Lionheart Biggar roars battle cry for underdogs Wales
WALES have been dismissed out of hand as Six Nations contenders — but, with the words of Olympic sprint legend Usain Bolt ringing in their ears, Wayne Pivac’s side believe they can cause a big Dublin upset. The defending champions have the odds stacked against them against Ireland today and bookmakers have those in red as long as 7/1 to win.
Wales are without eight injured British and Irish Lions and there is a huge doubt over whether the players who start have the necessary form and fitness to excel at Test level against an Ireland side who had a fine autumn.
If we’re honest, the bookies are probably right. And yet! Wales have a habit of proving people wrong and, in their new captain Dan Biggar, they have a leader who plans on transmitting to his team the competitive instincts which have made him a respected Lion.
Earlier this week, Wales stepped away from the noise of being written off for some downtime. Biggar, who will become their 140th captain at the Aviva Stadium, said: ‘Whenever we win two games in a row, Paul Stridgeon our head of physical performance does a funny video taking the mick out of the lads and he presents the “Bobby Cup” to a player.
‘He gets a celebrity to announce who the winner is and on Monday night we had Usain Bolt. He did a pre-recorded message for Taine Basham. It was a bit of a thrill for the lads. ‘We are in really good spirits and it was a nice distraction. We always start as fourth or fifth favourites in the Six Nations and it has been the same for the last ten years.
‘But I think people forget that, in those ten years, we have been the most successful team — winning it four times and Ireland and England winning it three.’ Biggar is not wrong. Wales’ Championship record is superb, but the question is whether the country’s next generation can cope in the heat of a Six Nations battle.
With iconic captain Alun Wyn Jones and his fellow Lions Ken Owens, George North and Justin Tipuric — among others — on the treatment table, Biggar is stepping in as Wales’ galvanising force. It is no surprise, then, that with the ultimate competitor as their leader, Wales won’t hold back. ‘We are missing a lot of key men, but the bottom line is we’ve known we were going to be without these boys for quite a while now,’ said Biggar. ‘We’ll try to get on the front foot and take the game to Ireland. What I want to try and do in my approach is give off confidence.
I want my belief to rub off on my team. ‘I want to make sure the lads who are playing in their first Six Nations believe they are good enough.
‘When you’re stepping into the unknown, you’re not quite sure what’s coming and the “no-fear” approach sometimes stands you in really good stead.
‘Even the senior boys get a bit nervous, but these young lads have nothing to fear. ‘I’m sure their excitement will rub off on us.’
Wales have young talent in the shape of promising back-row Basham. Their back-line looks threatening, too, with Josh Adams making his first Test start in midfield.
But for all that, there remains a feeling Wales will struggle to deal with Ireland’s power game. There has not been a Welsh Six Nations win in Dublin since 2012. Even when they were at their best under Warren Gatland, Wales struggled to win when travelling over the Irish Sea. ‘Everyone has written us off,’ said Basham’s flanker partner Ellis Jenkins, who is ready for his first Six Nations start. ‘We can talk all day about how good Ireland have been in the last couple of campaigns, but all that matters is how good they are this weekend and how good we are.
‘Form doesn’t count for a lot when it comes to Test-match rugby. It’s a challenge for us to win the game, but we have spoken about winning the Championship again. That’s why we play.’
Another problem for Wales is that all but three of Pivac’s starting side play for Welsh regions who have seen several of their games in the build-up to the Championship cancelled due to Covid.
Whether they are ready for Test-match rugby after such an interrupted period remains to be seen.
Andy Farrell’s Ireland, who had a fine autumn by beating New Zealand again, should win, especially with poor conditions likely to suit their monstrously physical forwards. ‘Silverware is unbelievably important,’ said Ireland centre Garry Ringrose. ‘It was cool to be involved in some of those November results, but it’s about trying to be better at any opportunity we get.’ Ireland’s side is made up of 11 Leinster players and it will be a huge shock if Wales go back to Cardiff with any form of positive result.
‘It’s exciting for us to test ourselves against the form team in the northern hemisphere,’ said Biggar. ‘We have a huge amount of respect for Ireland, how well they’re playing, and how good their form is club wise and internationally. But we don’t want to be intimated. ‘We want to get stuck into them from the word go.’
IRELAND: Keenan; Conway, Ringrose, Aki, Hansen; Sexton (capt), Gibson-Park; Porter, Kelleher, Furlong, Beirne, Ryan, Doris, Van der Flier, Conan. Replacements: Sheehan, Healy, Bealham, Baird, O’Mahony, Murray, Carbery, Hume WALES: L Williams; McNicholl, Adams, Tompkins, Rees-Zammit; Biggar (capt), T Williams; Jones, Elias, Francis, Rowlands, Beard, Jenkins, Basham, Wainwright. Replacements: Lake, Thomas, Lewis, S Davies, Moriarty, G Davies, Sheedy, Watkin. Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa). Kick-off: 2.15pm, Aviva Stadium. TV: LIVE on ITV.