Dan’s left with broken dream
WITH the Prince of Wales looking on, Dan Biggar, the beating heart of Welsh rugby, bade an emotional farewell to the Test arena last night.
He had left his home in nearby Toulon hell-bent on extending his 112-cap career at least until the World Cup left his neighbourhood and moved to Paris.
But Argentina would not play ball, leaving the fly-half to quietly exit the stage holding baby son James (below) as the mother of all South American parties got under way.
This was not how it was meant to end for Biggar, so often the matchwinner for Wales since his full international debut in 2008.
Grateful though he was to be able to influence his own fate – after recovering from injury just in the nick of time – the competitor in him was desperate to finish on a high.
You could see it from the off as three times in the first 10 minutes he worked openings for Louis Rees-zammit on the right as Wales swarmed across the pitch at the Stade Velodrome.
Argentina held firm, but Biggar was a man on a mission and would not be denied, brilliantly putting his team ahead on 14 minutes.
Taking the ball to the line, he delayed and delayed until right in the faces of the opposition when he slipped it to George North.
North crashed through, popped it to Gareth Davies and there was Biggar on his inside shoulder to take the scoring pass.
It was the stuff of dreams for the stand-off, whose conversion and penalty put Wales 10 points up going into the second quarter.
Imagine the pride of a man who has so quickly made his home in these parts, learning the language in next to no time and becoming an instant hit.
To be calling the shots on the Cote d’azur in his 15th year of international rugby, watched by his family, felt great. Only it did not last. First, he was left limping by a late hit, then he pulled a penalty.
Worse still, North made a mess of a pass to Josh Adams that should have put Wales 17 points clear.
Biggar kept pushing and probing, but Wales’ line-out went to pieces and the tide turned.
Argentina were gifted a stream of penalties and we all know what Emiliano Boffelli’s right boot does with those.
In 10 minutes either side of half-time, the winger nailed four to put the Pumas ahead and send their fans into raptures.
Biggar tried to wrest back control, beautifully drawing two defenders to enable Tomos Williams, fresh off the bench, to snipe over the line and put Wales back in front. But it was not enough. The Pumas rode their luck with the referee and finished in devastating fashion – leaving Biggar to ponder what might have been.