans, Lydiate, Warburton (c), Faletau.

Replacements: Hibbard, James, R Jones, Tipuric, L Williams, S Jones, S Williams.

England:

Backs: Foden; Ashton, Tuilagi, Barritt, Strettle; Farrell, Dickson.

Fowards: Corbisiero, Hartley, Cole, Botha, Parling, Croft, Robshaw (c), Morgan.

Replacements: Webber, Stevens, Lawes, Dowson, Youngs, Flood, Brown.

Dewch ar Cymru!

Ill-discipline works in Wales' favour as they roll over Scotland

Another enthralling match involving Wales, this time with the slightly more emphatic scoreline of a 27-13 win. Scotland, apart from 10 minutes of madness at the start of the second-half, more than matched Wales, and were highly impressive. However, yet again, ill-discipline costs a team, this time Scotland, who shipped up two tries and 14 points with a reduced number of players. Credit must be given to Wales though, who took the opportunities presented to them well, and ultimately deserved their win. Anyway, onto my review, using the system I used last time, positives (+), negatives (-) and uncertainties (?):

Positives:

+ Wales' clinical finishing. Two errors from Scotland players resulted in yellow-cards, and Wales capitalised magnificently. Two tries, two conversions, 14 points, and effectively game over from that point onwards. Wales dominated with 15 men superbly and gave Scotland a horrendous time and ran them ragged. It is especially sweet after last week, leading me nicely onto my next point...

+ Wales' discipline was much improved on last week's performance. After Bradley Davies' mis-hap against Ireland, it would have please Warren Gatland that Wales were the beneficiaries of another team's ill-discipline, rather than toiling due to their own. A few penalties were conceded here and there, but generally speaking, they defended impeccably, and were very careful in their own-22, where any mistake could cost you a whole load of points.

+ Contrary to my blog yesterday, Captain and talisman Sam Warburton was ruled out of the match about an hour before kick-off. In came uncapped Scarlets Aaron Shingler, and he was sublime. His pace with the ball in hand was incredible, and with such little preparation time, he gave a remarkable relaxed and assured performance. So kudos to him from me!

Negatives:

- Mike Phillips, who won man of the match last week, didn't put in such a good turn this week. He didn't do anything particularly dreadful, but he just wasn't quite to the standard that we would come to expect from him. He was slow getting the ball from the ruck, and was caught unaware by the quick thinking Scottish forwards from the rucks on several occasions. He will be looking to bounce back next week, and I am sure he can deliver.

Uncertainties:

? Warburton's fitness is an obvious concern, as is George North's, who went off injured just before half-time. Both players are vital to Wales, as much as Shingler and Halfpenny shined in their place, and we will need them if we are going to win the England game.

In addition to this, the welcome return to fitness of Dan Lydiate is a bonus for Wales, and stand-in Captain Ryan Jones put in a stellar performance in a position unfamiliar to him. Finally, as you can see, not many negatives and uncertainties this week, which is good in my opinion with possibly our toughest match coming up in 2 weeks time. England at Twickenham is going to be a monster match. England, fairly underwhelming so far, will want to claim the scalp of Wales, and with home support, they will be so fired up to play. Wales' biggest reassurance is their form. Recently, Wales have always stepped it up against England, and will look to do so again. Saying that, I still feel that it will be too close too call, and the winner will be the team that handles the pressure better. Either way, it will be a cracking game, and with the possibility of the triple-crown, Wales will be more determined than ever to beat England on their own soil. Bring it on!

Final Score: Wales 27 - Tries: Cuthbert, Halfpenny (2). Convs: Halfpenny (3). Pens: Halfpenny (2)

               Scotland 13 - Tries: Laidlaw. Convs: Laidlaw. Pens: Laidlaw (2)

Scotland showdown!

Okay so we are just over 24 hours away from the game tomorrow. Scotland will be looking to lick their wounds and re-build after their morale-crushing loss to England last week, and Wales will want to carry on with the momentum from the rousing comeback against the Irish. Traditionally, the Wales-Scotland games are tough, with emphasis on who's pack can out-muscle the other. But I think this year,  things will be different.

We all know about the strength in Wales' back-line, and if Halfpenny is given the kicking duties, they should be as potent as they can possibly be. With Scotland, they have exciting young players coming to the fore. Max Evans is a tricky winger, who is a threat when he has ground to run. Scrum-halves Chris Cusiter and Mike Blair are two of the best in the tournament, and have assured hands and quick delivery speed. The biggest boost though is Greg Laidlaw coming in for the now retired Dan Parks. He has been in scintillating form for Edinburgh, and put in a good shift against England last week. Though coach Andy Robinson has neglected the option of an all-Edinburgh half back pairing, with Blair on the bench, Laidlaw could be the man to get the Scottish attacks up and running.

