Forty-nine players, six debutants, 301 points, 31 tries and 109 years - standing on the edge of history
Today’s the day, the opportunity for Wales to make a lasting statement and statistically become the greatest Welsh side of all-time. On paper at least.
Test rugby has been their country’s greatest passion for 138 years and they have savoured many excellent sides in that time. None greater perhaps than the geniuses of the 1970s when four championship titles were won in five seasons, two of those triumphs going into the books as Grand Slams.
Unbeaten runs stretching into double figures, though, have been rare. Just three times have the Welsh clocked this level of winning consistency. Graham Henry, the so-called great redeemer, managed a 10-match winning streak in 1999 that had its highlight in a Grand Slam-stopping ambush of England at Wembley before they crashed at that year’s World Cup.
Warren Gatland’s current charges have gone one better, making it to 11 a fortnight ago in Rome and matching a feat last achieved more than 100 years ago when Wales embarked on a winning run that started in March 1907 and continued until January 1910.
That slow build was reflective of olden times when Test matches were seldom played, unlike today’s jam-packed international calendar. Getting to 11Ws all over again has taken just 12 months 109 years later and it’s been an eventful journey: 49 different players capped, 10 appearances each for most-used pair Cory Hill and Elliot Dee, six debutants, five separate match-day captains, 301 points scored and 32 tries celebrated.
Not that it has all been sweetness and light. Their bumps on the road have included everything from Ross Moriarty’s red card in Argentina to the jitters that were losing 24-22 early in the second half to Tonga and then being deluged 0-16 at the break in the Paris rain at the start of this month.
The best two reasons for optimism to take from their current buoyancy? Gatland has enthusiastically explored his squad depth with his beady eye set firmly on the September World Cup in Japan. Not only is their newly added depth influencing the mentality of those players brought in, it has enhanced the mentality of those already there and made them harder to beat.
In bolstering this backbone, Wales have also unveiled new-found steel to hang on and find solutions in difficult situations with some better composed rugby.
Defence saved them in last March’s one-point survival versus the French, while they have since demonstrated some late-stage attacking guile, sealing victories in the closing minutes against South Africa (twice), Australia (their first win over the Wallabies in 14 attempts) and France with a composure not previously guaranteed in tight-run things since the last World Cup.
Now, though, comes the coronation for all this foundation. A chance to create history by derailing the English chariot that is two points ahead of them on the Six Nations table due to their bonuses.
Win today – which will also leapfrog them over the English and into third in the world rankings – and Wales’ winning run will start earning genuine kudos. Lose, though, and the past year will be looked upon by rivals as merely a quirk of the fixtures scheduling rather than anything to make the world really sit up and take notice.
.@Jnavidi knows the value of getting in early ? Please arrive in good time tomorrow to make the most of what will be an incredible day in Cardiff's @principalitysta. Diolch! pic.twitter.com/Us6qp8AU1M
— Welsh Rugby Union ? (@WelshRugbyUnion) February 22, 2019
Take the record 18-match winning runs that New Zealand and England recently enjoyed until they were respectively picked off by Ireland in Chicago in November 2016 and in Dublin four months later.
The All Blacks gained rave reviews for their five dismissals of Australia, which included the 2015 World Cup final. There was also a 2016 Rugby Championship title, three wins over South Africa and another three apiece against Argentina and Wales. Impressive.
England, meanwhile, racked up a pair of Six Nations titles in their sequence where they also beat Australia on four occasions, three wins arriving down under.
Collectively, those results got people talking about the winning streak list confined to New Zealand (runs of 18 wins, 17 twice, 16, 15 twice, and 12), England (18 and 14), South Africa (17, 15, 13) and Ireland (12). That is the cusp of what Wales are nearing now – and a big-game win can get them up to 12 and endorse the green-shoots of their progress this last year.
Seeing off England today – and Ireland in the next few weeks – would leave only New Zealand as the sole top tier side not on their casualty list. That would be irrefutable evidence of evolution.
Gatland enthused in Paris how “winning is a habit and we have it at the moment”. It clearly is, particularly when you factor in Wales’ previous best in the Kiwi’s 11-year reign is five Test wins on the bounce on three occasions. But they have now got to keep this trend intact or face jibes from the likes of Eddie Jones who was in his element during this week’s build-up.
“The Dragons are flying”, “We’re playing potentially the greatest team ever”, and “It’s the biggest game they are going to play in their lives” was a flavour of the rose-tinted repartee that came whizzing across the Severn bridge to provoke a reaction.
"#WALvENG doesn't need much bigging up," says @George_North. "This is the one you want to be involved with."
? – https://t.co/uh7O25ISDi #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/0G1siTzu9P
— Welsh Rugby Union ? (@WelshRugbyUnion) February 22, 2019
Wales bit back, turning the focus onto the combustible temperament of Kyle Sinckler, one of five England forwards starting their first Cardiff Test match. Soon, though, all this talking will be over and we will know if this Welsh outfit has sealed its historic 12th win in a row, an accomplishment they have never managed to do despite picking up the ball and running with it as far back as 1881.
WHO’S HAS DONE WHAT IN 11-GAME WINNING STREAK
10 appearances – Cory Hill (6 starts + 4 as sub), Elliot Dee (5+5);
9 – George North (9), Gareth Anscombe (6+3), Nicky Smith (6+3), Rob Evans (4+5);
8 – Hadleigh Parkes (7+1), Ross Moriarty (7+1), Adam Beard (7+1), Gareth Davies (6+2), Tomas Francis (6+2);
7 – Liam Williams (6+1), Owen Watkin (5+2), *Tomos Williams (3+4), Dillon Lewis (3+4)
6 – Josh Adams (6), Justin Tipuric (6), Ken Owens (5+1), Alun Wyn Jones (5+1), Ellis Jenkins (4+2), Dan Biggar (3+3), Aled Davies (2+4);
5 – Jonathan Davies (5), *Aaron Wainright (2+3), Ryan Elias (1+4);
4 – Staff Evans (3+1), Leigh Halfpenny (3+1), Hallam Amos (3+1), Seb Davies (3+1), Rhys Patchell (2+2), Bradley Davies (2+2), Wyn Jones (1+3);
3 – Scott Williams (3), *James Davies (3), Josh Navidi (3), Samson Lee (1+2);
2 – *Jonah Holmes (2), Taulupe Faletau (2), Dan Lydiate (2), Jake Ball (2), Rhodri Jones (+2), Josh Turnbull (+2), Tom Prydie (1+1), Leon Brown (1+1);
1 – *Luke Morgan (1), Tyler Morgan (1), Thomas Young (1), *Jarrod Evans (+1), Aaron Shingler (+1).
*Denotes player newly-capped during run
THE RECORD-EQUALLING RUN
- Beat Italy 38-18 in Cardiff (March 11)
- Beat France 14-13 in Cardiff (March 17)
- Beat South Africa 22-20 in Washington (June 2)
- Beat Argentina 23-10 in San Juan (June 9)
- Beat Argentina 30-12 in Santa Fe (June 16)
- Beat Scotland 21-10 in Cardiff (November 3)
- Beat Australia 9-6 in Cardiff (November 10)
- Beat Tonga 74-24 in Cardiff (November 17)
- Beat South Africa in 20-11 in Cardiff (November 24)
- Beat France 24-19 in Paris (February 1)
- Beat Italy 26-15 in Rome (February 9)
Comments on RugbyPass
Wow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
1 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
12 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)
1 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
1 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
16 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
16 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
4 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
3 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
16 Go to comments