>> Shane: My verdict – Wales were robbed
THE focus of Wales’ defeat to England will be on the disallowed try for Gareth Anscombe. That tells some, but not all of the story. Until Warren Gatland’s side learn to play for a full 80 minutes, they will struggle for consistency and for victories against the best sides on the planet.
Let’s get straight to it. Was Anscombe’s try a valid score, or not?
For me, there’s only one answer: it was as clear as day that the Cardiff Blues man got downward pressure on the loose ball.
It was one of two crucial moments in the game, the other being Sam Underhill’s wondrous cover tackle on Scott Williams when he looked certain to dive in and score in the left corner.
If those instances had gone in Wales’ favour, then the result could, and most probably would, have been very different.
It’s on these finest of margins that matches at the highest level swing.
I’m sure the controversy will run and run, but the crucial thing for Wales will be for them to admit that they drifted in and out of the game at Twickenham too much to deserve to come out on top.
When they sit down over the next ten days or so, do their analysis and reflect, that should be the conclusion they come to. That might sound harsh, but it’s the truth.
Defeat to England always hurts. This is no different, but once the dust has settled there are positives. The two crucial things to take from the game are the need for greater consistency over the course of 80 minutes and to take your chances when they’re on offer. Do that – and have some luck with refereeing decisions – and the rest of the Six Nations should be a breeze!
On the whole I’d have given Wales’ performance against England a six out of ten and after such a poor start, I thought they did well to come back into things and push the home side close.
We were resilient throughout under huge pressure and finished the game the stronger of the two teams. Against a side as good as England and with the injuries Wales have, I thought that was a seriously good effort. So, who stood out among those wearing red?
I thought Aaron Shingler, right, was excellent again in the pack. Rob Evans had a top game in the front row and Anscombe worked equally well at both full-back and flyhalf. There’s no doubt Wales were caught napping early on, especially with the speed of ball England were creating. Mike Brown was named man of the match and there’s no denying he was great in the air. He helped his team win the duel there because his positioning was excellent. But Wales didn’t help themselves in that area and I thought the kick and chase was one aspect where Warren really missed the injured Leigh Halfpenny. Anscombe was excellent at full-back in his place, but Steffan Evans and Josh Adams are still coming to terms with the defensive requirements needed at the very top. As Warren said, though, they will only learn from this experience. When you lose a Six Nations game, especially to your closest rivals, the temptation is to dwell on it and not move on quickly. With a down week before Wales face Ireland, that’s
It was as clear as day that the Cardiff Blues man got downward pressure on the loose ball
“England and Ireland are still chasing a Grand Slam and they’re the obvious favourites, but Wales aren’t far behind”
again a danger.
But on the whole, there are little aspects for Warren to fix. There’s no need to rip up the game plan, make seven, eight or nine changes, and completely start again.
Wales can win in Dublin and I’d make very few rotations for the game at the Aviva Stadium. I hope Leigh will be back fit, but that will create a tough call with Anscombe and Rhys Patchell.
On the whole I thought Rhys did OK against England after being singled out by Eddie Jones before the game. Yes, he was substituted before the hour mark, but he deserves to keep his place at fly-half against Ireland even though Dan Biggar might come back into the equation.
The way Anscombe moved from full-back to 10 also intrigued me. I thought he was excellent in the playmaker role and it’s great for Warren to know he has that option, especially if he has to chase the game. The other thing that will give Wales confidence for Dublin is the way they defended.
To keep a team like England scoreless for the best part of an hour with such a young side bodes particularly well especially when you look at the long-term goal which is the next World Cup.
I was working for ITV at Twickenham and in the immediate aftermath of the game a few fans came up to me and asked me whether Wales can still win the Six Nations.
That’s a tough question, but the answer is yes. Of course we now have to win all of our remaining games and hope other results go our way, but that’s a realistic proposition.
England and Ireland are still chasing a Grand Slam and they’re the obvious favourites, but Wales aren’t far behind. Eddie Jones’ men are the second best team in the world and we pushed them close with half our side missing. Let’s not forget the long list of absentees we’ve had to contend with.
When they come back and mix in with the guys who have played in the tournament to date, Wales will be formidable, so long as they work on the little one-percenters.
We’re 90 per cent of the way there and not a million miles away from the complete performance. I’m confident that will arrive one day soon and here’s hoping that in Dublin, we can have a little bit more luck from the match officials, too.