Tag: Wales

2023 Six Nations: France v Wales

2023 Six Nations: France v Wales

Second up on Super Saturday came the match that all of Wales had been dreading for the past week. Despite their first win in Warren Gatland’s second spell last week, Wales were still so far off the pace of the top teams in the competition and found themselves ending the tournament in Paris against a French team who had ran riot against England last weekend.

Wales came in having made a number of changes, with a focus on experience over form, and in fact earned the first chance of the game as a breakdown penalty allowed them to kick to the corner, but after Ken Owens spilled the ball at the back of the maul, Wyn Jones found himself held up over the line. Wales were making ground surprisingly well in their early attack and causing the French issues, and third penalty to the corner saw the maul stopped just short of the line, only for George North to pick a beautiful line to hit Rhys Webb’s wide pass for the opening try underneath the posts. If they had been shocked by the start, it didn’t take long for France to recover, and after Romain Ntamack broke down the left wing in their first attack, he offloaded to Antoine Dupont, whose wide pass found Damian Penaud in acres of space on the right for a quick answer. Wales were playing with a tempo and intent that had rarely been seen in recent years, but the French defence were finding answers, and then began growing into the game and winning some vital penalties at the breakdown, which eventually allowed Thomas Ramos to kick a penalty to put the hosts ahead for the first time after 26 minutes and another on the half hour to open up a gap on the visitors. The French attack was growing into the game too, and after Dupont was stopped just short in the left corner, the ball was spread down the hands to Jonathan Danty, who went over on the right wing. Wales perhaps got a little lucky soon after the restart as George North’s intervention to break up a French counterattack with Rio Dyer out of position was not considered a deliberate knock on, and the two teams were able to see out the half for a 20-7 score at the break.

The second half saw a much more impressive start from Les Bleus, who were immediately on the attack, and it took just a few minutes of concerted pressure in the 22 before the created an overlap just short of the try line, allowing Uini Atonio to power through the tackle of Louis Rees-Zammit for his first French try on his 50ᵗʰ cap. And their next attack was even more clinical, sending Gaël Fickou over on a beautiful line on the first phase after a lineout maul went nowhere, securing the bonus point in under 50 minutes. France were playing with confidence, but after being turned over in their own 22 after trying to play out from behind their own line, replacement hooker Bradley Roberts managed to force his way over for the try. Wales appeared to be going through a spell of momentum, and after Aaron Wainwright was stopped just short by Grégory Alldritt, Tomos Williams took the opportunity to snipe over from close range. But  France put the pressure on in the final minutes to send Penaud over in the corner with just minutes left, which meant that a last gasp try for Rio Dyer was just a consolation bonus point, as the game ended 41-28.

rugby france crest
rugby wales crest no background

France

They may not have faced the toughest of opponents in the last few weeks of the tournament, but after a disappointing loss to Ireland, France have made a statement.

Having arguably overplayed against Ireland, Les Bleus have been much more clinical in their matches against England and Wales, with a few exceptions like the decision to play out from their own in-goal which led to Bradley Roberts’ try. With Danty back providing his extra physicality in midfield, it feels like it has freed up carriers in the French pack like Cyril Baille, Sipili Falatea, Charles Ollivon and Grégory Alldritt to effect the game in better areas of the pitch. But you also get the feeling that they are holding something back with the World Cup so close.

Meanwhile in defence, Danty’s return has also been felt as it has not just solidified the midfield but also brought back an extra jackal threat to the back line, which one again allows the team to spread their jackals through the defensive line for maximum impact.

While France will be disappointed not to be celebrating a Grand Slam today, they can look back at this campaign as a success. The questions the may have been asked after losing to Ireland have been largely answered, while this tournament may have cost them Anthony Jelonch, it has seen the rise of Falatea, Thibaud Flament and Ethan Dumortier among others, along with the return of Thomas Ramos to add extra depth at 15 (while also being an emergency 10, which will surely see him make the World Cup squad) and a test of the depth at tighthead prop.

While they may not have won the Six Nations (assuming no shock victory in the finale from England), it’s another stepping stone as they build towards the Autumn and a World Cup which they must be one of the favourites to win.

Wales

I’m sure that I can’t have been the only one surprised when Warren Gatland announced his matchday squad, which sa a number of the youngsters who had been impressing given the weekend off, while a number of Gatland’s old favourites—who had frankly looked past it in may of their recent appearances—returned tot he starting lineup. Was Gatland just going back to his old favourites? Had he lost his mind? Or did he look at what happened to England last weekend and decide to remove as many of the kids as he could from the firing line so that their early Test careers did not involve the pain of taking an absolute hammering?

