>> Shane: Webb my man for the Lions No.9 shirt
THIS was much more like it from Wales and in George North and Rhys Webb, Rob Howley had the game’s two outstanding performers. After a week of heavy criticism, George bounced back with a bang and either player would have deserved to take home the man of the match award. That honour went to Rhys, and there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s now a certainty to be part of Warren Gatland’s Lions squad this summer.
Wales took a lot of stick and rightly so after their defeat to Scotland, but when their backs are to the wall they always seem to raise their game. This was just another example of that and I thought it was a thoroughly deserved win in what was a brutal Test match.
From kick-off there seemed to be a different level of intensity about this Welsh performance. They looked determined to prove a point and that makes any team a dangerous proposition. What was especially pleasing for me to see was that they grew into the game so quickly after a worrying first 10 minutes.
Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton dominated that early period and you could see they were keen to try and exploit Wales’ lack of confidence. The intensity from both teams was hugely impressive and George was immediately put under pressure as he had to deal with a couple of high kicks. That tactic didn’t surprise me but after coping with that, we then saw the George North that makes him a fans’ favourite and one of the world’s best wingers.
When George is in full flight, there’s no better sight for Wales fans. He had more of the ball in attack in the first half than he did for the entire game at Murrayfield and his confidence seemed to grow as a result of his first try. When I was playing, the coaches used to bang home the point to me that I needed to have as many touches as possible all over the field and it’s the same for George. The more you’re involved, the better you usually play, and with plenty of possession, Wales’ and George’s confidence seemed to grow.
They put Ireland under a lot of pressure and their first try was a brilliant team effort. To score from first phase is rare in international rugby these days, but a nice break from Scott Williams off the line-out set things up. The key to the try was the support line from Rhys and two superb passes from him and Leigh Halfpenny saw George given the space to do what he does best. It was an excellent finish and his celebration (below) told you everything you needed to know about what it meant to him.
Wales would have led by more at half time if it wasn’t for Sexton’s yellow card. In his absence, Wales and George added a second try after the break and again it was a well-worked move. Ireland would have been disappointed with their defence from the driving line-out, but with a man less there’s only so much you can do and Wales made the most of their advantage.
Ireland weren’t helped by the injury to Conor Murray and Sexton leaving the field in the first half for his head injury assessment. But after Murray was forced off after half time, his opposite number Rhys really stamped his mark. Rhys has been so unlucky with injuries, but his ability to hit form so quickly after returning to fitness is impressive. He had a bit of a sloppy start to the game with a poor box kick and a near intercept, but brushed that off to become a dominant figure.
What I like about Rhys is that he’s equally influential whether Wales have front foot or back foot ball. In attack, we saw what he can do as he created George’s two tries, but he was also part of a huge Welsh defensive effort. I spoke earlier in the campaign about the need for Wales to improve their line speed, and they were right on the money on Friday night. Shaun Edwards must have been delighted with what he saw. Wales starved Ireland of ball both in open play and the tight exchanges just like Scotland did to them in Edinburgh. They showed amazing character in the tackle contest and the forwards deserve huge credit for standing up to the men in green because they had a powerful pack of their own. It was a team effort from Wales and I thought Sam Warburton, Justin Tipuric and Alun Wyn Jones were excellent up front. But again, I have to come back to Rhys. Against the form scrum-half in the northern hemisphere, he won his personal battle with Conor and when the Irishman was replaced, he went up another level. He must be involved with the Lions against the All Blacks. This Six Nations has underlined the wealth of talent Warren has to choose from, and there’s still plenty of time before he announces his final squad in April. But it will take something pretty drastic for Rhys not to be involved and my three scrum-halves would be him, Conor and Ben Youngs. I’m sure Greig Laidlaw would have something to say about that, but I just think Rhys’ running threat in open play would be a nice contrast to Conor and Ben. One area Rhys can improve is his kicking game, but we saw with Wales last summer that he has the ability to take on the world’s best side. He’s been excellent in this Six Nations and looks dangerous every time he gets the ball. Even against Scotland, when Wales were poor, he nearly scored on two occasions. To beat the All Blacks the Lions are going to have to score tries and one thing Rhys knows how to do is cross the whitewash. I’m sure his display against Ireland would have seen Warren put his name in permanent ink for the trip down under and there’s no higher praise you can give him than that.