England’s No 7 showed flair with the ball in hand as Eddie Jones’s men mixed brawn and skill to overcome WalesBy day Parc y Scarlets doesn’t look much. And on an endless stretch of a dull grey day like Saturday, it looks even less, an empty, unprepossessing stadium tucked around the back of a deserted shopping centre, surrounded by baleful roundabouts.It felt a strange situation for a game like this and right up to kick-off everything about the occasion felt a little underwhelming. A lot of the Test rugby we have seen this autumn has been. Even those famous Welsh songs don’t sound half so rousing when they are being played over a public address to empty grandstands. And then...
Despite defeat to England in the Autumn Nations Cup, Wayne Pivac can be cheered by his side’s gutsy displayBefore kick-off, Wales would probably have settled for the final scoreline back in 1887, when England first played an international match in Llanelli. Given recent results, last week’s win over a limited Georgia excepted, even a 0-0 stalemate would have felt like relative progress and a respite from the gloomy muttering about the immediate future for Wayne Pivac’s squad.Instead the home side should, in some respects, feel quietly encouraged. By the end they were beaten, yes, but their defensive spirit and appetite for the fray against strong, confident opposition was definitely a cause for optimism. While the scrums were an issue, this...
Scotland’s win over France hands England a chance for the title – while Ireland wait in the wingsLeaving aside Manu Tuilagi’s red card and Joe Marler’s bizarre piece of handiwork England had reason to be quietly encouraged by their last Six Nations outing for the foreseeable future. They started well, imposed themselves up front and showed the kind of defensive appetite, in the face of a physical Welsh challenge, that distinguishes the best teams. If this was the last Twickenham hurrah for George Kruis and his long-time lineout guru Steve Borthwick, they went out in style; Tom Curry, Courtney Lawes, Maro Itoje, Kyle Sinckler, Ben Youngs and George Ford all had good games and the absence of Billy and Mako...
The scoreline at Twickenham flattered Wales, while France were pragmatic in pursuit of bonus points rather than chasing the grand slam as the clock wound down at MurrayfieldMuch was made in the build-up of the intention of both sides to play with an edge, but from the opening minutes it was clear England were sharper and hungrier. When the ball bounced loose, the Wales captain, and talisman, Alun Wyn Jones prepared to fall on it. He was beaten to it by Maro Itoje and that set the tone for the afternoon. Wales kept banging into a white wall while England, never moving the ball for the sake of it, waited for their moment. The home side defended with power and...
Two years ago Jones had the edge as a player. This time the England forward did not lose an inch in the comparisonHere was fun, for all of us who got to watch it at any rate. It looked like it must have been murder to play in, a real ring-a-ding set-to of a match between two fast, loose and fierce teams on a freezing March afternoon, 30 bullies busy knocking seven bells out of each other. The rivalry between England and Wales never needs much stoking and the game blew up even though the players and coaches had been on their best behaviour in the run-up. It was as if the teams wanted to work off all the cares...