Clowns, lions and a Byrne blast... our A-Z of rugby’s 2017 headlines
IT’S that time of the year when we reflect on the 12 months gone and what potentially lies in store for 2018.
And it’s no different in rugby and we give our A-Z of the game in 2017... from Elliot Daly snatching an unlikely Red Rose victory, in Cardiff, and stretching their winning run to 16 matches.
Liam Williams’ try and 11 points from the boot of Leigh Halfpenny had looked to be enough to seal a warranted Wales win, until Daly latched onto a sumptuous Owen Farrell pass to cross in the corner. Ross Moriarty ‘no sure-fire cert to get over the gain-line’ in a withering attack on Wales.
And he added very few of the current Welsh squad will be part of Warren Gatland’s Lions set-up in New Zealand.
You sense the appointment of the former Connacht and Leinster hooker Bernard to take over from Kingsley Jones as head coach of the Dragons didn’t meet with widespread approval with fans at the Gwent region.
But what an addition to the Welsh game the 41-year-old has been.
He’s as good on social media as any of his players and a generally great guy to boot. Royal Welsh Show, but in November came the news the 35-year-old would come out of retirement to answer an SOS call from the Scarlets for their two Guinness PRO14 matches in South Africa.
The Blues back-rower was said to be too small for international rugby, hence the tiny number of caps the 26-year-old had accrued since a debut in Japan in 2013.
But he’s more than silenced his critics by being one of Wales’ star performers in the autumn internationals showing he can more than slug it out with the big boys.
It suggests there’s far more Test caps on the horizon than the seven he has to date.