'We know what is coming' - Ross Moriarty says Wales need to take silence the Twickenham crowd early
Ross Moriarty has no doubt that Wales will need to meet England head-on in the physical battle at Twickenham this weekend.
Eddie Jones’ team outmuscled Ireland with an enviable show of brute-force and power 10 days ago.
It was a clear sign of what Wales can expect when they go in search of a first Six Nations win on English soil since 2012 and avoiding a third successive loss in this season’s tournament.
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“We know if you don’t match England physically then you have got no chance,” said former England Under-20 international Moriarty, who is set to win his 45th cap on Saturday.
“As a pack and back-line we have to go and meet them, especially in their back-yard. That’s what we will be looking to do.
“They pride themselves on having a big and physical pack with a few big backs, so we know what is coming. It’s no different to any other time we have played against them.
“You want to put your marker down early and keep the crowd quiet, especially at Twickenham. That’s a big thing for us.
“It’s great when we play at home as we get the crowd on our side, and it’s the same for them when they are in their own back-yard. It’s not nice when someone comes in and ruffles up your feathers.
“Getting stuck into people physically is my bread and butter, so I will definitely be trying to do that from the start.
“For me, every time I go on the pitch it’s personal, whether you are playing Italy, France, Ireland or Scotland.
“It might be a little bit more for England because we know how much it means to everyone. No-one wants to see us lose. We want to win every game. It doesn’t happen every week, but we are looking forward to it.”
Moriarty, born in the Lancashire rugby league hot-bed of St Helens, was part of England’s Under-20 World Cup-winning team in 2014 when his team-mates included current England internationals Maro Itoje and Charlie Ewels, plus new Wales centre Nick Tompkins.
But the 25-year-old is now maintaining a proud family dynasty that saw his father Paul – who was also a rugby league international – and uncle Richard both play for Wales.
“I took it as an opportunity which I grabbed with both hands,” added ex-Gloucester forward Moriarty, on his time in England colours.
“If I hadn’t had taken that route I might never have played for Wales, so you can’t look at it like ‘he should never have played for England or blah, blah, blah’. That’s not the case – you just have to be the best you can.
“I only lived in England for two years, and then I moved back to Morriston (near Swansea) until I was 16 and then moved to Gloucester.
“My sister was the same as me – born in England and grew up there, but just for four or six years. We had schools in Wales, and my best friends are from Morriston and Swansea.
“I definitely consider myself Welsh, even though I played for England. That was more about the opportunity they gave me and the coach’s belief in me.”
Moriarty, meanwhile, is relishing the prospect of opposing outstanding England back-row pair Sam Underhill and Tom Curry this weekend.
“Sam was in the academy when I was at Gloucester, but he didn’t really get a look-in,” Moriarty said.
“I think he had quite a few injury problems, so he moved to the Ospreys. He took an opportunity in Wales, and that has got him into the England team where he has done very well.
“I played against Tom quite a few times with Sale when I was at Gloucester. He was a young pup at the time, but you could tell he had a lot of potential, and now he’s showing it in an international shirt.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
A wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
24 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to comments