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Wayne Pivac braced for 'massive step up' ahead of Ireland clash

By Online Editors
(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

New Wales boss Wayne Pivac is braced for “a massive step up” in next Saturday’s Six Nations showdown against Ireland.

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Wayne’s world has premiered strongly, with Wales following a comfortable victory over the Barbarians in November by launching their title defence with a 42-0 drubbing of Italy.

Pivac’s players now head to Dublin in search of a record ninth successive Six Nations win, although Ireland were the last team to beat them in the tournament almost two years ago.

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“It is certainly going to be a massive step up from where we’ve been,” Pivac said.

“It has been quite a nice start in terms of the Barbarians and getting a lot of firsts out of the way, and then having this home match and getting five points. That has been pleasing, but we are under no illusions it’s a real step up now.

“A lot of hard work needs to be done because the performance against Italy certainly wasn’t perfect, even though we had a good-looking scoreline.”

Wales clinched the Grand Slam when they met Ireland in Cardiff last March, winning 25-7 after a dominant display that saw their opponents outclassed.

Asked if the Irish will be hurting from that result, Pivac added: “All players will remember the last time they played against a certain opposition.

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“If you don’t have your best day at the office, you always want to improve on it next time around, and I’m sure they will be no different.

“It’s a new competition with new coaches on both teams.”

Pivac’s options in terms of his matchday 23 next weekend should be strengthened by centre Owen Watkin, scrum-half Gareth Davies and hooker Elliot Dee all being available following injuries.

But one of his biggest selection debates could revolve around Saracens centre Nick Tompkins, who delivered an outstanding performance off the bench against Italy that was highlighted by a brilliant solo try.

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He presented a powerful case, and Pivac said: “He was given an opportunity and he took it with both hands. You love to see that on debut.

“The try he got, we were seeing that at training with his footwork and acceleration. It was pleasing that 68,500 got to see it (on Saturday).”

While newcomer Tompkins excelled, it was a seasoned Wales campaigner – 80 times-capped Northampton fly-half Dan Biggar – who pressed all the right tactical buttons.

And he gave a huge sign of the confidence he is currently playing with by audaciously flicking a scoring pass through his legs for hat-trick hero Josh Adams’ second try.

“The boys have given me a bit of stick – I think I could have just passed it normally!” Biggar said.

“It was slightly behind me, so I thought I would just flick it and hope for the best. Josh did what he does so well.

“I feel pretty good in myself. It feels like I am in decent nick at the minute and it’s just about carrying that on for as long as possible.

“We are trying to open up the field as much as possible by playing off 10 and giving ourselves both sides of the ball to play with.

“It is similar to what we have in Northampton with (rugby director) Chris Boyd. He wants us to play and be adventurous with our calls.

“You know where you stand with Wayne. It is pretty black and white and it has been about positivity, playing with speed and width.

“When you are in decent form you seem to have half a second more. But I am fully aware that you are only as good as your next game, and we have a very tough game next week.

“When you are in good form you have to take advantage and try and cash in a little bit. I also quite like when I am not quite at my best and you have to roll your sleeves up. We will have to do a fair amount of that next week.

“As much as we probably want to play as much rugby as possible, next week is probably when you have to roll your sleeves up away from home, especially when your two away games are in Dublin and at Twickenham.

“You have to put the hard yards in first before looking to do anything too fancy.”

– Press Association

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J
Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

39 Go to comments
A
Adrian 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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