Momentum will carry us to Twickenham with belief
That was more like it! I’ve said for a long time that Wales have the players to take it to any team in the world and they showed it by thrashing Scotland. What a start to the Six Nations!
One of Warren Gatland’s constant mantras at this time of year is it’s all about momentum. Wales certainly have that now and that could prove priceless going into two tough games.
England and Ireland away in backto-back matches is a test of any team, but the crucial thing now is Wales will certainly go into those games at Twickenham and the Aviva Stadium with real belief.
For so long we’ve analysed Wales performances and there’s been good and bad, negatives to go with the positives, and different opinions on how the team played.
When I look back at the latest game at Principality Stadium, it’s different. There are only really positives to take which is just so refreshing. Where should I start?
In the build-up to the game the main talking point was Warren’s selection of ten Scarlets players. I argued in my column last week I thought that was a good call, the continuity and confidence they could provide from their excellent form this season an invaluable asset. That proved to be the case. Gareth Davies had a bit of a sloppy start by putting a kick dead and then missing a tackle on Jonny Gray, but he responded brilliantly to pick off Ali Price’s pass and race 60 metres to the line. That was Gareth at his best. He’s now got ten tries for Wales which is some record given he hasn’t started many games.
After that, Wales played with confi- dence and I was delighted to see their approach with ball in hand. It really was a step-up from the autumn in terms of spreading the ball wide.
Rhys Patchell won’t get the headlines, but I thought he was assured in his first game at fly-half. There were a couple of nice kicks, some lovely passes, and he did the basics well. He has to start again against England. In the centre Hadleigh Parkes and Scott Williams were solid and dependable, allowing the flying backs outside them to do the damage.
There’s only one place I want to start when analysing the back three – Leigh Halfpenny. I’m so delighted for him and you could tell by the way he celebrated both of his tries how much it meant to him to end his drought at international level. We all know how much Leigh loves playing for his country and he was superb against Scotland. We all take his positioning, defensive work and worldclass goal kicking for standard. He did that all again here, but there was a difference in his attacking play.
It was great to see him hit the line for two scores which would have made his day. A special mention too for Josh Adams and Steffan Evans on the wings. Both are inexperienced, but they didn’t look it. Josh was solid in defence and didn’t look out of place, while this was Steffan’s best game in a Welsh shirt since his debut in the autumn. He was elusive, creative, and capped it all off with an amazing one-handed finish to score the crucial bonus-point try. It made for the perfect Six Nations start for Wales. While the backs will take the plaudits (we always seem to!), I thought the forwards stood out equally as well and the way we beat Scotland was just as important to me as the final scoreline. To see men like Rob Evans, Alun Wyn Jones, left, and Aaron Shingler charging around in the loose, catching and passing, and shredding defences, was like watching poetry in motion. It was fantastic and even Samson Lee got in on the act with one beautiful little flick pass! That summed it all up for me. When your tighthead is producing delicate offloads in the tackle, you know it’s your day! Every Wales player deserved their fair share of the plaudits, but the challenge now is for them to keep
“I’m not sure England will have come up against an outfit so committed to attack as Wales”
their feet on the ground. With Warren in charge and Alun as skipper, I can’t see things getting out of hand. Guys like Steffan and Josh will be told this is just the start.
So, what can we expect at Twickenham?
It’s good news that George North and Liam Williams will come back into consideration and it leaves Warren with a difficult decision. It would be incredibly harsh to leave out either Steffan or Josh.
Whatever happens, the presence of two British & Irish Lions will only add to the confidence within the squad. What a luxury Wales now have. The strength in depth is really beginning to show.
After such a brilliant team performance, it would be folly in my view to make any changes, unless of course injury intervenes. I’m sure George and Liam will push hard, but both have had such a long time out with serious injuries so I wouldn’t rush them back too soon.
George, perhaps, could be one for the bench.
The bigger question is how can Wales beat England? It will be a very difficult game, but on the back of this Scotland result there’s no reason why we can’t go to HQ and win.
With the way the Scarlets have been playing – and their seamless transition to Welsh colours – why twist when the option to stick is just so appealing?
If I were Warren, I’d tell my team to keep going the way they are. It’s a statement of the obvious to say England are the best side in the competition – they’ve won the Six Nations for the last two years.
But I’m not sure in their time under Eddie Jones they’ll have come up against an outfit so committed to attack and the approach of spreading the ball wide like this Wales set-up.
That might sound like I’m getting carried away and of course England remain favourites. But what is certain now is that Eddie and his boys will know they’ll be in a game this weekend.
It means that on the whole, I can’t wait for Twickenham.
Wales haven’t won there in the Six Nations since 2012, but, as the saying goes, records are there to be broken. The next two weeks will define how good this Wales team is and while it’s early stages, there’s no reason for anyone to fear what’s ahead. Come on Wales!