Can we beat the record v England?
AWFUL and demoralising and then sensational and uplifting – France against Wales had it all! If you are a fan of Warren Gatland’s side, it was an 80 minutes you’ll never, ever forget.
Unfortunately I didn’t make it to Paris as my flight from Cardiff was cancelled due to the snow and I’m absolutely gutted because I missed a thriller. The world is their oyster for Wales after this amazing win. Warren said before the game that Wales would win the Six Nations if they secured victory in Paris and I thought that was a fair call.
Now I’m even more convinced Wales can go on to have a tournament to remember. They might not emerge top of the pile in March – time will tell – but the way in which they sealed their comeback at the Stade de France will supply immeasurable confidence and momentum. It could yet prove to be absolutely priceless in the long term.
In my Wales career I can count on one hand the number of times we came back from the dead.
Scotland in Cardiff in 2010 was one of those occasions when I scored under the posts to win it at the death. That was just remarkable and Paris in 2019 was very similar. Now we look ahead to Italy.
Wales will win in Rome and that will make them two from two going into England in round three. That is going to be absolutely huge, but it can also wait for now.
All is not totally rosy in the Welsh garden – more of that later – but for now I must praise Warren’s side. They are on some run.
To be on a winning streak of ten matches is remarkable for a Welsh side and they should make it 11 in Rome which would equal our best ever record. That dates back to 1907! Whatever anyone thinks, that feat is to be applauded. How about setting a new record against England? That would be class!
After settling down to watch the match again, what pleased me most about Wales’ win was their character and coolness under pressure. They did what the best teams do – find a way to win.
In all my time with Wales, I’m not sure we ever had that. Yes, we won big games and made a World Cup semifinal, but I don’t think we had the mental resilience this team has right now.
I can pay the current side no higher compliment than that.
At the same time, though, we must also acknowledge there is work to be done. The less said about Wales’ firsthalf performance the better! We were outmuscled at the breakdown and in defence and France’s giant pack was totally dominant.
Wales just couldn’t string any phases together and they could only go for a couple of passes before knocking on. That was combined with giving away some silly penalties which gave Les Bleus dominance in possession and territory.
All in all, it was a nightmare first half and I don’t mind admitting that at the break I thought the game was over. The only saving grace was Morgan Parra bringing his flip flops instead of his kicking boots!
His missed kicks proved crucial in the end. Had he booted the nine points he missed, it would have been 25-0 instead of 16-0 and there was no way Wales could have come back.
How Wales made the most of their lifeline. They must have had a roasting from Warren, but after half-time they were incredible. The character was immense.
Defensively, the aggression of the autumn series returned and that forced France into making wrong decisions and constant mistakes. Once Wales started keeping the ball for four, five and more phases, they looked comfortable. At the same time, what were France doing? If I was French, I’d be tearing my hair out watching them!
Wales’ back-row had a fine game. Josh Navidi was outstanding and his work alongside Justin Tipuric and Ross Moriarty saw Warren have a
“In my Wales career I can count on one hand the number of times we came back from the dead”
nice blend to his loose forward trio.
Justin continues to show why he’s one of the best in the world. I also thought Josh Adams was superb. His break for Tomos Williams’ try was different class and that started the comeback.
After that, it was over to George North. Yes, both of his tries were lucky with Yoann Huget’s mistake and then the interception, but that’s what you get when you are a top operator and in the right place at the right time. George will know he should have done better too when he stepped in off his wing and allowed Huget to score, but we must also realise how good the pass out of the tackle from Athur Iturria was.
Let’s not criticise George too much. Yes, he has work to do defensively – particularly in the air from cross-kicks – but let’s not forget what he does best – scoring tries!
You’ve got to hand it to George, he is turning into one of the greatest try scorers of all-time and if the French are starting to hate him, the Italians must be fearing the worst.
Wales’ only Six Nations hat-trick was scored by George in Rome in 2015 and he has scored eight tries against them in eight games. George’s predatory, game-changing double in Paris moved him into fourth place on the all-time Five/Six Nations try lists. He now has 36 for Wales in all.
He went past the great Sir Gareth Edwards when he notched his 19th Five/Six Nations try and now has my 22 in his sights.
Scottish wing Ian Smith (24) and the great Brian O’Driscoll (26), the only non-wings on the list, lead the way. Of all the players in the professional era, George’s scoring ratio is the best and it is surely only a matter of time before he overtakes us all and sits on top of the list. And he is still only 26! No one will be surprised if he adds to his tally against Italy and I hope he starts there. Warren indicated there would be changes for that game, but I hope there aren’t too many.
Maybe Samson Lee for Tomas Francis at tighthead would be one. Gareth Davies and Dan Biggar were excellent at half back when they came on, too.
Dan will be pushing very hard for selection. Let’s be honest, Gareth Anscombe had a game to forget in Paris, but he has credit in the bank from the autumn so can’t totally be discarded after just one poor game.
Whoever gets the nod, I expect a fairly easy Welsh win at the Stadio Olimpico. Warren’s boys will be full of beans at their training camp in Nice this week before heading to Rome.
Momentum is now with Wales. The juggernaut roles on. Watch out the rest of the Six Nations, the Welsh are coming!