Retribution was finally achieved, and glory ultimately attained, as Wales beat France 16-9 in Cardiff to clinch not only the 6 Nations title, but the Grand-Slam. France pushed Wales all the way, but in the end, the right team won, and shows the culmination of effort and skill that took a team from 4th in last years tournament, to the top team in the Northern Hemisphere this year. I will defer from my normal review system for this final game, as it is the final game for a while. Instead, I am going to sum up my personal highlights of the tournament, and firstly of the game today.
Highlights vs France:
Dan Lydiate was the deserved man of the match. Normally the unsung hero, he deserved all the accolades today. He was constantly chopping at the French ankles, and only missed one tackle during the whole game. He stepped up to the plate when Warburton went off, and dominated at the breakdown. Has to be a certain pick for the Lions tour next year.
How on earth does Rhys Priestland kick that far out of hand? His leg swings barely an inch and yet the ball travels miles! He was deadly accurate as well, and though his dead ball striking might not be up there with best, from hand he is one of the best.
Wales' defence was again solid. Scrambling is their speciality, and they are quick to snuff out any opportunities that the opposition may get. They are quick to organise, quick to rush, and deadly accurate in bringing the man down.
Tournament Highlights:
Warburton's tackle on Manu Tuilagi vs England. This tackle almost certainly saved the Grand-Slam from Wales. To everyone in the stadium, Tuilagi was through, but Warburton somehow clung on to his ankles, and brought the big man down with metres to spare. When fit, Warburton led by example. Lets hope his latest shoulder injury isn't too serious, and that he is back playing soon.
Scott Williams' try vs England. A great solo effort from the replacement centre, to rectify an earlier missed chance. Stealing the ball expertly off Courteney Lawes, he punted the ball on and had too much pace for the chasing defenders to get anywhere near him. A great moment of inspiration from the young lad, and it broke the monotony that had existed in that game beforehand.
Leigh Halfpenny's last minute kick vs Ireland. Halfpenny snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat against Ireland when he converted a penalty with seconds to spare. After an iffy kicking display previously from Priestland, Halfpenny steadied himself and slotted it over the posts to give Wales the win. Great composure to put his miss against France in the World Cup to bed.
So that's it for this years 6 Nations, and Wales will carry a lot of confidence towards the end of the year. We must build though, and have 2015 as another goal to attain. However, Wales have proved a lot of doubters wrong with this victory, and they will stand to serve as a warning to any team coming to play us in the future. Roll on to the rest of the year.
Final Score: Wales 16 - Tries: Cuthbert. Convs: Halfpenny. Pens: Halfpenny (2).
France 9 - Pens: Yachvili (2), Beauxis.
Dewch ar Cymru!
Saturday, 17 March 2012
Friday, 16 March 2012
Only Les Bleus stand in the way of the Welsh dream
Okay so before I get into previewing tomorrow's game, I have to start with two side notes. My first, I'd like to apologise for not having a review of last weeks Italy game up. I didn't actually get the chance to see the game, as I was helping a friend move house, and only got a chance to see the highlights. Therefore I felt like it would be an injustice to have a review purely based on twenty minutes of action! Also, I would like to offer my condolences to Mervyn "Merv the Swerve" Davies' family and friends, after his passing today. Davies was a truly inspirational captain and player, and also would have been a remarkable Lions captain in 1977 had his playing career not been cut short, much like his life. A minutes silence will be held tomorrow in the Millennium Stadium before the match to commemorate his life, and hopefully everyone will be thinking of fond memories during the time.
However, we must press on to the matter in hand: Wales' potential Grand-Slam clinching game against France. Before the tournament began, this was possibly the most eagerly anticipated clash in the schedule. Wales' narrow 9-8 defeat in last year's World Cup semi-final is still ingrained in both set's of supporters memories for differing reasons. For the French, it set them up to have their best game of the tournament in the final against hosts, and eventual winners, New Zealand. For the Welsh, their was a bitter sense of injustice, and led to them leaving the tournament with somewhat of a whimper in 4th place. This tournament has only gone on to fuel the fire of that injustice, with Wales picking up where they left off, and France again be unpredictable and inconsistent. You can guarantee though, that France will be on the money for this game, and Wales will have to play 50% above what they have done previously in the tournament if they want to win.
