Scotland’s players were like flies hitting a windshield in the first half but the Wales coach was right to be relieved by the endWhen it was all over, the wonder was that Wales got away with it. They may have been nine points up at half-time but they came under intolerable pressure afterwards and it seemed they had to break before it. Scotland came at them with everything they had, on and on, again and again, and yet somehow, at the end of it all, Wales were seven points clear and one game closer to winning the grand slam. Warren Gatland said he felt as if his team had forgotten how to lose after they came back from 16-0 down...
A lack of freedom and adaptability in Eddie Jones’s gameplan allowed Wales to emerge victorious in CardiffThe truth shall set you free. As a coach I have thought a lot about the Wales against England game in the last round of the Six Nations and in particular, England’s lack of a Plan B. In itself, Plan B is a bit of an untidy phrase. Like an “in case of emergency, smash the glass” kinda of plan. That wasn’t what England lacked. It wasn’t an emergency when the tactics needed to change, just a need to adjust their bearings and find space and opportunity somewhere else to gain back the momentum. Find the scruff of the neck and give it a...
England should finish strongly but Ireland and their rusty half-backs look as if they peaked last yearAs Warren Gatland says, they have forgotten how to lose and it is amazing the way they are able to ramp up their performance levels when they need to. That comes down to the coaching staff and their ability to manipulate their players’ emotions, get them to a point and keep them there. It’s 12 wins a row, they will be absolutely thrilled by that and I think the fallow week comes at the perfect time for them. I know Alun Wyn Jones said they wanted to play this week, they didn’t want to lose the momentum, but my question would be can they...
Warren Gatland would prefer to be under the radar as the win over England raises World Cup expectationsSix thousand miles separate Cardiff and Tokyo but Warren Gatland knew the inevitable question was coming anyway. Having just seen off England and risen to third in the world rankings, did he now expect Wales to go big in Japan at this year’s Rugby World Cup? “Apparently not, according to a lot of pundits out there,” came the brusque reply. “We just want to keep under the radar if we possibly can.”He might have added that linking Six Nations form and World Cup potential is far from an exact science. England in 2003 have so far been the only side in either hemisphere...
Owen Farrell’s kicking game was not enough in Cardiff and Eddie Jones missed a trick in ignoring the Leicester fly-halfEngland had a plan B against Wales – the problem was it stayed on the bench. Owen Farrell is one of the best fly-halves in the world, if not the best, but everyone has off days and he just did not seem to have a feel for the game. We did not see adaptability from England – if one thing is not working, then try something else – and George Ford could have made all the difference.Do not get me wrong, England have a very strong game-plan. It is based around kicking, it suits the way they play, it suits their...