‘WE SHOWED CHARACTER AND LOUIS IS IMPROVING EACH WEEK’
WALES pulled off a nailbiting win against Scotland which means they have won two Six Nations matches on the bounce. Here’s every word Wales head coach Wayne Pivac had to say after the 25-24 victory at Murrayfield. QUESTION: CAN YOU TALK US THROUGH YOUR TEAM’S CHARACTER AFTER BEING 17-3 DOWN? WAYNE PIVAC: They showed a lot of character. At that stage of the game, it wasn’t going to script but they regathered their thoughts, the leadership on the field was good and we came away with that score before half-time.
That was vital for us going into the changing room. The players reacted very well after half-time, the replacements made an impact and it was very nice to get the result at the end.
Q: WHAT WAS YOUR TAKE ON THE RED CARD? WP:
There’s nothing else that the officials can do, really. The laws are pretty clear cut now.
It’s one of those unfortunate things and players are going to have to look very carefully at how they enter those rucks. Q: WHAT A PERFORMANCE FROM LOUIS REES-ZAMMIT... WP: Certainly. He was exciting with the ball, wasn’t he? He took his opportunities very well.
He’s still got work to do on his game, without the ball, and that’s the exciting thing. He’s going to be a very exciting player for us going forward. Q: WHAT DOES THIS WIN MEAN FOR YOU AND THE COACHING STAFF? IT WAS VERY TIGHT BUT YOU’RE TWO WINS FROM TWO. WP: It’s a very pleasing start, with the short turnaround. We’ve had two straight weeks in camp together, longer than normal, with the Covid rules.
It was a great result for our team, our squad. We had to go deep into the squad in certain positions with the injuries we’ve had. It bodes well for the future.
It’s been a really good squad effort over the last two weeks.
Q: ENGLAND NEXT – HOW MUCH ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT? WP:
We’ve got a week off but we’ll still be in work and reviewing the performance, looking at the areas of our game that we need to attend to.
As we must, we’ll look to keep improving the performance. England will pose a different challenge. We fully respect the side that they have and the threats they will pose.
Q: HOW SPECIAL WAS THAT SECOND TRY FROM LOUIS REES-ZAMMIT? WP:
He’s got confidence with the ball in hand. He’s got the pace and you can’t coach that. He’s very, very quick and he took that opportunity well.
The skill, with the kick, was magnificent. I’m very pleased for him and he’s improving each week.
He’ll keep working hard at his game and I’m sure he’ll improve again.
Q: IT SEEMS WALES HAVEN’T LOST THEIR ABILITY TO STICK IN GAMES? WP:
I’m very pleased for the players because they’ve worked so hard. They’ve been in camp for longer than they normally would be, away from their families.
A result like this in a tense game like that... It’s pleasing for the management to be able to send the players off, for a couple of days off, and rejoin their families after a win like that.
Q: AFTER THE 2020 YOU HAD, STRUGGLING TO GET WINS, YOU’RE NOW TWO FROM TWO AND TOP OF THE SIX NATIONS – WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO TURN IT AROUND? WP:
What we did in the autumn is well-documented, with a view to the World Cup and building some depth.
We saw today, with the side that we’ve put out, we’ve had to call on some depth at No. 6 and in the midfield. Everybody put their hand up when they needed to.
The atmosphere in the group, the environment in training is a very good one. The senior players are leading very well.
The guys are enjoying coming to work, I think, and we’re certainly enjoying working with them. It’s a lot of work from a lot of people, it’s not just down to one or two individuals.
It’s a real squad effort and I’m pleased. There’s a long way to go but we’re certainly happy to have those
nine points.
Q: WHY DID YOU BRING DAN BIGGAR AND GARETH DAVIES OFF AFTER 48 MINUTES? YOU DON’T USUALLY SEE DAN COMING OFF THAT EARLY. WP:
We felt, at the time, that it was a culmination of a lot of rugby in the last few weeks. Also, with the way the game was going, we felt we needed to change things up a little bit.
Callum (Sheedy) is a different type of player. I think you saw that with some of the things that he was able to do.
As it turned out, we got a win and everyone played their part. Kieran (Hardy) and Callum did well when they came on. Q: WILLIS HALAHOLO CAME ON A BIT EARLIER THAN YOU MIGHT HAVE PLANNED. WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF HIS PERFORMANCE? WP: I thought he was pretty good on both sides of the ball. He had a strong carry in the 22 and we got quick ball from that. With his footwork, he was able to draw three defenders in, we got quick ball and it led to the try that got us back into the game.
He threw a good pass – fantastic timing of the pass – to put Louis Rees-Zammit away. First up, I’m very pleased for Willis.
Q: LEIGH HALFPENNY TOOK A KNOCK TO THE HEAD IN THE FIRST HALF. HOW IS HE?
WP: He’s in the changing room with the boys. He obviously failed his head injury assessment, so he didn’t return.
The medical boys will do their thing and keep an eye on him. Hopefully he’ll be back shortly.
Q: ARE THERE ANY OTHER INJURIES APART FROM LEIGH? WP:
I’m not too sure off the top of my head but we’ll just have to see how they come through the next couple of days.
It’s certainly nothing like what we had last week. Fingers crossed that it’s not too bad.
Q: HOW MANY MORE LEVELS ARE THERE IN THIS WALES TEAM? WP:
I think it was evident to everyone there that it wasn’t the complete performance. Alun (Wyn Jones) has spoken about that in the changing room and we’ll address our game in the next couple of weeks.
It’s only round two of the tournament and we’d expect to be improving every time we take the field.