Well the old guard certainly caught myself—and perhaps even France—by surprise, with many of them putting in performances that ran back the clock. Rhys Webb continued where he left off against Italy, benefitting as well from the return of Dan Biggar outside him. Nick Tompkins looked comfortable in his first start of the tournament, George North was carrying and defending with a strength that we have not seen enough, while Alun Wyn Jones—who had looked years off the pace in recent appearances—was at the heart of everything, though it may be a little worrying that he only lasted to a few minutes into the second half.

Meanwhile, there suddenly seemed an intent in attack that has so often been missing. Instead of hitting a one-up runner or playing it down the line, Wales were targeting the fringes of the breakdown with pick and go carries, and taking every opportunity they could to keep the ball alive and the tempo high by offloading out of contact. The attack was drawing in the tacklers and creating gaps in the defence, while also forcing them to give away penalties as they attempted to slow the game down.

And in possibly one of the smartest moves, Gatland chose to use Gloucester superstar Louis Rees-Zammit at fullback, which saw him get more touches in the opening half than he had probably had all tournament, as he was given the freedom to find the gaps and hit them. Such is the talent that Rees-ammit has, the more Wales can get the ball in his hands the better, while with players like Josh Adams, Rio Dyer and Alex Cuthbert, Wales have enough other options to cover the wings.

With this being Wales’ last competitive match before the World Cup, some veterans may have just secured their spot in the squad, while a couple of others may have helped put themselves back in contention.

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2023 Six Nations: Italy v Wales

2023 Six Nations: Italy v Wales

On 19ᵗʰ March 2022, Edoardo Padovani’s late try in Cardiff saw Italy win their first Six Nations game since 2015 and jump-started what went on to be a fantastic year for the Azzurri. Now, the two teams meet again, and though both find themselves without a win in their opening  rounds, the Italian campaign has been full of positivity, while Warren Gatland’s return has so far been a story of rotation and worrying performances.

And after Italy’s early pressure was undone by an Adam Beard lineout seal, Owen Williams opened the scoring with an early penalty from their first visit to the Italian 22. Italy were without the injured Ange Capuozzo, and their early back line play was sloppy as a result, gifting Wales early possession and territory, and when Pierre Bruno was undone by the bounce of Rhys Webb’s box kick to the corner, Rio Dyer took advantage to collect the loose ball and go beneath the posts. The Azzurri’s physical defence helped them build into the game, and after a penalty allowed them to kick up the the 22, a dominant scrummage from the pack allowed Tomasso Allan to get them on the board with a penalty on the quarter hour. Growing in confidence, Italy looked to keep hold of the ball in the middle third of the pitch, but a costly fumble in contact from Allan allowed Wales to turn the ball over with an overlap on the blind side and when Liam Williams was given the ball, he forced his way through a couple of weak Italian tackles to reach the line. Allan’s mixed afternoon continues just minutes later as some great attacking play created a huge gap to send him into the Welsh 22, only for his pass back inside to Stephen Varney to be behind the scrum half, forcing him to check his run and take the contact when a better pass would have seen him score. Italy were soon back on the attack though, and after Garbisi arced through a gap around halfway, Italian support runners kept the ball alive, only for Juan Ignacio Brex to lose control as he was held stretching for the line, with referee Damon Murphy deciding that Owen Williams was not offside when he made the crucial tackle. The Azzurri continued to fin themselves undone by errors, and when a pair of penalties allowed Wales to kick up to the corner, the Welsh maul drove the Italians back over their line for a penalty try, with Lorenzo Cannone being sent to the bin for collapsing the maul. Despite being a man down, Italy continued to prod and find gaps in the visitor’s defence, and when a penalty at the end of the half allowed them to kick to the corner, Pierre Bruno was pinged for taking Liam Williams in the air as they competed for a Garbisi cross-kick under penalty advantage, allowing Wales to kick out for half time with a 3-22 lead.

