Wales have no right to leave Holmes alone this summer
It would be wrong to suggest the Rainbow Cup kicked off to applause from all quarters, with no less a figure than Sam Warburton calling it out as a ‘mishmash’ competition.
When the former Wales and Lions captain, who usually walks on the sunny side of the street, gives a tournament both barrels then those running it really need to apply some focus.
But the sun shone, youngsters were given chances and the Dragons v Scarlets game in Newport was quite a spectacle, with both sides spreading the ball and running in tries, even if defence looked a bit optional at times.
There were also some bright individual performances in the Ospreys v Cardiff Blues encounter.
MARK ORDERS assesses the weekend’s winners and losers.
WINNERS THOMAS YOUNG
He is Wales’s forgotten man in many respects, banished to the confines of club rugby under the rule that prevents exiled players who have won fewer than 60 caps from playing for Wales.
The 28-year-old wasn’t even offered a deal by any of Wales’s regions when he renewed his contract with Wasps last year.
Yet’s he’s still not able to play for his country.
How is that fair?
Rightly or wrongly, his circumstances don’t look like changing any time soon.
But he offered a reminder of his considerable ability with a two-try display for the Coventry-based team in their win over Bath.
It was Young’s 100th game for the club and he celebrated in style.
His double took him to 28 tries for Wasps, equalling their touchdown record for a forward held by Joe Worsley.
Wales’s loss Wasps’ gain?
Well, it is, isn’t it?
HARRI DOEL
is
“I would REALLY like to see more of Harri Doel because yesterday he showed some serious wheels and a couple of times got people on their feet (me included). Looks dangerous as hell.”
So wrote Worcester News sports reporter Marcello Cossali-Francis on Twitter.
Doel is on loan at Worcester Warriors from the Scarlets.
His situation is different from Josh Adams’s back in the day in that the now Wales wing didn’t receive a contract offer from the Scarlets as a youngster before heading for Worcester.
But Doel, who can play at full-back or wing, has started well at Sixways, catching the eye with his speed off the mark and balanced running against Sale on Saturday.
It’s early days for him, but he looks an exciting prospect.
DRAGONS
How good was Jonah Holmes against the Scarlets at Rodney Parade?
How good were Ross Moriarty and Aaron Wainwright?
And how good were half-backs Rhodri Williams and Sam Davies?
Too good for their West Wales visitors.
Dean Ryan will not get carried away by a big win in the sun in an end-of-term competition that not everyone is seeing as super-important. But he nailed his selection, blending youth with experience, and was rewarded with a fine team display.
Holmes, especially, was outstanding.
The watching Wayne Pivac will have taken note.
OSPREYS
With Stephen Myler, Gareth Anscombe and Rhys Webb not playing right now, the Ospreys are missing a few key pieces in their jigsaw. Those three bring experience and knowhow at half-back and would make a difference to any team.
But, still, Toby Booth had a fair bit to be encouraged by in the 36-14 win over Cardiff Blues.
Not for the first time this season, hooker Ifan Phillips (circled, left) proved a standout, scoring two tries, hitting his line-out targets unerringly, carrying with purpose and energy, achieving a turnover or two and saving a potential try with a wonderful tackle out wide on Jason Harries.
He has nice handling skills, too. Wales forwards coach Jonathan Humphreys, an ex-hooker himself, could do worse than take a look at Phillips and, while he’s about it, he should also monitor the progress of Morgan Morris, another Ospreys forward who has been excellent this term.
Booth noted recently that a distinguishing feature of an international player is that he makes few mistakes. Morris doesn’t make many mistakes.
Nicky Smith also caught the eye as he won four scrum penalties, while behind, Mat Protheroe played with real panache.
He’s box-office to his core and seems to relish just being out on the field.
In full flight, he’s some sight when he sets sail in open field. Some of his running against the Blues was outstanding, but he is also as brave as they come and throws himself into tackles despite a relatively slight frame that might leave some fearing for his wellbeing at times.
In short, he’s a gem Ospreys. for the
If he’s not on the Wales selectors’ radar, they need to tell him what he needs to do to get there.
JAMIE ROBERTS
The big man is developing into quite the TV pundit.
What’s good about him is he brings insight for the casual observer and young players. When Owen Lane was turned over by Ifan Phillips in the second half at the Liberty, Roberts praised the Blues centre’s carry but pointed that he hadn’t done enough to avoid being relieved of possession.
Top players, Roberts noted, think on the floor, either by rolling to avoid a potential steal or working “really, really hard to hide the ball for that first second and then place it back.
“But he (Lane) just did nothing there. He just lay on his back, making him vulnerable to the jackal.”
There was plenty more where that came from.
Roberts calls it as he sees it, which is refreshing from someone who’s still playing the game. He’s articulate, too, confident and relaxed in front of the camera.
A good effort, then. MAX LLEWELLYN
His dad Gareth was a second row who played 92 times for Wales, but Llewellyn junior is a centre who stood out for Cardiff Blues at the Liberty Stadium, ripping through the Ospreys defence with two beautifully timed runs.
The first brought him a try and the second saw him put Ellis Bevan over.
It would be good to see more of him before arriving at firm conclusions.
But at 6ft 5in and 16st 5lb and blessed with speed, strength and an eye for a gap, the product of Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf clearly has a fair bit going for him.
DANE BLACKER
It wasn’t a great day for the Scarlets in East Wales as they lost 52-32 to the Dragons.
But their scrum-half Dane Blacker could be pleased with his own performance, scoring a try, setting one up and looking lively throughout.
Blacker has Gareth Davies and Kieran Hardy to compete with at scrum-half at the Scarlets, but his effort at Rodney Parade underlined he isn’t there just to make up the numbers.
All a young player can do when offered an opportunity is take his chance.
On Sunday, Blacker took his. His was a top display that augured well.
LOSERS SCARLETS
The West Wales team have now conceded 50 points in three games this year.
Over their last three matches, they’ve had 145 points put past them.
Accepted, Sunday’s 52-32 setback in the Rainbow Cup in Newport came in a competition that will never be confused with the Champions Cup in terms of importance.
But, still, no side wants to develop the habit of leaking points easily.
The Scarlets should be better than that.
They are better than that. But they have to show it.
CARDIFF BLUES’ SCRUM
Dai Young fielded a mix-andmatch side and the likes of Max Llewellyn, James Ratti and Ellis Bevan had their moments.
But their scrum was under the pump throughout.
Kieron Assiratti had a tough time against Nicky Smith, conceding four penalties and ending up being yellow-carded. On the other side, Tom Botha also forced a penalty.
The Blues had a young pack and Assiratti will have better days.
He can put Saturday down to experience.
WALES’ WOMEN
It’s a wooden spoon job, so there can’t be too much debate about whether or not to put Warren
Abrahams’s side in this section.
Of course, there are reasons why they finished bottom of the pile.
The women’s Six Nations is not a level playing field. England are professional, France semiprofessional and the rest amateur. Under those circumstances, it’s hard to criticise too much.
And Wales were better against Scotland over the weekend, scoring a couple of tries in a 27-20 defeat.
But the bar was set low after the 45-0 home reverse against Ireland, which followed a 53-0 shellacking by France.
There’s also the point that Scotland had conceded 90-plus points over their opening two matches.
The Welsh Rugby Union need to conduct a review into what’s happened and plot a way forward, because improvements are not going to come about on their own.
They need to be made to happen.