Wales have made only one change from the squad that played Italy last weekend, with captain Sam Warburton reclaiming his place at 7 from Justin Tipuric. Through all 6 games, the Welsh back line has been unchanged, and this consistency has been key to Wales' impressive attacking displays. North, Roberts and Cuthbert will be looking to power through a French underbelly that looked decidedly vulnerable against England and Ireland in their previous games. France have only lost once in six visits to the Millennium Stadium, that coming in 2008, but Wales would still need to be thumped to lose the title to England. However, that would provide little consolation if the Slam dreams were dashed at the final hurdle.
Philippe Saint-Andre has made several changes to his French side. Veteran lock Lionel Nallet's days as a French international look to be over, with him being omitted from the squad, being replaced by Julien Pierre on the bench. Dmitri Yachvili plays his first game of the tournament, coming in for Julian Dupuy, who drops out of the squad altogether, and Morgan Parra is benched, with Lionel Beauxis retaining his place at fly-half. Florian Fritz comes in for the injured Vincent Clerc, who will be thankful he doesn't have to come up against Warburton again. Star man Wesley Fofana moves to the wing as a result. On the other wing, Alexis Pallison is favoured to Julien Malzieu. In the pack, Dimitri Szarzewski is replaced at hooker by William Servat, and David Attoub replaces Nicolas Mas. France will not only be looking to beat Wales, but also aiming to avoid their worst performance at a 6 Nations since 2001, where they only notched up two wins during the duration of the tournament.
So the question is, will Wales fulfil their potential, in turn laying to rest the demons of the World Cup defeat last year, by beating France and claiming the Grand-Slam? Or, will the pressure be too much, and will they slump to defeat, still being denied the chance of glory that the team so thoroughly craves? For once, being at home may not be the key difference. Yes, support is always good to have, but as mentioned earlier, France have a near impeccable record in Cardiff. Wales have to stay focused, and forget the hype and occasion that is surrounding the game, in order to win. The backs have to be patient, and concentrate on getting over the gain line. The forwards have to dominate at the set plays, and be careful at the breakdown, or penalties could be the key game breaker. If Wales play to their potential, then they should win. But that is a big if. France will be fired up for this, and it will be a game of the ages, that is for certain.
Wales:
Backs: Halfpenny; Cuthbert, J Davies, Roberts, North; Priestland, Phillips.
Forwards: Jenkins, Rees, A Jones, A-W Jones, Evans, Lydiate, Warburton (c), Faletau.
Replacements: James, Owens, Charteris, R Jones, L Williams, Hook, S Williams.
France:
Backs: Poitrenaud; Fofana, Rougerie, Fritz, Palisson; Beauxis, Yachvili.
Forwards: Poux, Servat, Attoub, Pape, Maestri, Dusautoir (c), Bonnaire, Harinordoquy.
Replacements: Szarzewski, Debaty, Pierre, Picamoles, Parra, Trinh-Duc, Buttin.
Dewch ar Cymru!
However, we must press on to the matter in hand: Wales' potential Grand-Slam clinching game against France. Before the tournament began, this was possibly the most eagerly anticipated clash in the schedule. Wales' narrow 9-8 defeat in last year's World Cup semi-final is still ingrained in both set's of supporters memories for differing reasons. For the French, it set them up to have their best game of the tournament in the final against hosts, and eventual winners, New Zealand. For the Welsh, their was a bitter sense of injustice, and led to them leaving the tournament with somewhat of a whimper in 4th place. This tournament has only gone on to fuel the fire of that injustice, with Wales picking up where they left off, and France again be unpredictable and inconsistent. You can guarantee though, that France will be on the money for this game, and Wales will have to play 50% above what they have done previously in the tournament if they want to win.
Wales have made only one change from the squad that played Italy last weekend, with captain Sam Warburton reclaiming his place at 7 from Justin Tipuric. Through all 6 games, the Welsh back line has been unchanged, and this consistency has been key to Wales' impressive attacking displays. North, Roberts and Cuthbert will be looking to power through a French underbelly that looked decidedly vulnerable against England and Ireland in their previous games. France have only lost once in six visits to the Millennium Stadium, that coming in 2008, but Wales would still need to be thumped to lose the title to England. However, that would provide little consolation if the Slam dreams were dashed at the final hurdle.
