1
L’Ecosse se donne des sueurs froides face au Pays de Galles à Cardiff
La 12e rencontre a finalement été la bonne pour les hommes de Gregor Townsend qui n’avaient plus gagné au Principality Stadium de Cardiff en 11 matchs depuis avril 2002.
ADVERTISEMENT
Une disette qui a bien failli continuer après une rencontre intense en deux mi-temps distinctes : une première à l’avantage de l’Ecosse qui menait 20 à 0 à la pause et une seconde marquée par une incroyable remontée des Gallois qui se sont finalement inclinés d’un point, 26-27.
Pour la deuxième année consécutive, l’Ecosse a gagné, même sur le fil.
Au final, cette deuxième défaite de Warren Gatland en 13 matchs face aux voisins n’est pas pour redorer le bilan des Gallois dans le Tournoi qui n’avaient échappé à la cuillère de bois dans le Tournoi 2023qu’à la faveur d’une victoire sur l’Italie, leur seule.
Finn Russell s’amuse
Pourtant, son pari de la jeunesse semble annoncer un renouveau intéressant à l’heure où le sélectionneur néo-zélandais tente de reconstruire une sélection en crise en changeant plus de la moitié de ses titulaires par rapport à l’équipe qui s’était inclinée en quarts de finale de la Coupe du Monde de Rugby 2023.
Mis sous pression dès les premiers instants et fortement pénalisés (trois fois dans les huit premières minutes), les Gallois encaissent une première pénalité par le néo-capitaine Finn Russell, parfait dans la gestion du jeu à la main et au pied pendant la première période (plus en difficulté ensuite).
Synthèse du match 
0
Coups de pied de pénalité
2
4
Essais
3
3
Transformations
3
0
Drops
0
140
Courses avec ballon
121
6
Franchissements
5
11
Turnovers perdus
4
4
Turnovers gagnés
3
L’Ecosse marque le premier grâce au pilier Pierre Schoeman qui aplatit au ras en force après une série de pick-and-go sous les poteaux. Déstabilisés, les Gallois perdent trop de ballons, se mettent trop souvent à la faute, multiplient les approximations techniques.
A la demi-heure de jeu, Russell combine astucieusement avec Tuipulotu dans les 22 adverses, avant de pénétrer en faisant une feinte de passe à Van Der Merwe. Finalement, l’ouvreur offre la passe décisive à son ailier, qui n’a plus qu’à finaliser l’action.
ADVERTISEMENT
A la pause, le Pays de Galles est mené de 20 points (0-20) et Van der Merwe en remet une couche dès le retour des vestiaires suite à une prise d’intervalle de son capitaine qui délivre une nouvelle passe décisive après contact à son ailier qui accélère et disparaît dans l’en-but.
Le réveil des dragons
Menés 27-0, les Gallois commencent à se rebeller et les mouches changent d’âne. D’abord avec une pénaltouche qui envoie un puissant maul pour permettre au troisième-ligne James Botham d’aplatir (47e). Sur cette action, le talonneur écossais George Turner écope d’un carton jaune et ses adversaires vont en profiter.
Les dragons mettent du rythme, avancent en puissance et arrivent à créer des espaces, ce qui mène au deuxième essai du trois-quarts aile Rio Dyer cinq minutes plus tard. Le score remonte (12-27) et les Gallois profitent pleinement du temps faible de l’Ecosse.
La dynamique s’inverse et Cardiff vibre. De plus en plus pénalisée, l’Ecosse se prend un deuxième carton (Tuipulotu deux fois hors-jeu) et le Pays de Galles marque encore par le troisième-ligne Aaron Wainwright à l’heure de jeu. Trois essais en quinze minutes, la remontada des Gallois ne s’arrête plus (19-27).
ADVERTISEMENT
A douze minutes du terme, ils reviennent à un point grâce à l’essai du troisième-ligne Alex Mann après la même construction que leur premier essai : une touche, un puissant ballon porté et une défense enfoncée (26-29). Le carton de Tuipolotu aura coûté deux essais.
L’Ecosse a bien eu une ultime occasion de creuser l’écart à la toute fin de la rencontre, mais Ven der Merwe a aplati sur la jambe opportune de Rio Dyer plutôt que sur le gazon. Vaincu, le Pays de Galles peut se consoler avec le bonus à la fois offensif et défensif.
Prochain défi pour l’Ecosse : recevoir la France à Edimbourg la semaine suivante.
