DALLAGLIO: BIGGAR MUST LET ALUN WYN BE SKIPPER
Legend speaks out in Twickenham countdown:
ENGLAND legend Lawrence Dallaglio has urged Wales skipper Alun Wyn Jones to ‘have a word’ with Dan Biggar and insist the talismanic Wales fly-half tones down his chat with referees.
Biggar was, according to the 85-times capped former England captain, ‘constantly in the ear’ of referee Matthew Carley during Wales’ 27-23 defeat at the hands of France in Cardiff.
Dallaglio insists he has nothing but respect for points-machine Biggar, but calm heads are needed if Wales are to get their Six Nations back on track at Twickenham this weekend.
“I have got the utmost respect for Dan as a player and as a person,” said Dallaglio in the Times’ Ruck Rugby Podcast.
“But, during the France game, he was constantly in the ear of the referee and that referee is probably one of the worst to speak to like that.
“Alun Wyn Jones wasn’t the captain that game, because Dan Biggar was trying to do it for him.
“They missed out on some of the decisions that you expect to go the way of the home team and I think there is a lesson for them when they look back on that game.
“Alun Wyn Jones is one of the best captains in the world, no doubt about that. But what he needs to do is have a quiet word with Dan Biggar and say ‘You are a brilliant player, but you just need to calm down.’”
Dallaglio also feels things will click soon for Wales after a stuttering start to the Pivac era following the departure of Warren Gatland, but perhaps Wales have been trying to hard to impress.
“They were almost trying to prove too much to their new coach and trying too hard,” he added.
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LAWRENCE Dallaglio says Alun Wyn Jones needs to be allowed to captain Wales rather than have Dan Biggar trying to do it for him.
The England World Cup winner also believes the Welsh team are trying to prove too much to new head coach Wayne Pivac. Dallaglio has been speaking on the
Times’ Ruck Rugby Podcast ahead of this weekend’s big Six Nations showdown at Twickenham.
He believes it will click for Wales at some point under Pivac, but feels there is a need for a calmer approach, both from Biggar and when they are in the opposition 22.
Reflecting on their 27-23 defeat to France, he expressed his reservations about fly-half Biggar being “constantly in the ear” of referee Matt Carley.
“Alun Wyn Jones is one of the best captains in the world, no doubt about that,” said the former England skipper.
“But what he needs to do is have a quiet word with Dan Biggar and say ‘You are a brilliant player, but you just need to calm down’.
“I have got the utmost respect for Dan as a player and as a person.
“But, during the France game, he was constantly in the ear of the referee and that referee is probably one of the worst to speak to like that.
“Alun Wyn Jones wasn’t the captain that game, because Dan Biggar was trying to do it for him.
“They missed out on some of the decisions that you expect to go the way of the home team and I think there is a lesson for them when they look back on that game.
“In the 22, they got a little bit excited and a little bit over-eager and were trying to win the game too early, for me.
“There was so much time left in that game to pin France back.
“They were almost trying to prove too much to their new coach and trying too hard.
“The Shaun Edwards factor was
huge as well. It wasn’t just France’s defensive linespeed.
“You could tell they had been told to counter-ruck and they blew Wales off the ball.
“It was just much more intelligent from them.
“It will click for Wales at some point, but they need to just let Alun Wyn Jones captain the team in the way he has for the last few years.”
Of course, it remains to be seen whether Biggar will be fit for Twickenham having suffered a knee injury playing for Northampton last weekend.
But, whatever the make up of the Wales team, Dallaglio says they will be up against an England side that’s really firing again, looking at the 24-12 victory over Ireland.
“For 40 minutes, they were back to the team that drove themselves to the World Cup final in Japan,” he said.
“It was fantastic to watch and very exciting and certainly their best performance since the semi-final against New Zealand.
“There were a lot of questions about England going into the Ireland game, about selection and their consistency.
“But they answered those quite emphatically I thought.
“Eddie Jones’ selections came off for lots of different reasons.
“This is an England team that can get to the top of the world and I thought the performance for 40 minutes was magnificent.
“I do like it when they come out of the box hard and fast.
“They are just so much better when they take the initiative right from the start.”
Lions back rower Dallaglio played 10 times against Wales during his 85-cap England career and was only on the losing side once.
That was the famous 1999 game at Wembley when he was captain and saw Scott Gibbs cross late on to steal the spoils.
“England v Wales was always the rivalry when I was growing up,” he said. “It was a fixture I loved playing in.
“I was lucky enough to play in a strong England side. I played 10 times against Wales and lost the one game in 1999, which was a significant game to lose, trust me, and one which my Welsh mates still make me remember!
“I learned more in that defeat than I did in all the victories. I learned I never wanted to feel like that again and I learned to win big games you have to be ruthless in taking your chances. We didn’t exploit our opportunities at Wembley that day.
“And the captain was heavily criticised for his decision-making!
“So that was a painful experience, but it’s a great fixture.
“There’s always great respect. I know that often the rivalry is hyped up, but that’s the beauty of rugby.
“This is Wales-England, there is going to be a lot of hype, there’s going to be a lot of background noise. There always is whether it’s in Cardiff or Twickenham.
“We are the worst of enemies – or the best of enemies – for 80 minutes and then the rest of the time we are good mates and we can shake hands and have a beer.”