The hosts needed to start the second half strong and did exactly that, with a strong carry from Tommaso Menoncello bringing the Azurri into the Welsh 22, and after phases of pressure, Allan’s deft chip over the defence was touched down by Seb Negri. Italy were attacking with positivity, but soon found themselves down a man again as Bruno was sent to the bin for a forearm to the neck of Wyn Jones, and should probably consider themselves lucky that the sanction was not worse. Wales tried to take immediate advantage only for Josh Adams to be held up in the corner, but the man advantage soon saw Wales secure a 4-try bonus point as Rhys Webb sniped through a gap and fed Taulupe Faletau. Italy refused to go into their shell, and after a sustained period of pressure in the 22, Pierre Bruno broke the line from close range and offloaded to send Brex over beneath the posts. Wales were tiring and the Italian attacks were continuing to cause trouble, but errors continued to cost them and they emerged with nothing as Wales hung on for a 17-29 victory.

rugby italy crest
rugby wales crest no background

Italy

While you can understand Kieran Crowley wanting to get as many of his best players on the park at the same time, the decision to play Tomasso Allan at 15 in place of the injured Ange Capuozzo may be one he regrets.

As talented a player as Allan is, both he and Garbisi are very much fly halves, capable of filling in as an emergency fullback, but not really someone who you would want there for the full 80 at Test level. And that lack of a true 15 really showed at times as the Azzurri struggled to deal with the Welsh kicking game, which gifted the visitors easy territory.

And I can’t help feel that Allan was somewhat in his own head and focusing on playing a different position too, as his performance was mixed to put it kindly. Usually such a reliable passer, today he was firing the ball everywhere but his teammate’s hands at times, with one hideous pass behind Stephen Varney costing his team a crucial 7 points, while a poor fumble also cost led to a try at the other end.

It’s no surprise that Allan’s best moment came when he was in the more natural first receiver position, putting a deft chip over the Welsh to allow Seb Negri to score.

With Capuozzo out for the tournament, Crowley has a big call to make for the final round. Does he look to stick with this team, or does he look to bring in a specialist 15, or even a specialist wing, which would allow the versatile Padovani to switch to the 15 shirt?

Wales

With the risk of a Wooden Spoon and falling toa lowest ever spot on the World Rugby rankings, Warren Gatland desperately needed some of his senior players to step up today. Thankfully for him, 2 of them did, in Rhys Webb and Adam Beard.

Earning his first tournament start since 2020, Webb was key to the Welsh victory. In his 55 minutes on the pitch, he controlled the game with some expert kicking that consistently allowed his chasers to get up and compete, while he also continued to cause trouble with his kicks to the corner, one bouncing fortuitously to gift Rio Dyer an early try, and another 50-22 allowing the pack to put immediate pressure back on the 7-man Italian pack just moments after the penalty try and Cannone’s yellow card. Meanwhile, his snipe through the gap also set up Faletau for the final try. The World Cup will likely see the end of his international career, but with performances like this, he has a chance of securing the 9 shirt that nobody has really made their own in recent years.

Meanwhile in the pack, Adam Beard was immense. The Italian lineout has been one of the best in the tournament, but Beard made a couple of crucial steals and also managed to force a maul turnover from another. Alun Wyn Jones cannot be trusted to put in the big performances at this level anymore, so to see Beard stepping up like this was hge considering he will likely be the senior member of any lock partnership moving forward. This is the moment where he needs to start putting in these performances on a weekly basis, stepping out from a legend’s shadow and becoming a leader himself.

If both can continue with performances of this quality, Wales can begin their turnaround and get back to being competitive.

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2023 Six Nations: Wales v England

2023 Six Nations: Wales v England

The game is on! After a dramatic 2 weeks that saw the game at risk from a player strike, the Principality Stadium played host to a Wales v England match that saw both teams continue their last-minute rebuild ahead of the World Cup. And in a match that clearly highlighted how both teams are still growing, it was clear that England are a step or two ahead of Wales on their process, as they backed up an early Owen Farrell penalty with a great try on 1 minutes. A strong carry off from Ollie Lawrence off the back of a scrum took the English into the Welsh 22, and a quick recycle allowed them to spread the ball further the same way to send Anthony Watson over in the corner. A penalty at the restart gifted Leigh Halfpenny with a simple penalty to cut the deficit, but as the clock ticked into and through the second corner, neither could create anything of real note, which resulted in the 3-8 scoreline remaining to the break.

Wales had barely threatened in the first half but were on the scoresheet almost immediately after the break, with a slow attack down the line giving Louis Rees-Zammit the chance to insert himself in the line and intercept Max Malins’ pass to canter in from halfway, gifting Halfpenny the simplest of conversions to put Wales ahead. However England immediately hit back, and when a penalty gave them easy access to the Welsh 22, they went through the phases before Kyle Sinckler forced his way over the line, with referee Mathieu Raynal quick to award the try. The game remained close, with neither side able to make any further headway, though as the game reached the final 10 minutes England remained in the ascendency. And they had a chance to seal the game going into the final 10 minutes, only for Henry Slade to put boot to ball with a 3v2 on the edge of the Welsh 22. However, just minutes later they created another opportunity, and when Slade was stopped just short of the Welsh try line, the ball was quickly recycled to put Lawrence over in the corner to secure a 10-20 victory.

rugby wales crest no background
rugby england crest

Wales

Oh boy Warren, you have a big job on your hand. Granted, the preparations for this match were heavily impacted by contract issues with the WRU, but even so, the reason this game was close had more to do with them facing another team at early stages of a rebuild than Wales doing much of note.