Philippe Saint-Andre has made several changes to his French side. Veteran lock Lionel Nallet's days as a French international look to be over, with him being omitted from the squad, being replaced by Julien Pierre on the bench. Dmitri Yachvili plays his first game of the tournament, coming in for Julian Dupuy, who drops out of the squad altogether, and Morgan Parra is benched, with Lionel Beauxis retaining his place at fly-half. Florian Fritz comes in for the injured Vincent Clerc, who will be thankful he doesn't have to come up against Warburton again. Star man Wesley Fofana moves to the wing as a result. On the other wing, Alexis Pallison is favoured to Julien Malzieu. In the pack, Dimitri Szarzewski is replaced at hooker by William Servat, and David Attoub replaces Nicolas Mas. France will not only be looking to beat Wales, but also aiming to avoid their worst performance at a 6 Nations since 2001, where they only notched up two wins during the duration of the tournament.
So the question is, will Wales fulfil their potential, in turn laying to rest the demons of the World Cup defeat last year, by beating France and claiming the Grand-Slam? Or, will the pressure be too much, and will they slump to defeat, still being denied the chance of glory that the team so thoroughly craves? For once, being at home may not be the key difference. Yes, support is always good to have, but as mentioned earlier, France have a near impeccable record in Cardiff. Wales have to stay focused, and forget the hype and occasion that is surrounding the game, in order to win. The backs have to be patient, and concentrate on getting over the gain line. The forwards have to dominate at the set plays, and be careful at the breakdown, or penalties could be the key game breaker. If Wales play to their potential, then they should win. But that is a big if. France will be fired up for this, and it will be a game of the ages, that is for certain.
Wales:
Backs: Halfpenny; Cuthbert, J Davies, Roberts, North; Priestland, Phillips.
Forwards: Jenkins, Rees, A Jones, A-W Jones, Evans, Lydiate, Warburton (c), Faletau.
Replacements: James, Owens, Charteris, R Jones, L Williams, Hook, S Williams.
France:
Backs: Poitrenaud; Fofana, Rougerie, Fritz, Palisson; Beauxis, Yachvili.
Forwards: Poux, Servat, Attoub, Pape, Maestri, Dusautoir (c), Bonnaire, Harinordoquy.
Replacements: Szarzewski, Debaty, Pierre, Picamoles, Parra, Trinh-Duc, Buttin.
Dewch ar Cymru!
Saturday, 10 March 2012
Two wins away from achieving the ultimate 6 Nations goal
So, we are two weeks down the line from the dramatic, if erratic, victory over our old foes England at Twickenham, and are now back in Cardiff for the remainder of the tournament. Securing the Triple-Crown on English soil was a feather to put in Warren Gatland's cap, but as he would tell you, the job is only half complete. Today, Wales have to beat a tough Italian side, who have yet again shone in bursts, but seem set again to end the tournament with a whimper, and the inevitable last weekend battle with Scotland for the Wooden Spoon. Wales should be wary though, defeat against Italy would be border-line catastrophic, and would ultimately cost us a potential Grand-Slam, and maybe even the chance of winning the 6 Nations itself. There is another bonus to beating the Italians. The more wins that Wales rack up, the more points they get in the IRB World Rankings, which ultimately decides the top-seeds for the World Cup draw. If Wales can finish in the top four of these rankings, then they are guaranteed to not be drawn with the likes of New Zealand or Australia in the group stages of the 2015 World Cup. So hopefully, the rest of the 6 Nations will be a case of onwards and upwards (literally) for Wales!
In terms of the squads, Wales are again without captain Sam Warburton, who has a knee injury, and looks an ever increasing doubt for the France game next weekend. In his place comes Justin Tipuric, who starts his first game for Wales, having made 3 previous appearances off the bench. The other change sees the front row Lions trio reunited, as hooker Matthew Rees comes in for Ken Owens. Hero of two weeks ago Scott Williams is named on the bench, with Jamie Roberts fit to face Italy, days after it looking like his tournament was over. Also on the bench, scrum-half Lloyd Williams is replaced by Rhys Webb due to a thigh strain, whilst James Hook is back in the replacements, along with Luke Charteris, meaning there is no place in the match-day 22 for Stephen Jones. Captaining the side will be Gethin Jenkins, who leads the side for the fourth time. A danger sign if any is that Wales have lost seven of eight games while a prop has captained the side, so Jenkins will be hoping to break his duck today in Cardiff.
Italy have made whole-sale changes to the side that got trounced by Ireland two weeks ago, again shuffling their half-back pairing, with Kristopher Burton replacing Tobias Botes at fly-half, and Fabio Semenzato coming in for scrum-half Edoardo Gori, who has dropped out of the squad completely. Gonzalo Canale has been preferred to Tommaso Benvenuti at centre, and the old war-horse Mirco Bergamasco replaces Giovanbattista Venditti on the wing. In the forwards, Andrea Lo Cicero is at prop ahead of Michele Rizzo, second-row Marco Bortolami drops to the bench to make way for Cornelius van Zyl, and flanker Simone Favaro replaces Robert Barbieri. The Italians will be looking to put in a good performance for the whole 80 minutes today, having played well in the first halves against France, England, and Ireland, but then losing their way badly in the second period.
