RP Interview with Rhys Webb - 'Lions was pinnacle, but frustrating'
At 28, Rhys Webb is at his peak. One of the form scrum-half’s on the international scene, his performances for Wales and the Ospreys in recent years, allied with his unique ability to rack up tries made him a shoo-in for British and Irish Lions selection for the summer tour to New Zealand.
He was duly selected by Warren Gatland, his international coach with Wales for so long, on the 41-man panel, with his pace, dangerous darts and sniping runs all outstanding facets to a well-rounded half-back.
Meeting him, he says being part of the drawn series was the highlight of his career so far, but quantifies this by also conceded there was a touch of frustration over how things went for him personally.
Although he featured in five of the 10 tour games and made the squad in each of the three Tests, he amassed just 24 Test minutes in his selection battle with Conor Murray.
“The Lions was a brilliant experience, it was the pinnacle of my career,” he said. “It was great to be involved with so many boys I haven’t played with or against, like a lot of the English boys, and there were a lot of world-class boys there as well, so it was great to come along and play with these guys as four nations into one.
“It was a brilliant six weeks playing with them and to come away with a draw was pretty impressive as well.
“The challenges of a Lions tour are that you have to get yourself mentally right for game after game. I think I went playing the first four or five games, so it’s a lot really to get yourself emotionally high and then trying to switch off as well when sometimes you’ve got a one-day turnaround until the next game.
“That was the most challenging aspect for me, just staying focused the whole time, and I felt I did that although I would have liked to have played a lot more in the Tests.
“But coming on, I just had to get into the game as quick as I could and do my best for the team.
“I was lucky enough to come on and obviously score in the first Test. I didn’t get on in the second Test, which was disappointing, and the third Test I got on as well.
“It was frustrating at times. Personally, I was thinking I could have got on a bit earlier in the games and could have offered something else to the team, but the coaches obviously had their own opinions and thoughts so it’s just one of those things where you have to keep your head down and get on with it really.
“It was quite difficult yeah, because you know the coaches and after a win like that in the second Test, I kind of knew that they weren’t going to change much, so it was a fact of just trying to work hard in training and put my hand up for selection again for the third Test.”
An enthralling six-week tour came down to the final seconds as a third Test draw at Eden Park left all things level.
In retrospect, a draw in the backyard of the double world champion All Blacks will be looked upon as a tremendous achievement for years to come, but Webb revealed at the time, confusion reigned at what to do and what to feel.
“I think when the whistle went we thought: ‘well what exactly happens now?'” he said.
“We thought: ‘Is there one more game? Is it extra-time, or what?’, but look we play the game because we want to win and part of us was obviously disappointed that we didn’t win, but a draw after a lot of people had written us off was good.
“We believed as a unit, as a team, we could go over there and obviously create history and a draw at the end was probably the right result.”
On August 1, official confirmation arrived of the Cheetahs and Kings’ introduction into a new pan-European PRO14, with a changing of the league’s format into a two conference system.
Within each of these two conferences will be two Irish provinces, two Welsh regions, one Scottish club, one Italian club and one of the two South African sides.
One issue raised initially regarding the new set-up surrounded derby fixtures and the possibility of losing these, but the official announcement revealed 21 regular season matches for each club, with all derbies remaining in place.
In this restructure, Webb and his Ospreys colleges have been placed into Conference A alongside the Blues, but will still face the Scarlets and Dragons home and away, something he says is vital for the league.
“It’s massive to keep all the derbies in place,” he said. “To play Judgement Day in the Principality Stadium, the crowds are getting bigger and bigger.
“Even when we don’t play at the stadium, we play at our home pitches and there’s still a really good environment to play in.
“In these derbies everyone wants to perform. You come up against rivals and someone looking for your jersey so it’s always good, it’s always a hostile environment and exciting to play in.”
In welcoming in the two South African franchises, the division will transform from a Celtic and Italian league into a global one. Having begun his career in the old Celtic League, and played the rest of it in the PRO12 thereafter, Webb admits he is looking forward to experiencing the unique new changes, allaying any immediate fears that sprung to his mind regarding travel.