Owen Williams’ return from the wilderness saw him start at 10 as Warren Gatland looks at his options beyond Dan Biggar and the often-injured Gareth Anscombe, and despite having played a big part in the Ospreys’ resurgence this year, he looked completely out of his depth running a back line at Test level, not that things drastically improved with the arrival of Dan Biggar.

In Josh Adams and Louis Rees-Zammit, Wales have 2 top quality attacking wings, and yet they are wasted when Wales play like they did today. There were too many forward carries off 9 or 10—including multiple occasions when spreading the ball down the back line would have created an overlap—which are always easier for the defence to deal with, while also hampers Wales even more as they lack the big carriers they need to consistently force their way over the gain line, even more so considering Jac Morgan was left out of the 23! And when they weren’t doing this, they were kicking the ball, often not in a way that allowed their wings to compete, and also far too often towards Freddie Steward, despite his aerial prowess already being well-known.

Players like Adams and Rees-Zammit have the ability to make something from nothing, but not on a regular basis. To give them a real chance, they need to get the ball in space, and preferably with a gap ahead of them for them to attack. Wales need to find a way to create this space quickly, or the Wooden Spoon may not be their biggest tournament disappointment in 2023 given the teams they have to face in their World Cup pool.

England

Is anyone else getting worried about Owen Farrell’s goal kicking?

The England captain used to be one of the most reliable goal kickers in Test rugby, so reliable that you would bet on him to nail anything within his range between the 5m lines, with a decent accuracy from wider out. However recently, he is missing kicks that you would expect any Test-level kicker to be nailing, and is currently kicking at less than 50% in this year’s tournament.

While England obviously have other areas that they need to improve right now if they want to be pushing for the latter stages of the World Cup, when you get to the later stages, you need a kicker who you can rely on to keep the scoreboard ticking over against top defences and to ignore the pressure to kick the match-winner late on. Think Jonny Wilkinson throughout 2003, or Leon MacDonald fresh from his whitebait fishing, or conversely the agony of Leigh Halfpenny’s missed kick in 2007.

England missed an opportunity when pairing Farrell and Marcus Smith in midfield to let Farrell focus on the captaincy and give Smith the kicking tee, as right now the man who appears to be the next up should Farrell get injured has minimal experience kicking at Test level—a very different type of crowd to what you see at club level. But now, with England reverting to a single playmaker system and Farrell taking most of the minutes, that opportunity seems to be gone.

England need to hope that this doesn’t cost them in France later this year.

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2023 Six Nations: Scotland v Wales

2023 Six Nations: Scotland v Wales

This was it: the chance for Scotland to prove a point. Last weekend’s win over England has started becoming a regular occurrence. But in the past, they had put so much into that, only to lose their next match. Now, at home against a Wales team just beginning to try and re-find itself under Warren Gatland, the Scots found themselves in a situation where they had to back up the win…

And it was the Scots who got the first chance, as a Huw Jones break took Scotland up to the Welsh 22, where their pressure earned an early penalty for Finn Russell to open the scoring. Russell added a second as Scotland appeared the more dangerous through the first quarter, while Dan Biggar missed a relatively routine first kick at goal after the Welsh scrum earned a penalty. Scotland nearly had the opening try on the half hour as they spread the ball wide from a strong lineout maul to Kyle Steyn, only for Rio Dyer and Josh Adams to force him into touch. But the hosts had a penalty advantage from the maul and went back to the corner, and this time there was no stopping them as George Turner forced his way over for the opening try. Turner’s next action though was not so positive, as he was sent to the bin for a high tackle on George North, and while the Welshman went for a HIA, his teammates went to the corner and took advantage of the extra man in the pack to drive Ken Owens over for the try. And as the half came to an end, Wales should have had a second, only for the final pass to be fumbles into touch by Rio Dyer to keep the score at 13-7.

