Semi-final drama left Roberts ‘shaking’
JAMIE Roberts has revealed Wales’s Rugby World Cup defeat by South Africa left him ‘shaking for 80 minutes’ and how a session on red wine helped overcome his own personal pain of their 2011 semi-final defeat to France.
The Lions centre spent the early part of the World Cup in Japan, working as a pundit, but is now back in the West Country plying his trade for Bath in the Gallagher Premiership.
And the 94-times-capped Welsh midfielder has spoken about the hurt in seeing Wales lose 19-16 to the Springboks in Yokohama on Sunday and how he, Alun Wyn Jones, Luke Chartertis and Huw Bennett got over their semi-final setback against France eight years ago.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Roberts said: “That was a bitterly disappointing end to a World Cup campaigni n which Wales have shown real resilience.
“I was probably more nervous watching that game than I have been during any other in my career. I was shaking for 80 minutes, and felt gutted at the end.”
Roberts was a key member in Wales’ march to the 2011 Rugby World Cup semi-finals when skipper Sam Warburton picked up a controversial red card in their 9-8 defeat to France.
Leigh Halfpenny, Jonathan Davies, George North and Alun Wyn Jones were the players to have gone through double World Cup semi-final heartache having also played at Eden Park eight years ago.
“I wanted all the team to feel that elation, but especially the players and coaches who were there eight years ago in New Zealand,” Roberts added.
“And it hurts. That hurt stays with you. That semi-final in 2011 is the biggest regret of my career. A lot of these lads might get another chance in four years, eight years. Some will not.”
And Roberts opened up about how he, Alun Wyn Jones, Charteris and Bennett headed off to Waiheke Island to contemplate their semifinal exit.
“I remember drinking a beautiful red wine, sat at a vineyard as the sun went down thinking about what could have been,” he said. “That is both a beautiful, but awful memory.”