WINNERS
HADLEIGH PARKES There are flashier players than Hadleigh Parkes.
There are quicker players and, quite possibly, more skilful ones.
But rugby is a sport that is played in the head to a huge degree and there are not many cooler or more clearthinking heads in the game than Parkes.
He was thoroughly deserving of his man-of-the-match award against Italy, scoring a try and being denied another by the TMO. He gave a much-changed Wales team direction and provided the calm assurance that saw them past Italy, making good calls over when to kick, carry or pass.
At one point Warren Gatland’s team were going nowhere fast, but no-one seemed to know what to do until the ball came to Parkes. He promptly put boot to ball and secured a marvellous attacking position for his side.
That is what good players do: they see things others miss.
And Parkes is a good player. GEORGE NORTH It hadn’t been a great week for North, what with Northampton’s technical coaching consultant Alan Gaffney suggesting the big man hadn’t wanted to play against Sale Sharks.
The resulting fuss could have affected the 25-year-old.
But, to his credit, he put it to one side as he produced a fine all-round performance in his first Test start in a year.
His two tries ensured he commanded headlines.
But he also achieved a turnover, made himself available for work and generally didn’t miss much in defence.
North showed character after Gaffney’s outburst.
Warren Gatland would have been pleased, for a fit-and-firing George North makes Wales a better side. THE WALES BACK ROW One website had Justin Tipuric in their Six Nations team of the weekend.
Someone this writer was sitting near lobbed Taulupe Faletau’s name into the mix as a potential man-of-thematch around the 60-minute mark.
And James Davies proved he can thrive in the rarefied atmosphere of Test rugby, marking his debut with a hard-working performance that included a trademark turnover. Credit Tipuric, in particular, though. He was playing out of position yet he came more into the match as it progressed and by the end was an absolute menace to the Italians wide on the left.
He competed ferociously at the breakdown, slowed down opposition ball and will be there or thereabouts for a starting spot against France on Saturday.
Gatland’s praise for him afterwards was telling.
But all three back-rowers did well, underlining the depth Wales have in such a key area. CONOR O’SHEA Really.
His team may have lost, ultimately by too many points, but it is hard not to admire Conor O’Shea.
It wasn’t just that the Irishman communicated fluently in Italian during his post-match press conference.
He also revealed a passion that double-underlined his determination to do well for Italian rugby.
Before the game, a member of the travelling press had expressed misgivings about O’Shea’s grand plan to strengthen the game in Italy rather than just focus on applying sticking plasters to the national side.
Results will make or break him, as they do all coaches, but at least he has a vision, recognising the benefits of Treviso and Zebre strengthening for the national team to go and move forward.
In another age, Steve Hansen came to Wales and understood that short-term fixes were of no use.
The game here eventually benefited from Hansen’s work.
All in Italian rugby will hope O’Shea’s blueprint for the Azzurri reaps similar rewards. OWEN WATKIN He is a young lad who has much to learn about Test rugby, but the way Watkin kept his cool as he sped upfield after an interception, setting up a try for George North, underlined his potential.
The Osprey didn’t have many more running opportunities.
But he put in one sublime pass and was spot-on with his defensive work: 10 tackles attempted, all of them nailed.
That he is one for the future isn’t in doubt.
But increasingly he is looking a player for the present as well.