With Scotland back to a full complement just minutes into the second period they began to regain their dominance, and Turner was just inches from a second try, only to fumble as he tried to reach for the line. However the pressure from the Scots continued and when Finn Russell eventually found a gap just in front of the try line, he managed to throw a beautiful offload out the back of his hand to allow Kyle Steyn to simply catch the ball and fall over the line. And the next Scotland attack saw Liam Williams sent to the bin after referee Paul Williams tired of the team’s persistent offending, and the extra man proved crucial immediately, as a strong maul and a tight dummy line from Sione Tuipulotu helf the Welsh defence in narrow and allowed Russell to hit Steyn with the crosskick for his second try of the match. And as the game entered the final 10 minutes, Scotland secured the bonus point as Duhan van der Merwe took Russell’s cross kick and drew the defence before playing the ball back inside to Blair Kinghorn to go over from close range. And with just minutes remaining there was time for one more try as Russell’s looped pass put Matt Fagerson over in the corner to make it a 35-7 win and record margin of victory for Scotland over Wales.

rugby crest scotland
rugby wales crest no background

Scotland

As a Gloucester fan, when I saw that Chris Harris had been dropped to the bench against England with Huw Jones starting, I thought that Gregor Townsend was crazy. One of the best 13s in the game, Harris is a defensive linchpin and always seems to be in place to make a crucial covering tackle or shoot out the line to make a timely man and ball hit.

However, after 2 matches, it’s hard to argue that it was the wrong call. Clubmates at Glasgow, Jones and Sione Tuipulotu have formed an impressive dynamic pairing in the centre, while Jones has generally been able to form a good line with Finn Russell too, which has resulted in a Scottish midfield trio that are generally making the right decisions and then executing the plays, allowing the Scots to really take advantage of the quality they have on the wings.

The big questions are still to be answered, though. In England and Wales, they have faced the 2 teams who are just starting their journeys under new coaches, so as a result, the attacks have been relatively disjointed and easier to defend. While momentum is on their side, they now have to face 3 more established attacks, who will be far more clinical. Against such teams, can “Huwipulotu” work as well? Or will the need for security see more minutes for Chris Harris?

Wales

Welsh fans got a real look at the future today with Warren Gatland’s selection. While Joe Hawkins is already establishing himself as Warren Gatland’s first choice at 12 and Rio Dyer is taking advantage of Louis Rees-Zammit’s injury to gain some Test experience, they were joined this week by a number of fellow youngsters in the pack.

Following disappointing performances from a number of the experienced Lions last week, Warren Gatland dramatically lowered the average age of the back 5 in the pack, replacing Alun Wyn Jones with Dafydd Jenkins and seeing fellow Premiership youngsters Christ Tshiunza and Tommy Reffell joining Jac Morgan in the back row. And while things weren’t perfect for the Welsh pack, they were certainly not the issue, and if anything they were certainly adding drive and positivity to the Welsh performance while looking far more assured han their combined handful of caps would suggest.

Warren Gatland was probably hoping that he could start bringing through the youth into the squad and see them take over the starting spots immediately after the World Cup, similar to what France did in 2020. However with the major upturn in performance from last week to this, he may find that many of them are forcing their way into the XV a year early.

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2023 Six Nations: Wales v Ireland

2023 Six Nations: Wales v Ireland

We’re back! And so is Warren Gatland! The 2023 edition of the Six Nations kicks off with a new era starting for Wales: the second Gatland era, as he returns to replace Wayne Pivac. And as far as first Tests go, they don’t come much harder than an Ireland team building towards what they are hoping to be their most successful World Cup campaign.

And it took just a minute before a clever kick by James Lowe helped give Ireland possession 5 metres from the Welsh line, and after phases of pressure, Caelan Doris forced his way over for the early try. It was all Ireland in the early stages as Wales struggled to find an answer, and the visitors made it 2 tries from 2 visits to the 22 as James Ryan drove his way over. After 12 minutes of dominance, what appeared to be a knock-on from Tomas Francis while attempting a tackle on Jonathan Sexton led to the ball going to ground, and as Wales kicked the loose ball on, Hugo Keenan just beat Rio Dyer back to the ball but was forced to take the ball over his own line, and Wales were able to convert their first moment of territory into a simple penalty for Dan Biggar, though Sexton soon kicked a penalty in reply as the Welsh defence continued to give away penalties. As the game reached the end of the first quarter, Wales finally started putting some phases together in the Irish half, but James Lowe read Dan Biggar’s pass to Liam Williams and snatched it to go in from the edge of his own 22 untouched. A timely counterruck on the restart from Adam Beard gave the Welsh a scrum in the Welsh 22, and when Joe Hawkins’ first phase crash ball ended just short of the line, Dan Biggar found himself just snagged by Garry Ringrose as he looked for the gap out wide and he was pinged for holding on. Another penalty against Biggar allowed Ireland to move deep into the Welsh half, and then another from Faletau allowed Sexton the simplest of kicks to stretch the lead to 24 points. As the penalties against the Welsh continued, a strong carry from Dan Sheehan was stopped just short of the line, but Doris was unable to keep hold of the ball as Kew Owens put in a timely hit just short of the line. A couple of penalties allowed the hosts to go the length of the pitch, and after George North crashed up to the line, Jac Morgan was held up on the line by Andrew Porter for a 3-27.

