Six Nations triumph can spur us on now vows Tipuric
JUSTIN Tipuric admits Wales’ Grand Slam heartbreak in Paris still haunts him, but he believes that Six Nations title win can drive the top Welsh players forward this summer.
Wayne Pivac’s side lifted the Championship and Triple Crown in 2021. Their hopes of a clean sweep ended in the cruelest of fashions with a last-gasp defeat by France.
Still, Ospreys captain Tipuric believes his region can use international success to their advantage by utilising it as a springboard for momentum in the months to come.
Tipuric is likely to be joined by several of Wales’ top players on this summer’s British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa with head coach Warren Gatland set to confirm his squad on May 6.
“It was nice to get the Six Nations win in the end. That France game still pops up now and again in my nightmares,” said Tipuric, who is bidding for a third Lions tour.
“It was a tournament we went into with people not backing us so to come out with silverware at the end was pretty special.
“Now we’ve got a couple more Welsh derbies and at the Ospreys we want to just keep heading in the right direction.
“We’ve been in some not great places in the last few years so we want to keep progressing and moving forward.
“Everyone is pulling the same way and there is a lot of hard work going on above us. Toby Booth has come in and added his say.
“He’s worked hard and wants everyone else to work hard with him.
“You think rugby is all about the ball, but a lot of the work is done without it so he points us in the right direction and then it’s up to us.
“We’re heading in the right direction, but we’ve got a lot to do if we want to get to where we want to be. We’re getting there slowly.
“We do play the game to win trophies and it’s been a long time since the Ospreys were in contention for it. That’s the main aim – to get back to those glory days of winning trophies and being successful.”
Tipuric captained the Ospreys against Cardiff Blues yesterday in Welsh rugby’s first game of the new Rainbow Cup which is taking place without the four new South African teams coming to Europe as had been originally planned.
It was also the first match in which the three new trial laws – captain’s challenge, red card replacements and goal-line drop out – were in use.
Tipuric believes the captain’s ability to officially challenge the referee’s decision on a one-off basis is a positive move.
He added: “I think it’s something which is exciting. At the end of the day, we play for entertainment so I think it will entertain people in some ways.
“I’ve watched a bit of the NRL in the last couple of years and you can see it’s worked well over there.
“I don’t think it’s going to make much of a difference unless there is an obvious error.
“You’re concentrating on so many different things on the field that if something happens one side and you’re on the other, then it’s going to be a case of one of your teammates coming over to help out.”