LOCK PARTNERS ‘FRIENDS AGAIN’
ALUN Wyn Jones and Jake Ball have made up following the incident that left the Wales skipper with a black eye.
Scarlets lock Ball is said to have landed a punch on fellow second row Jones when a training session overheated on the Wednesday before the opening Six Nations match against Ireland.
As a result, Jones was sporting bruising and marking around his left eye as he led Wales to a 21-16 victory over the Irish at the Principality Stadium.
Team-mate George North has been speaking about the flare-up on the RugbyPass Offload podcast.
“I try and stay away from the forwards when they go about their business, just because inevitably it’s a physical game,” said the Ospreys threequarter.
“Luckily, forwards and backs have their units split and from what I gather it was quite a good unit session.
“When you are doing driving mauls and line-outs and stuff, things tend to get a bit heated.
“At the end of the day, it’s just rugby and those boys trying to get the best out of each other.”
Revealing the follow-up to the incident, North said: “They have made up since.
“It was a bit weird, a bit awkward everyone watching, but they did make up.
“Al has had, what is it, 195,000 caps now and he’s still going strong.
“The boys see what he puts in and they need to have that edge about them going into a Test match.
“Sometimes, it does spill over and naturally everything gets blown up in the press, saying it was a 12-round bout and it went down to points.
“But those boys in that position, they have to have that edge, otherwise you would be losing.
“Everyone is friends and everyone has made up. No hugs, obviously, because of Covid, but they did knuckle it out. Not like that, but you know what I mean!”
North had been set to win his 100th Welsh cap against Scotland at Murrayfield last weekend, but a foot injury prevented him from taking his place at outside centre.
The hope is he will be fit again in time for the next Six Nations match at home to England on Saturday week.
KIERAN Hardy has been backed to oust Gareth Davies from the Wales team to face England next week.
Wayne Pivac has been told Hardy should be in the No. 9 shirt at the Principality Stadium as Wales go in search of an unlikely Triple Crown.
With Wales trailing Scotland at Murrayfield last weekend, Hardy and Callum Sheedy were introduced off the bench in the 49th minute in place of Davies and Dan Biggar.
The change seemed to spark a change in Welsh fortunes as the visitors scored three tries in the final half hour to stun the Scots, though Pivac’s men were undoubtedly helped by the red card shown to home prop Zander Fagerson.
Now Wales and Lions front-row legend Graham Price says Pivac must keep faith with Hardy in place of his more experienced Scarlets teammate Davies.
Writing in his column for Wales Online, he said: “For me, there were two significant turning points. One was the red card, of course; the other telling moment came in the 49th minute when Gareth Davies and Dan Biggar were substituted.
“Our kicking game up to that point had been poor, while I don’t feel Davies always has the accuracy you need as an international scrum-half.
“The introduction of Kieran Hardy and Callum Sheedy changed everything and suddenly Wales looked creative and inventive, as demonstrated by the fact we scored three tries.
“I firmly believe that if we had not changed the half-backs, we would have lost that game, Scotland down to 14 men or not.
“Suddenly we began to utilise the obvious talent and speed we possess out wide with Louis Rees-Zammit and Liam Williams as Hardy and Sheedy altered the complexion of Wales’s game.
“As such, I believe those two younger players have to start against England if Wales are to have any chance of winning that one as well and make it three out of three.
“Realistically, we’re not going to be able to tough it out up front against Eddie Jones’s men. They have a formidable front five, power in the back row and most likely will have more possession than we do, just like Ireland and Scotland.
“Therefore, we need greater guile at 9 and 10 when we do have the ball.
“The last thing we should be doing is just kicking it straight back to the likes of Johnny May, Anthony Watson and Elliot Daly in open space so they can run back at us and create mayhem, which is what was happening in the first half against Scotland.
“Would Wayne Pivac make such a bold call with two younger players in such a big game?
“But look, Wales have plenty of ex
perience in other areas of the field anyway.
“And it’s not as if Hardy and Sheedy are completely new to international rugby.
“Between them they have games under their belt at this level and will be exuding confidence after the way they helped turn the Scottish game on its head.
“I just think Pivac needs to tap into that positive mindset.
“Yes, I do feel it’s beginning to look as if the writing is on the wall for
Davies and Biggar judging by what we saw at Murrayfield.
“When you have finishers of the quality of Rees-Zammit, Liam Williams and the returning George North, with Josh Adams also back in the mix, you have to get the ball in their hands, rather than just kick it straight back down the throat of the opposition.
“I personally feel there is more chance of that happening with Hardy and Sheedy in the controlling positions.”