Wales needed a massive improvement after the break and certainly started brighter, with patience on the Irish line seeing Dan Biggar send Liam Williams over for a try. The Welsh were looking much better and forcing some penalties from a shaken Irish team, but errors continued to hit them at the crucial moments: lineouts being lost, not going straight or being won cleanly; knock-ons deep in the Irish 22; a floated pass from Tipuric too high for Rio Dyer. And things got even worse for Wales as Liam Williams was yellow carded for a high tackle on Sexton just after the hour mark. And the man advantage eventually resulted in the bonus point for Ireland as Josh van der Flier was sent over beneath the posts, while Mack Hansen was denied a try in the corner with the final play of the game as a bouncing ball and covering Alex Cuthbert conspired to thwart him, resulting in a final score of 10-34.

rugby wales crest no background
rugby ireland crest

Wales

Boy has Gats got a task on his hands! And the one man he no longer has with him is Shaun Edwards, who not just made the Welsh defence super-reliable, but also super well-disciplined. Wales’ discipline was awful in this match, almost reaching double figures by half time. And what made it worse was how avoidable most of the penalties were, as established professionals like Taulupe Faletau and Justin Tipuric were continually pinged as they tried to illegally slow down the Irish breakdowns, while there were also multiple occasions that the defensive line was setting up in an offside position in the Irish half.

It was the same under Wayne Pivac, and it needs to be changed as soon as possible if Wales want to turn things around, as this match just highlighted how penalties just take the pressure off the opposition and give then easy territory or an easy way to rack up a score.

The big question is whether Gatland and co can turn this around in time with the World Cup looming.

Ireland

The cliché with Ireland is that they build wonderfully and look incredible a year out from the World Cup, only to find that they have peaked too early and to have a disappointing World Cup.

With that in mind, the complete difference in the Irish performance of the first half and the third quarter is a little worrying. It’s as if the team thought they had done enough in the first half to win the game without trying after the break. The intensity was gone, and it was replaced with some stupid penalties, such as Andrew Porter gifting Wales with a penalty restart for diving on Liam Williams after his try. Wales were suddenly making ground with their carries and finding gaps out wide, and Ireland can also consider themselves lucky that Rio Dyer was stopped after Sexton’s lazy crosskick in his own half fell straight into his arms.

The Irish team has built so well through this cycle and managed so many historic moments, it feels like this second half will have just been a blip. But Andy Farrell and co need to make sure the team realise how lucky they were to get away with such a poor half of rugby and put a focus on the importance of maintaining their high standards for the full 80 minutes.

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Six Nations 2023: 6 to Watch

Six Nations 2023: 6 to Watch

We are now less than 2 weeks away from the 2023 edition of the Six Nations, and boy is this edition going to be exciting. Wales and England come in with new head coaches, while Italy arrive with genuine belief of picking up some wins after wins over both Wales and Australia in 2022. And to top it all off, these 5 matches will likely go a long way to helping the coaches select their squads for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, with only a couple of pre-tournament warm-ups remaining after the Six Nations.

And so with the initial squads announced, it’s time for my annual look at each squad and selection of a player to keep your eyes on. And with the World Cup so close, I considered looking at some players who are maybe on the fringes of the squads, but found myself largely selecting young players who at this point are probably pushing to start but may not yet be household names. Who would your picks be?

England

Billy Vunipola’s disappointing return to the England squad is over and Tom Curry is out injured (but would hopefully not be used at 8 by Steve Borthwick), so with Zach Mercer still in France, this is a chance for Alex Dombrandt to try making the 8 shirt his own. A strong but dynamic carrier and real threat at the breakdown, the arrival of Harlequins’ Nick Evans as attack coach will surely get the best out of the Cardiff Met alumnus.

