Go easy on Wayne Pivac. He's got a massive decision to make
In the hours leading up to kick-off, the hub-bub around Twickenham didn’t have its usual frisson of excitement, for this magisterial 139-year old fixture. The spectre of Coronavirus was all-pervasive.
Hand sanitisers sat alongside coffee cups and pint glasses but any sterility didn’t last for long when two long-term foes got the juices flowing in game packed with incident.
Six tries, two melees, one, ahem, ‘ball-tampering’ issue, a yellow and red card and a try for the ages from Justin Tipuric left the crowd at HQ more than sated as they wandered wearily off into the night leaving the inquest to take place in the bowels of England’s fortress.
Wales, for their part, can feel fortunate to have registered the highest total ever in TW2 yet come away with a loss, while Eddie Jones’ men can feel glad to have picked up a Triple Crown with a show of clinical brutality that took the breath away, while lamenting a costly loss of discipline.
The scoreline flattered Wales and while both sides are transition, there was much to mull over post-match.
The Welsh defence has lost its aura
For so many years, when Wales bent over their haunches for a defensive set in their own 22, there was a collective calm. A feeling that ‘thou shalt not pass’.
Who can forget Wales’ repelling of Ireland in 2015 after 45-phases? That aura has dissipated in this year’s Six Nations as Wales have shipped 10 tries in three games. Compare this to 2008’s Six Nations when just two tries shipped under Shaun Edwards’ defensive tutelage.
Wales’ tackle completion still floats around the 90 per cent mark but the brutality isn’t quite on point.
England were able to pierce the Welsh tryline too easily. Anthony Watson was able to paw off Tomos and Liam Williams without the duo landing a meaningful blow.
Manu Tuilagi dotted down unopposed when Wales ran out of numbers and George North was caught too narrow when Elliot Daly streaked in down the left flank. It’s clear WD40 and a spanner is needed to tighten up Wales’ rear-guard action leaving Byron Hayward with plenty to work on.
When Owen Farrell said, with a glint in his eye, that they prided themselves on their defence and actually ‘enjoyed it’, he spoke of it as an attacking weapon; a bludgeon to batter ball-carriers.
Indeed, the tape told of 33 ‘dominant tackles’ to eight, with Wales’ attackers getting routinely crumpled into the turf. Wales simply could not compete with the might of Courtney Lawes, Maro Itoje, Tom Curry and Mark Wilson, and that’s with Billy and Mako Vunipola and Joe Cokanasiga waiting to come back. Along with South Africa, England stand alone as the silverbacks of the rugby kingdom.
Wales’ offloading game is a work in progress
For the majority of Warren Gatland’s 124-Test Welsh coaching career there were cat-calls for Wales to play with more verve, more élan and damn it, more joie de vivre to lift posteriors off seats, rather than wince as their enormous battering rams went round the corner, again and again before defenders threw the white towels in for submission.
Now however, there is a touch of the Harlem Globetrotters about Wales, in comparison. There are passages of play when numbers one to 15 offload the ball with alacrity around the contact area and even Wayne Pivac, the orchestrator of this dextrous frippery, has called upon his charges to be more selective in their choices and pick the right areas.
Wales had treble England’s offloads (nine to three), beat nearly double the defenders (24 to 13), and made more clean breaks (13 to 10), mirroring their superiority offensively against France, yet they still trailed on the most important metric; the scoreboard.
After being constrained within Gatland’s winning, yet rigid, framework for so long, perhaps it’s a case of not letting the monkeys in the banana patch. The side are experiencing dopamine overload at such freedom to express themselves. The overriding theme has been of a side trying to change its spots but when it works, boy does it look sublime. Just 26 seconds after the half-time oranges, Justin Tipuric was cantering in under the sticks as the ball went through five pairs of hands. If Wales can temper their impetuous nature and improve their handling, the Welsh team will become a box-office attraction.
All hail the Nick Tompkins appreciation society
It’s becoming a recurring theme. Lauding a callow 25-year-old from Kent and thanking Wrexham’s finest, Granny Enid for gifting Wales one of rugby’s most exciting talents. Yep, Nick Tompkins has been a breath of fresh air for Wales and has made the sort of impact that suggest he will become a mainstay in the Welsh squad for some time. Yet again, he was the side’s most productive carrier, carrying for 75m, skipping, side-stepping, ducking and diving towards the English try-line in a manner that suggest he may be Wales’ sole nomination for Player of the Tournament.