“It’ll be pretty good, it’s interesting,” Webb added. “A trip to South Africa is a positive, it’s somewhere I’ve never been and it’s good to welcome these guys into the league and hopefully they’ll add competition and the league will just get stronger.
“Everyone’s had their reaction to it and we’re all looking forward to the season kicking off and getting going.
“At first I just thought about the travelling, it came to mind straight away. Obviously, they’re in the same timezone as us but I think the travelling is about eight hours, so as long as you get there at the beginning of the week you’re playing, there’s no reason why you can’t adapt.
“Ideally I think you’d leave on a Tuesday, have a day off on the Wednesday and then have two days training over there before you play. It’s not the end of the world. It’s eight hours and then you’re good to go.”
At club level, Webb and his fellow Ospreys will return to the European Champions cup this season following a year’s hiatus, and it’s where he says the region belongs.
“The Ospreys are a big club and the European Cup is where they belong really I believe.
“We’ll come up against some world class teams in Saracens, Clermont and Northampton [Saints], and I think everyone’s looking forward to that.
“I haven’t started back yet, I start back on the 28th of August, so I’m looking forward to getting back in with the boys and we’re all looking to get the season off to a flyer.
“Then we’re excited for when these European games come around, because these are the games you want to play in, these are the ones you’ve got to put your hand up in to get selected for Wales.”
It’s approaching five years since Wales last won a piece of silverware: the 2013 Six Nations Championship before the previous Lions tour to Australia, and next year they face a tough schedule in travelling to England and Ireland.
Having made his international debut during Wales’ 2012 Grand Slam campaign, Webb concedes they must start challenging for honours again soon, and feels their brutally tough November fixture list should get them in the ideal shape to do so.
“The November internationals will be quite a good stepping stone now,” he said. “They [Wales] took a lot of young boys on the summer tour to play Samoa and Tonga, so it will be interesting to see these boys and the Lions boys come back together.
“We play New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Georgia, so again we’re going to test ourselves against the best sides in the world and then go into the Six Nations, which if it’s anything like the last one where everyone was beating everyone, it’ll be a hell of a tournament, which is great to be involved in.
“Hopefully it can be the same again but it’s about time we started winning stuff again, though there are a lot of teams out there playing great rugby as well.
“It’s going to be tough but there’s no reason why we can’t.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Pretty good side. Scott Barrett should be the captain. Ethan Blackadder a great choice at blindside. He is going to go from strength to strength having made a couple of starts for the Crusaders. Scott Robertson rates him highly. Perenara could start a no 9.
3 Go to commentsI question and with respect. Was enough done over the last few years to bring through new blood knowing the Whitelocks and co couldn’t last forever. There should have been more done to future proof the team. New squad new coach, he and they weren’t set up well. IMO
6 Go to commentsJacobsen will definitely be in the 23
3 Go to commentsLots of discussion points, Ben, but two glaring follies IMO: 1. Blackadder at 6. Has done nothing so far this season to justify his selection. Did you see him going backwards in contact at the weekend? Simply has not got the physical presence at 6: we need a Scott Barrett or a Finau (or wildcard Ah Kuoi), beasts who are big enough to play lock, like Frizzell. If Barret played at 6, Paddy could be joined at lock by Vai’i or one of the young giants we need to promote, like Darry or Lord (if he ever gets on the field). Blackadder best left to join the queue for 7. 2. Not even a mention for Christie? Ratima gets caught at crucial times at the back of the ruck when he hesitates on the pass. The only way he starts would be if Christie and TJ are injured.
3 Go to commentsWhat a dagg in more ways than one
6 Go to commentsRegroup come back next year but sack some of the coaching team and don't be like the ABs last minute sacking. If Crusaders don't do well ABs don't do well.
5 Go to commentsProctor Definitely inform again this year had a hell of a season last year and this year is looking even better. Still mixed feelings about Ioane tho.
4 Go to commentsDagg is still trying to get enough headlines to make himself relevant enough to get a job. The Crusaders went back to square one at all levels. Shelve this season and nail the next one.
6 Go to commentsHe was in such great form. Sad for him but only a short term injury and it will be great to see him back for the finals.
1 Go to commentsAfter their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
5 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
3 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to comments