France

France did things right by completely rebooting their squad at the start of the cycle with 2023 in mind, so most places in the 23 are now secured. However the retirement of Virimi Vakatawa for medical reasons and a recent knee injury ruling out Jonathan Danty for 3 months, the centre position looks a little thin. Step up Yoram Moefana, who will provide another hard carrying option in the midfield. If he can form a strong connection with Romain Ntamack and Gaël Fickou, could he oust Danty from the starting spot come the World Cup?

Ireland

Sticking in the centres here and Stuart McCloskey had a strong Autumn campaign at 2 with Bundee Aki missing through a ban. Well Aki is back now but McCloskey also remains courtesy of Robbie Henshaw’s ban. A strong carrier with an eye for an offload, the 30-year-old Ulster star should have arguably earned more caps, having not yet even hit double figures! Can he do enough to beat out Aki for the 12 shirt? This could be the difference between a place in the World Cup squad or watching the tournament at home.

Italy

The most-capped player on this list, Jake Polledri was well on his way to becoming one of the very best number s in the game until a horror injury left his career in the balance. Well he’s back and included in the Italy squad, but has had little playing time for Gloucester this season. At his best, he has the pace to exploit a gap and the strength to make ground with every carry, while he is also an accomplished jackal. The question right now is just what level he can reach ahead of the World Cup and how much we will see him in this Six Nations.

Scotland

While Duhan van der Merwe has one wing secured, Darcy Graham’s injury presents an opportunity for Kyle Steyn. Eligible to play for Scotland via his mother, Steyn brings pace and power to the wing, which is arguably something that Scotland have often not had enough of in their lineup. Scored 4 tries on his first start for Scotland against Tonga and will surely be keen to secure his place in the squad ahead of the World Cup.

Wales

Wales’ late capitulation against Australia in the Autumn may have brought about the end of Wayne Pivac’s tenure, but it was also the Test debut for Ospreys’ Joe Hawkins. A talented playmaker who appeared to make a real difference in getting the team firing against the Wallabies after a series of dour performances, he also seems to fit the Warren Gatland template of a big physical 12 as he is comfortable taking the ball to the line and taking the contact himself. At just 20 years old, Wales may have finally found the long-term successor to Jamie Roberts and Hadleigh Parkes.

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Autumn Nations Series 2022: Wales v Australia

Autumn Nations Series 2022: Wales v Australia

With World Rugby’s Test window officially over, Wales faced off against Australia in Cardiff for the final round of the series with both teams missing their English- and French-based talent, while injuries were leaving the Australian ranks especially depleted, but a strong first scrum allowed Ben Donaldson to open the scoring with an early penalty after Wales failed to secure the kickoff. It was the Welsh who scored the first try though; Tomow Williams crabbing off the back of a ruck to draw 2 tacklers and offloading to put Alun Wyn Jones through and into the 22, and the experienced lock fed Jac Morgan to power his way over for another try, having scored a brace last week against Georgia. Donaldson and Anscombe traded penalties as both teams tried to take control of the game, and as the game entered the second quarter, Wales managed to play the ball through the hands to put Taulupe Faletau over in the corner, Anscombe’s touchline conversion and another penalty soon after making it a 14-point lead. Australia finally made a chance of note, but Jed Holloway’s charge for the line was stopped by a fine tackle from Josh Adams, who had been promoted to the starting XV following a late injury to Leigh Halfpenny. Australia were finally managing to spend some time in the Welsh half though, and with the pressure, chances were starting to be created, only for loose handling skills to bring the attacks to a disappointing end, but they finally made their way over the line after a Welsh penalty allowed them to set up a driving maul from a 5m lineout to send Folau Fainga’a over for the try, Donaldson adding the extras. There was time for a Welsh response before the break though, and when Rio Dyer’s break was stopped just short of the line, Jake Gordon was sent to the bin for cynically impeding replacement scrum half Kieran Hardy as he tried to play the ball away. Wales looked to take advantage of the extra man by going for the scrum, but the Wallabies defence just managed to hold Hardy up over the line to end the half with the score at 20-13.