Comments on RugbyPass
I am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
1 Go to commentsIf he had stopped insisting on playing in the backrow, instead of wing, where everyone told him he should, he would have been a Bok years ago….
11 Go to comments‘Salads don’t win scrums’ 😂 I love that.
19 Go to commentsCan’t wait for the article that talks about misogyny in Ireland. Somehow.
16 Go to commentsI would like to see a rule change, when the attacking team is held up over the try line, by allowing the defensive team to restart a goal line drop out releases the pressure for the defensive team, but what if the attacking team had to restart a tap 5m out from the defensive team it gives the attacking team to apply more pressure, there are endless options for the attacking side and it will keep the fans in suspence.
2 Go to commentsLess modern South African males predictably triggered.
16 Go to commentsMy heart is with Quins, but the head is convinced Toulouse have too much. Ntamack is back, his timing and wisdom has been missed.
1 Go to commentsWow, what a starting line up for the Sharks) Tasty up front,kremer vs Tshituka or venter …fiery ,,Lavannini ,,will he knobble etzebeth? Biggest game for belleau?
1 Go to commentsIt was rubbish to watch, Blues weren’t even present. Did what they had to do, nothing more. Should be better next week against canes.
1 Go to commentsI’ve just noticed that this match has an all-French refereeing team. Surely a game like this ought to have a neutral ref? Although looking at the BBC preview of the Saints game, Raynal is also down as reffing that - so there may be some confusion about who is reffing what.
1 Go to commentsIf Havili can play anywhere in the back line, why not first 5. #10.
11 Go to commentsThe dressing room had already left for their summer break before they ran out in Dublin that year, and that’s on the coach. Franco Smith has undoubtedly made progress, particularly their maul, developing squad players and increasing squad depth. And against a very tight budget too. That said they were too lightweight last year and got found out against both Toulon and Munster in consecutive games. Better this season so far but they’ve developed something of a slow start habit occasionally, most notably losing at home to Northampton who played them at their own game. Play offs will ultimately show whether there has been tangible progress on last year, or not…!
2 Go to commentsAustralian Rugby has been a disaster, by not incorporating learning from previous successful campaigns. QLD Reds 2011 - Waratahs 2014. Players, coaches and administrators appoint there representatives for scheduled meetings, organisation’s agreement’s assessments and correspondence. This why a unified Rugby Union under one entity works. Every Rugby nation has taken that path. Was most difficult in the Northern hemisphere with over 100 years of club rugby before the game become professional. Took a lot of humility for those unions to eventually work together.
7 Go to commentsThough Wilson’s sacking was pretty brutal, it wasn’t just down to that Leinster game; Glasgow had a lot of 2nd half collapses that season, in the URC and Europe, and only just scraped into the playoffs. Franco Smith has definitely been an improvement, some players are delivering far more than they did under Wilson.
2 Go to commentsjesus - that front 5!
1 Go to commentsShould be an absolute cracker of a game! Will be great to see DuPont & Ntamack in tandem once again🔥
1 Go to commentsBest team ever…. To have played? These guys are still pressure chokers. Came nowhere when it counted. What a joke
84 Go to commentsMusk defends anonymous terrorism, fascism, threats against individuals and children etc etc But a Rugby club account….lock ‘em up!!!
2 Go to commentsActually the era defining moment came a few years earlier. February 2002 to be precise, when Michael D Higgins as finance minister at the time introduced his sports persons tax relief bill to the dial. As the politicians of the day stated “It seems to be another daft K Club frolic born in Kildare amongst the well-paid professional jockeys with whom the Minister plays golf” and that the scheme represented “a savage uncaring vision of Ireland and one that should be condemned”. The irfu and Leinster would be nowhere near the position they are in today without this key component of the finances.
5 Go to commentsIt is crystal clear that people who make such threats on line should be tried and imprisoned. Those with responsibility in social media companies who don’t facilitate this should be convicted. In real life, I have free speech to approach someone like Reinach and verbally threaten him. I am risking a conviction or a slap but I could do it. In the old days, If someone anonymously threatened someone by letter the police would ask and use evidence from the postal system. Unlike the Post, social media companies have complete instant and legal access to the content in social media. They make money from the data, billions. Yet, they turn a blind eye to terrorism, Nazi-ism and industrial levels of threats against individuals including their address and childrens schools being published online all from ananoymous accounts not real people. They claim free speech. Free speech for anonymous trolls/voilent thugs threatening people under false names? The fault is with the perps but also social media companies who think anonymous personas posting death threats constitutes free speech.
2 Go to comments