A case-in-point came seconds after George Ford’s restart. Elliot Daly, his Saracens team-mate gave the kick-chase, but a step off his left foot saw Daly overrunning, ahead of him another club team-mate George Kruis, was pinned in defence. He passed right to Josh Navidi who powered down the tramlines. Tompkins, ran a smart inside support line and put another inside ball to Tomos Williams who put Justin Tipuric in from 30m.
In all 26 seconds of Welsh brilliance started by Tompkins. His ambition and lack of fear was intoxicating. Then there was his rifled, accurate passing off both hands, his ability to wriggle out of tackles. He was a thorn in the side of his Saracens team-mates and if his signature is confirmed by the Scarlets, he will surely only improve alongside Jonathan Davies. Bolter for the Lions in 2021? It no longer seems fanciful.
Wales approaching a regeneration but who steps aside?
The shy and retiring Eddie Jones made an interesting point in his post-match missives. He laid out a staunch defence of Wayne Pivac, after his stuttering start to life as Welsh coach, telling assembled journalists that the Welsh nation should be kind to him.
He lauded Wales’ resilience but said that as Wales’ cap profile reached 850, history suggested regeneration was afoot with France 2023 still some way in the distance. Yesterday, there were six players over 30 in the starting fifteen – Leigh Halfpenny (31), Dan Biggar (30), Justin Tipuric (30), Hadleigh Parkes (32) Ken Owens (33), and Alun Wyn Jones (34). Another ageing member of that celebrated sextet is Jonathan Davies who turns 32 next month.
Compare that to England who had three; Courtney Lawes, Mark Wilson and Ben Youngs, who are all 30. France have effectively started again with 19 new caps and an average squad age of 24, with only one player, Bernard Le Roux, over 30 in the 42-man squad. The gentle balancing act for Pivac is to know when each thoroughbred has run his race.
Does he wait another 12-months and allow the aforementioned players a final shot at a farewell tour with the Lions in 2021, or does he start the transformation this summer with a tour to New Zealand? This is why he gets paid the big bucks. He has to show the ruthlessness Warren Gatland did with the likes of Mike Phillips, Jamie Roberts and Adam Jones. A tough task.
Dan Biggar rewriting the definition of the meek fly-half
I’ll be honest, when I saw pictures of Dan Biggar grimacing and being helped off the field last weekend, I thought there are two hopes of the nuggety No 10 facing England. No hope and Bob Hope. How Biggar got through 80 minutes is a source of wonder. When was going through his paces, his right quad was covered in a protective black neoprene sleeve leaving Welsh fans to fret.
Less than a minute into the game, when the muscle brothers, Tom Curry and Manu Tuilagi, looked to soften the Gowerton-born pivot up with a double-hit, anyone less wilful would have headed straight back into the changing rooms, but not Biggar. He dusted himself off and started shouting instructions. The clear message, ‘bring it on’. England kept rifling balls skywards into Wales’ backfield and invariably, it was Biggar who would climb skyward to catch the ball knowing he was in for some rough punishment but he gritted his teeth stuck at it. He showed he could play, too.
A cute crosskick in the first half stretched the English defence, neat footwork beat English defenders from counter-attacks and got his just reward minutes from time by offering himself to stretch out for a well-deserved try. There is a tendency in some quarters to vilify Biggar for what he doesn’t have as a traditional fly-half – he’s not everyone’s cup of Darjeeling – but perhaps after 83-caps, fans should just admire him for the fortitude he has put in a Welsh shirt. Forget JJ Williams’ spiky barbs, Biggar now justifiably sits alongside Cliff Morgan, Dai Watkins, Barry John, Phil Bennett, Jonathan Davies, Neil Jenkins and Stephen Jones as one of the greats.
WATCH: Eddie Jones and Owen Farrell spoke to the media following their sides win against Wales at Twickenham.
Comments on RugbyPass
excellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to comments