All Wales' changes are up front. Gethin Jenkins and Dan Lydiate are back, replacing Rhys Gill, who is not in the match-day squad, and the suspended Bradley Davies, who is banned for the whole tournament. Captain Sam Warburton has shaken off a dead-leg to play at 7, and Ryan Jones has been moved to the second row alongside Ian Evans, while Lydiate will play in his familiar number 6 spot.

Though I think Wales will win, it will not be as easy as some predicted. Warren Gatland and the players all came out and said that they can't get complacent, and though they are saying the right things, it is often Wales' undoing. If everything goes to plan though, I can see it being a not entirely comfortable victory.

Wales:

Backs: Halfpenny; Cuthbert, J Davies, Roberts, North; Priestland, Phillips.
Forwards: Jenkins, Bennett, A Jones, R Jones, Evans, Lydiate, Warburton (c), Faletau.
Replacements: Owens, James, Reed, Powell, L Williams, Hook, S Williams.

Scotland:

Backs: R Lamont; Jones, De Luca, S Lamont, Evans; Laidlaw, Cusiter.
Forwards: Jacobson, Ford (c), Cross, Gray, Hamilton, Strokosch, Rennie, Denton.
Replacements: Lawson, Kalman, Kellock, Barclay, Blair, Weir, Hogg.

Dewch ar Cymru!

Gritty win, but discipline is key

Wales can feel very good about their performance yesterday. They battled hard through a predictably physical Irish performance, and for large parts of the game, dominated possession, creating numerous scoring chances. For these 6 Nations games, as there are five, I will review the game splitting it into positives (+) and negatives (-) as well as stating things that I was unsure of, be it tactics, changes, or individual player performances (?). I am doing this to keep it quite straight forward, and a bit less formal than a standard review! So here this is my take on yesterday's game:

Positives:

+ Jonathan Davies. All the pre-match talk was about Jamie Roberts and Rhys Priestland, but Davies quietly went about business and delivered a stunning performance. I could have put Davies in with all the Welsh backs (see below), but I thought his performance deserved a special mention. He had great awareness, constantly looking for gaps in the Irish defence, and his support play was near immaculate. He fully deserved his two scores, and was unlucky to not be awarded man of the match. It also served to prove that teams shouldn't just worry about the power of Roberts, and take note of the Scarlets man.

+ The Welsh back line looked very creative, led superbly by man of the match Mike Phillips. Each player contributed something to every play and whereas not long ago Wales would have squandered in front of goal, they were ruthless, scoring three tries at relative easy. This has to put a smile on many die-hard Wales fan's face. George North tormented the Irish with absolute power and clinical running, and Rhys Priestland, though very iffy with the boot, straightened plays when necessary, and was a reassuring presence when he had his hands on the ball.

+ Wales' game management was very impressive. They never rushed any of their plays, and were careful when on the ball. This especially rang true in the last five minutes, as even though they were down by a score, they never looked worried, and nor did they try and force the play. With such a young squad, this level of maturity is extremely rare, and a valuably asset to Wales' title hopes.

Negatives:

- Wales' discipline could be their Achilles heel. We saw it in the World Cup against France, and yet again Wales toiled at the hands of a silly sin-binning. How Bradley Davies did not get a red card is baffling (yet again see below), and with it, Wales conceded a try and five points. This could have easily been another five had the usually immaculate Jonathan Sexton been more accurate with the boot from the conversion and a penalty. As shown on the BBC yesterday, Wales concede on average almost 8 points with every sin-binning, which is 3 points more than the next worst team Italy. This has to change, and fast, or Wales will be the perennial nearly-men. 

- The tip-tackle rule needs clarifying to both the referees and the players. Yesterday, both tips went punished with yellow cards, but they couldn't have been any more different. Davies was totally ludicrous, what he was thinking only he will know, but he will wake up this morning knowing he was lucky to not be red-carded. It was the worst tip-tackle I have ever seen, and should've been more harshly punished. Rightfully, Davies has been cited, and should be banned. Though this will hamper Wales further, it is the only right decision. Ferris' on the other hand was a far more controlled affair. Yes it was a tip, which by the letter of the law is a penalty, but there was no malice, and no element of danger in the tackle. I am all for the punishment of tip tackling - it is an unnecessary form of tackle that sets a poor example of the game to the viewing public, especially youngsters getting started in the game. But there needs to be clarification between the varying degrees of a tip-tackle. Both sides of the spectrum were evidenced yesterday, and yet both were punished exactly the same. The IRB need to clarify this to avoid games, and in the worst case scenario, player's careers, being ruined. 