In reality, you can't look past a Wales victory, but the margin of victory could be crucial. A ruthless, confident performance would really set the wheels in motion for a Grand-Slam next weekend, and the momentum we take from this game today could be crucial in aiding our efforts against France. We have to take Italy seriously though, and we cannot afford to be complacent, as England almost found out to their cost in the second week. They have beaten us twice before, though on the road, so they know how to win. But ultimately, Wales should prove to have too much skill and composure to break down and crumple the Italian resistance.
Wales:
Backs: Halfpenny; Cuthbert, J Davies, Roberts, North; Priestland, Phillips.
Forwards: Jenkins (c), Rees, A Jones, A-W Jones, Evans, Lydiate, Tipuric, Faletau.
Replacements: Owens, James, Charteris, R Jones, Webb, Hook, S Williams.
Italy:
Backs: Masi; McLean, Canale, Sgarbi, Bergamasco; Burton, Semenzato.
Forwards: Lo Cicero, Ghiraldini, Cittadini, Geldenhuys, van Zyl, Zanni, Favaro, Parrise (c).
Replacements: D'Apice, Staibano, Bortolami, Barbieri, Botes, Benvenuti, Toniolatti.
Dewch ar Cymru!
In terms of the squads, Wales are again without captain Sam Warburton, who has a knee injury, and looks an ever increasing doubt for the France game next weekend. In his place comes Justin Tipuric, who starts his first game for Wales, having made 3 previous appearances off the bench. The other change sees the front row Lions trio reunited, as hooker Matthew Rees comes in for Ken Owens. Hero of two weeks ago Scott Williams is named on the bench, with Jamie Roberts fit to face Italy, days after it looking like his tournament was over. Also on the bench, scrum-half Lloyd Williams is replaced by Rhys Webb due to a thigh strain, whilst James Hook is back in the replacements, along with Luke Charteris, meaning there is no place in the match-day 22 for Stephen Jones. Captaining the side will be Gethin Jenkins, who leads the side for the fourth time. A danger sign if any is that Wales have lost seven of eight games while a prop has captained the side, so Jenkins will be hoping to break his duck today in Cardiff.
Italy have made whole-sale changes to the side that got trounced by Ireland two weeks ago, again shuffling their half-back pairing, with Kristopher Burton replacing Tobias Botes at fly-half, and Fabio Semenzato coming in for scrum-half Edoardo Gori, who has dropped out of the squad completely. Gonzalo Canale has been preferred to Tommaso Benvenuti at centre, and the old war-horse Mirco Bergamasco replaces Giovanbattista Venditti on the wing. In the forwards, Andrea Lo Cicero is at prop ahead of Michele Rizzo, second-row Marco Bortolami drops to the bench to make way for Cornelius van Zyl, and flanker Simone Favaro replaces Robert Barbieri. The Italians will be looking to put in a good performance for the whole 80 minutes today, having played well in the first halves against France, England, and Ireland, but then losing their way badly in the second period.
In reality, you can't look past a Wales victory, but the margin of victory could be crucial. A ruthless, confident performance would really set the wheels in motion for a Grand-Slam next weekend, and the momentum we take from this game today could be crucial in aiding our efforts against France. We have to take Italy seriously though, and we cannot afford to be complacent, as England almost found out to their cost in the second week. They have beaten us twice before, though on the road, so they know how to win. But ultimately, Wales should prove to have too much skill and composure to break down and crumple the Italian resistance.
Wales:
Backs: Halfpenny; Cuthbert, J Davies, Roberts, North; Priestland, Phillips.
Forwards: Jenkins (c), Rees, A Jones, A-W Jones, Evans, Lydiate, Tipuric, Faletau.
Replacements: Owens, James, Charteris, R Jones, Webb, Hook, S Williams.
Italy:
Backs: Masi; McLean, Canale, Sgarbi, Bergamasco; Burton, Semenzato.
Forwards: Lo Cicero, Ghiraldini, Cittadini, Geldenhuys, van Zyl, Zanni, Favaro, Parrise (c).
Replacements: D'Apice, Staibano, Bortolami, Barbieri, Botes, Benvenuti, Toniolatti.
Dewch ar Cymru!
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