A regionl triple crown that is certainly worth celebrating
PLAYERS from at least one Welsh region were said to have raised a dressing-room glass or two as they headed into the United Rugby Championship’s autumn recess. Fair enough. It’s more than a month to the next round of matches, after all, and the occasional victory celebration can be good for squad morale.
Anyway, the Ospreys, Scarlets and Cardiff deserve pats on the back after their efforts in round five of the new tournament, with all banking victories.
MARK ORDERS assesses the weekend’s winners and losers.
WINNERS
Ospreys, Scarlets and Cardiff All three regions would be delighted to have rounded off the first block of United Rugby Championship matches with wins.
The Scarlets were missing 22 squad members when they faced Benetton in Llanelli on Friday evening. Among those missing were 10 players on duty with Wales, including four British and Irish Lions, plus Sione Kalamafoni, the West Walians’ relentlessly impressive No. 8.
But with the back row racking up 56 tackles between them – Aaron Shingler contributed 21 of those on the occasion of his 200th Scarlets game – front-row men Rob Evans and Marc Jones grafting tirelessly, scrum-half Dane Blacker again looking sharp and Scott Williams a cut above and then a bit more, Dwayne Peel’s side were able to chisel out the win they needed.
Cardiff, too, were hit heavily by Wales calls, but they managed to repulse the Dragons at the Arms Park. Dai Young’s side showed a lot of admirable qualities, among them scrummaging power, skill with ball in hand, hunger around the field and, perhaps most valuable of all, character, and lots of it.
They hit back from 11 points behind early on and were able to see out the game despite being a man down for the final 29 minutes.
It was then over to the Ospreys and whether they could strike a blow for Welsh rugby by taming previously unbeaten Munster.
Few outside the region would have expected them to win, with the Irish province having overwhelmed the Scarlets on their previous visit to Wales. They also had access to their Ireland players while the Ospreys were without their current Welsh internationals.
But Toby Booth’s side seemed to relish occupying the underdogs’ kennel.
They were in nothing-to-lose territory and tore into their opponents. They repeatedly knocked Munster players back behind the gain-line, squeezed them in the scrum and nailed their goal-kicks.
Jac Morgan, a No. 7 Wales weirdly seem slow to warm to, led the assault in the loose with his aggression as a carrier and resolve as a defender.
Toby Booth had said in the week how he wanted to help the 21-yearold improve his attacking game and there were clear signs the youngster is taking the lessons on board.
Locks Bradley Davies and Rhys Davies were also to the fore.
Booth will know his team have scope to improve their attacking game, but their forward basics are on the money and they have become hard to beat again, an important step for any side.
Nicky Smith
Maybe it was his finest display for the Ospreys.
It certainly made a mockery of the decision to omit him from Wales’s squad for the autumn series.
How good was Smith against Munster on Saturday evening?
The loose-head helped marmalise the Irish province’s scrum with a display of immense power and technique. John Ryan, capped by Ireland in the summer, endured a particularly torrid evening, coughing up four penalties as part of a starting front row that transgressed seven times overall.
Smith was the wrecker-in-chief in what was one of the games of his life at any level.
Time and again he got under Ryan to cause problems, forcing him to stand up at at least one set-piece, such was the pressure.
Smith also achieved a turnover within a minute of the game starting and went about his work around the field with purpose and aggression.
It’s hard to think of many better displays by a Welsh front-rower this season.
If Wayne Pivac isn’t regretting his call to leave the Ospreys No. 1 out for the coming Tests, he should be.
Will Boyde
Matthew Screech and Josh Turnbull may have produced strong displays for Cardiff against the Dragons, but the decision to award Will Boyde the man-of-the-match gong was spoton.
The former Scarlet came up with countless important moments, whether involving key tackles or possession steals at the breakdown. The Dragons had Ben Fry and Ollie Griffiths in their ranks and the pair had their moments along with Harrison Keddie, but Boyde proved the dominant player.
It’s hard to fathom how he initially found it hard to get a contract two years ago after being released by his home region.
Cardiff eventually came in and they must be glad they did.
The back-rower has consistently delivered and can be relied on to bang in at least a seven-out-of-10 performance every time he takes the field.
Against the Dragons he was a mark or two up on that again.
There can’t be many more underrated players in Welsh rugby.
Silent assassin?
“Veteran Myler puts the boot in on Munster” – so ran a tweet flagging up a match report on the Rugbypass website.
Stephen Myler couldn’t resist responding.
“Hey, @Rugbypass you seem to have spelled my first name incorrectly,” he posted, with a wink emoji. All good fun. Plenty have been describing the Ospreys fly-half as a veteran for a number of years.
And there’s no doubt that at 37 he qualifies for such a description.
But there’s also no doubt that he’s still delivering.
If the likes of Smith and Jac Morgan led the way up front, Myler was the cool-headed general behind, at one point recognising that there were few points in the game and every kicking opportunity had to be taken, even when the Ospreys had a penalty awarded their way five metres from the opposition line.
The former Northampton Saint nailed every chance that came his way in front of goal as he contributed all his side’s points in their 18-10 win.
“He’s the Ospreys’ silent assassin,” said Shane Williams in match commentary on Premier Sports.
Quiet, unassuming and deadly, then? Oh yes. Age, for sure, shall not wither.
Dragons
If Cardiff found a way to win, the Dragons found a way to lose.
They were ahead 14-3 after the first quarter and played the final 29 minutes against 14 men after Rey Lee-lo’s sending off.
But their scrum misfired and their indiscipline was poor as they conceded 17 penalties, with props responsible for seven of those.
Dean Ryan pointed out that the Dragons don’t have the resources Cardiff have up front, and he also had words to say about certain refereeing decisions that went against his side, but there were enough opportunities for his side to win and they failed to take them.
They have made strides under Ryan but depth remains a problem in certain areas and they don’t have a winning mentality.
Until they sort out such matters – and the fixes are not quick – it’s hard to see them developing into a team that prevails regularly.
Rey Lee-lo
LOSERS
Rugby is a physical, fast game and occasional misjudgements are inevitable.
But Lee-lo could have cost Cardiff with his shoulder to the head area of Sam Davies on Saturday.
His sending off meant the team were up against it for close on half an hour.
Fortunately for them, the Dragons were unable to take advantage.
Swansea RFC against Llandovery
Nothing lasts for ever, not even your troubles, someone once said.
But Swansea RFC’S long run of defeats against Llandovery? Well, there appears no end in sight. The world isn’t the same, of course, since the mighty All Whites dined at rugby’s top table.
These days they are in the semiprofessional Welsh Premiership, presumably trying to achieve that noteasy-to-pull-off balance between securing decent results and developing players.
Inevitably, it’s a bit of a rollercoaster ride.
After excellent wins over Llanelli (53-15) and Bridgend (35-17), Swansea came unstuck 45-17 at home to Llandovery at St Helen’s on Saturday.
It was this grand old club’s 21st defeat in a row to the Drovers.
At some point the run has to be broken. Of course it has.
Hasn’t it?