- Wales' kicking from the tee still continues to pose problems. First Hook, then Jones, and now it seems Priestland has caught the bug. He missed all three of his attempts, and two were very straightforward. Fortunately Wales seem to have no end of kicking "talent", but still, consistency is key! I have never thought Priestland was the strongest kicker Wales have ever had, and I know people will argue that then why should we include him at 10? But I feel that Priestland should be Wales' number 10 due to his intelligence and strength on the ball. He gives Wales direction that not even Stephen Jones could, and he is definitely my pick for that spot. 

Uncertainties

? Wales' line-out. On one had, when it works effectively, we can score tries directly from the play. On the other hand, we can give possession away easily in our own 22, and concede heavily. I think retaining Huw Bennett (who won his 50th cap on Sunday) is vital, as he is the most able and consistent hooker Wales have had for a decade. We just need to improve the communication slightly at the line, though it could be argued that without our first choice second-rowers, it was inevitable that some problems would ensue.

So overall, it was a thrilling match, and the Irish most definitely played their part. They gave Wales a right match, and will be disappointed to have not come away with the victory. However, it was a very reassuring performance from Wales, and should give everyone a belief that our injury woes won't hamper us for a decent shot at the championship. I think a triple-crown could be on the cards, though I still see beating France as a push too far. England's performance suggested that they are still fallable, and we should expect to beat Italy and Scotland at home. Hopefully Warburton's injury is not too serious, and we can keep the momentum going into next week's game. If this is Wales at only 70%, according to Gatland, then I am excited for even more skill to come for the rest of the 6 Nations.

Final Score: Wales 23  - Tries: J.Davies (2), North. Convs: Halfpenny. Pens: Halfpenny (2)

                   Ireland 21 - Tries: Best, Bowe.            Convs: Sexton.      Pens: Sexton (3)

Dewch ar Cyrmu!

Beware of the Irish, they are out for revenge!

Okay, we are about 48 hours away from game time. Ireland are still smarting from their World Cup loss to Wales, their "Golden Generation" left without tasting so much as a World Cup Semi-Finals, and will definitely be out to avenge their defeat. Wales have to be wary, and realistic.

Wales have numerous injury/fitness concerns. Already missing are Alun-Wyn Jones, Luke Charteris, and Lloyd Burns. Added to this list since the squad was announced are Gethin Jenkins, Dan Lydiate and Matthew Rees. These are all probably first team players, or at least highly experienced and useful substitutes. Fitness concerns also linger over influential backs Rhys Priestland and Jamie Roberts, who hasn't played a game this year so far. Though they have been named in the starting line-up, having them not at 100% has to be a concern for Wales' coaches.

Despite this, Gatland has named a very strong squad. Exciting young winger Alex Cuthbert comes into the squad, replacing the retired Shane Williams, and ex-captain Ryan Jones comes in at number 6 to replace Lydiate. Bradley Davies and Ian Evans come in for A-W Jones and Charteris, who were pivotal in Wales' World Cup success. However, the biggest surprise is Saracens prop Rhys Gill, who last played for Wales against Ireland as a replacement in last year's tournament, getting the nod over the more experienced Paul James at loose-head. Gill has big boots to fill, and Jenkins will be sorely missed, not only in the scrum, but as an extremely intelligent and agile prop. However, Gill has been in superb form this season, so he should be more than up for the task.

Ireland, who are already missing Brian O'Driscoll for the entire tournament, are without Keith Earls for the Wales game. In his place, Fergus McFadden has been drafted in to partner Gordan D'Arcy in the centre. Aside from this, Ireland have named possible their strongest squad, with Jonathan Sexton getting the number 10 shirt over Ronan O'Gara, and Andrew Trimble starting on the wing.

Though Wales fans will be hopeful of another Wales victory over Ireland, I predict a much tighter affair. A lot will be riding on Gill and how far he can hold his own in the scrum, and how much Wales' injury woes will hamper the overall performance of the team. I think it will be more conservatively played than the World Cup Quarter-Final, and Wales' kicking game will have to match the very methodical and effective Irish tactics with the boot.

Overall, I see Wales being hard pushed to win this game, but if we do, it will be a great platform to start 2012 and the 6 Nations with, and will provide great reassurance to many people that say Wales' performance at the World Cup was a flash in the pan.

Wales:

Backs: Halfpenny; Cuthbert, J Davies, Roberts, North; Priestland, Phillips.
Forwards: Gill, Bennett, A Jones, B Davies, Evans, R Jones, Warburton (c), Faletau.
Replacements: Owens, James, Powell, Tipuric, L Williams, Hook, S Williams.

Ireland:

Backs: R Kearney; Bowe, McFadden, D'Arcy, Trimble; Sexton, Murray.
Forwards: Heaslip, O'Brien, Ferris, O'Connell (c), O'Callaghan, Ross, Best, Healy.
Replacements: O'Mahony, Ryan, O'Gara, Cronin, Reddan, D Kearney, Court.

Dewch ar Cymru!