OUTSMARTED
THEY are not chokers, as Warren Gatland suggests. He was just being mischievous. England do not deserve that tag, but on Saturday Wales were just too streetwise for them.
The victors’ head coach opted to lob a grenade in the direction of the vanquished almost as an after-thought, figuring it might just help his team’s agenda either later in this Guinness Six Nations or at the World Cup.
So Gatland paused for thought and said: ‘I look back on England in the last few years and when it’s really mattered, I’ve questioned whether they can win these big games.’
It was a roundabout way of saying they choke, which isn’t true. It mattered quite a lot in Dublin and they put away the titleholders in round one. What happened in Cardiff was that Wales played in the image of the canny Kiwi who is in charge of them for one final championship campaign. They outsmarted England. They won the aerial battle but also, crucially, they showed more nous and cunning.
At half-time, the visitors were in control at the Principality Stadium but after the break they were dragged into a tussle that didn’t suit them and couldn’t find a way out of it. Liam Williams was a soaring sensation, while overall Wales were abrasive and antagonistic, confrontational and, most of all, very clever. Alun Wyn Jones was the virtuoso composer and Dan Biggar came on to serve as the savvy conductor. England recognised what had happened to them, even if they were powerless to stop it.
Billy Vunipola said: ‘The biggest thing was them trying to take our mind off the game. You saw in the second half there was a lot more niggle and we bought into that.
‘ Every time the game started to speed up, one of their players would go down. They wanted us to play at their tempo and they did that really well. They were really smart in holding the ball in the ruck. Gareth Davies was waiting for us to move and we didn’t react to that as we should have.’
England hooker Jamie George took up the theme, saying: ‘We needed to be a little smarter in our discipline, and the areas we played the game in. We needed to be smarter in not giving them everything on their terms. We knew what they were doing.’
And were the Welsh more streetwise? ‘Probably,’ he said. ‘They certainly kept the pressure on.’
However, George dismissed Gatland’s suggestion about an English choking habit, adding: ‘I think that’s unfair. Warren can say what he likes. He is in a position of power after winning that game so fair play to them. We have won big games before and we are going to win big games again.’
The changing of the guard which has taken place within the England team has had a galvanising effect in so many ways. There is greater vibrancy, dynamism and creativity within the ranks now. However, one unavoidable consequence has been a reduction in experience. Without Dylan Hartley, Mike Brown, Dan Cole, Chris Robshaw and others, England lacked a stock of veterans who know their way out of tight corners.
There is no short- cut solution. Eddie Jones has been right to refresh his side, but the overhaul has come relatively late in the World Cup cycle, so the newcomers must acquire their scars quickly. So often, all the talk of learning lessons sounds hollow, but in this case it is a legitimate response to events. The rookies just have to go through such ordeals to know how to cope better next time.
Amid the maelstrom of a typically fiery cross-border clash, one remarkable statistic leapt out. Wales conceded only three penalties. Three. In the circumstances, it was a testament to their remarkable composure under pressure.
They didn’t sweep aside their opponents with a swaggering display, but when the chances came they took them. Cory Hill rounded off an epic, persistent, closequarters team onslaught and Josh Adams brilliantly seized Biggar’s cross-kick to strike at the death.
That try by the Worcester wing sparked pandemonium in the world’s greatest rugby stadium, and a long night of joyous chaos in the streets of Cardiff. It capped a thunderous and glorious occasion, the very best of what this tribal tournament has to offer.
Wales were inspired by the fervent support they received. England were undone by the opposition rather than the noises off, even though the noises were loud and proud. There will be no such hostile territory to contend with at the World Cup, although this was another example of why Jones will hope his team can avoid their neighbours at the quarter-final stage. Yet, the head coach has no cause for panic on the back of this game and setback result. While it exposed a gap in the English repertoire, it provided some positive pointers too.
Tom Curry, at 20, is a forward with the world at his feet. The Sale flanker delivered another staggering performance — tackling relentlessly, carrying hard, competing at the breakdown and barely pausing for breath. He even scored his team’s try for good measure. Courtney Lawes was a defensive force of nature until he was injured. He will be missed.
Then there was Kyle Sinckler. The prop was a target for Welsh wind-ups and eventually lost his composure, conceding two rash penalties before being taken off. But until that two-minute blip, he had been hugely influential for England. Jones was right to defend him and although Gatland had goaded him before the game, make no mistake, he would pick him if he were Welsh — just as he did for the Lions. Sinckler will continue to mature into a major Test asset.
England will unleash their angst on poor, vulnerable Italy at Twickenham on March 9. Bonus-point wins are up for grabs in that fixture and the home encounter with Scotland a week later. Wales have a Grand Slam in their sights, but time will tell whether they can reach the same peaks of intensity against Scotland and Ireland, as they did on Saturday.
For now, Gatland and his team are sitting pretty, but they will know the title is not in the bag yet. l WALES will return to No 3 in the world rankings today, overtaking England who slip down to fourth. England moved up to third when they beat Ireland, but Saturday’s defeat sees them move down again.