LOSING THE PHYSICAL BATTLE SAW US ON THE BACK FOOT
WALES’ Six Nations campaign kicked off in sobering fashion with a 29-7 thrashing to Ireland in Dublin. Here’s everything Wayne Pivac had to say afterwards...
WHAT ARE YOU REFLECTIONS AFTER THAT DEFEAT?
“Collectively we talked about the start we wanted, we wanted to match them physically.
“You have to do that when you come to Dublin and our discipline needed to back that up.
“We weren’t able to do that, it was evident with the penalty count in the first 20 minutes.
“When you are defending for long periods like that, there were 100-odd tackles made in the first half, it makes it very difficult when we do get our hands on the ball. “It was certainly a game we will go away and improve on very quickly.”
WAS IT WORSE THAN YOU COULD HAVE EXPECTED?
“We always look at performance, you can look at the result.
“It will be the performance you want to improve on, we will go away and work very hard, the players will look at their performance and come back in a positive frame and build on some of the good things that we find we did in that game but also start both halves well and get on the good side of the referee and match officials.”
JUST HOW DISAPPOINTED ARE YOU AT THE NUMBER OF UNFORCED ERRORS?
“There are two things there. As I have alluded to when you make over 100 tackles in a half a bit of fatigue does set in.
“It happens to any side.
“I thought the boys came back very strongly in that last quarter of the game and kept fighting towards the end which we want.
“We have to make sure the start of both halves is better because we gave them too many points in that part of the game.”
YOU DIDN’T WIN A SINGLE PENALTY IN THE FIRST-HALF. DO YOU BELIEVE YOU HAD A FAIR SHAKE FROM THE MAN IN IN THE MIDDLE?
“There was a lot of assistant referee interjection from one side of the field and he saw it a certain way and we might disagree with some of those calls in particular the scrum.
“I thought that was going well and a few of those decisions could have gone our way on another day.
“They see it the way they do and we have to go with those decisions at the time.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL JOSH ADAMS WENT IN MIDFIELD?
“I think Josh saved us on a number of occasions.
“It’s easy to talk about the people out wide but it’s what goes on inside first, how quick we are to react at the first breakdown and the numbers we get on the far side of the ruck, the near side if they switch back or not. I think to single out one person is not the right thing to do.
“You’ll find when you break this game down that he didn’t go too badly at all.”
What were your thoughts on the yellow card?
“It’s one of those things. Seeing it live the referee thought it was fine, two players colliding.
“The ball went one way and Josh has gone the other. He’s picked up a yellow card and we move on.”
HOW’S LOUIS REES-ZAMMIT AFTER HAVING HIS ANKLE STRAPPED IN THE WARM-UP? WAS HE FULLY FIT?
“He felt an ankle in the warm-up but he was OK to continue on.
“I haven’t spoken to him about that after the game.”
HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT IMPROVING THE DISCIPLINE AND PHYSICALITY AHEAD OF NEXT WEEK?
“It’s hard work, isn’t it?
“We have got to make sure we are working hard, and there is no doubt the boys will want to improve in those areas.”
HOW BIG IS IT TO BE BACK IN FRONT OF A HOME CROWD NEXT WEEK?
“We certainly look forward to getting back home, there is no doubt about that.
“A full house at the Principality Stadium, there is nothing better and it certainly lifts the boys.”
THE BREAKDOWN WAS A BIG TALKING POINT HEADING INTO THE GAME - WILL YOU CHANGE THE BACK-ROW FOR NEXT WEEK AFTER LOSING THAT BATTLE?
“We will need to review the game first and foremost because I think we were a little bit better than maybe some of the stats might have indicated in that area of the game.
“Everyone’s game gets looked at, and we will get the job done against Scotland.”