The second half started with Reece Hodge hitting the upright with a penalty from inside his own half, and they were unable to take advantage of the possession as a collapsed scrum saw replacement prop Tom Robertson—on at the break for captain James Slipper—sent to the bin as the Wallabies were already on a warning for scrum offences from the first half. With Gordon still in the bin for a couple of minutes, the Welsh took advantage of the extra 2 men to kick to the corner and drive Morgan over for his 2ⁿᵈ try of the game. And they were just inches away from scoring again as Anscombe’s cross-kick was just a little too long for Alex Cuthbert as they took advantage of playing 15v14. However with a penalty advantage, it was just a momentary delay, and a kick to the corner saw the Welsh keep the pressure on and eventually create the overlap to put Dyer over in the corner. Wales were dealt a blow as Gareth Anscombe suffered an injury as he attempted to tackle Ned Hanigan, with Rhys Priestland coming on in his place, and his first duty was to take the ball over his own line under pressure as his team failed to deal with a high ball from Tom Wright. Back to 15 men, the Wallabies, who had brought on a number of replacements, suddenly looked confident, and Mark Nawaqanitawase forced himself over in the corner, though replacement fly half Noah Lolesio was unable to land the conversion from the left touchline. As the game entered the final 15 minutes, replacement Pete Samu read the pass of Rhys Priestland to intercept it, and though he had 70m ahead of him, the way was clear, but for the outstretched leg of Justin Tipuric, who was sent to the bin for his trip. And the visitors immediately took advantage, kicking to the corner and running a clever move off the lineout to send Nawaqanitawase powering over for his second try of the game, Lolesio cutting the deficit to single figures with the conversion. The momentum was firmly shifted the way of the visitors, and with 7 minutes remaining, Ryan Elias collapsed a maul on its way to the line to give Australia a penalty try and 2-man advantage. And with just 2 minutes remaining, Nawaqanitawase carried the ball up to the Welsh 22, and as the ball was spread wide, Kieran Hardy failed to keep hold of his attempted intercept of Len Ikitau’s pass, and replacement hooker Ryan Lonergan picked up the loose ball to go over and give Australia the lead. With 1 minute left, Tipuric was back on for Wales, and when Australian latchers went off their feet at what would have been the last ruck, Wales had 1 more chance. Priestland didn’t help his pack with a kick that should have gone to the corner only just making the 22, and as the 14 men went through the phases, Lonergan managed to turn the ball over and kick it out for a 34-39 victory.

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Hard yards

It’s been a poor Autumn for Wales, but one bright spark has been the form of Jac Morgan. 22-year-old Ospreys back row was one of the few bright sparks with his 2 tries against Georgia (having had a third disallowed), and if anything, he looked even better this week.

One thing that the Welsh pack has consistently lacked in recent years is carrying options in the pack. Players who can consistently take hold of the ball and make the hard metres to put the attack on the front foot. Well Morgan—previously left out of Welsh squads as he lacked the carrying ability Wayne Pivac wanted—was providing exactly that, consistently making metres not just in space, but in and through contact, so it’s no surprise that, with an attacking fly half controlling the game, the Welsh attack was able to get going in a way we have not really seen recently.

Going forwards Morgan needs to be makingthat 6 shirt his own, but Pivac’s made a habit of being consistently inconsistent in his back row selections. Morgan needs to make sure that his form stays at least at this level to ensure Pivac has no excuse to drop him.

Running on fumes

Despite the win, this was another bad performance for Australia, but can anyone really be surprised. The Wallabies were playing for their 5ᵗʰ consecutive week, in a month where World Rugby’s Test window lasted 3 weeks. 5 Tests in 5 weeks is hard enough at the best of times, but to come so soon after the Rugby Championship just makes it even more of a burden on the players.

So is it any surprise to see that the team just ran out of gas as these tests went on? They were playing too much rugby in too short a time, with things being made even worse as the team suffered injury after injury. And these 2 things combined to leave the Wallabies playing with a XV made up of players who are on the ultimate fringe of the squad and players who have played too much rugby and are running on fumes.

And if there are 2 things that will kill a team’s chances in the game, its exhaustion and a lack of familiarity with your teammates, as both will create and accentuate gaps in the defensive line, while also leading to unforced errors in attack.

Whose idea was it to play so much rugby, and why? Because it certainly doesn’t feel like the players’ wellbeing was of foremost thought, and it has left the team in the ultimate slump less that a year out from the World Cup.

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Autumn Nations Series 2022: Wales v Georgia

Autumn Nations Series 2022: Wales v Georgia

The last full round of Autumn Nations Series fixtures kicked off in Cardiff as Wales welcomed Georgia to the Principality Stadium. The pressure seemed off of Wayne Pivac following a win over toothless Argentina last weekend, but his men found themselves behind within minutes of the kickoff courtesy of a penalty from Tedo Abzhandadze. A period of Welsh pressure after 15 minutes gave them a penalty to the corner, but after the maul was halted, the ball was spread wide and Alex Cuthbert found himself tackled into touch by Davit Niniashvili. However a clever lineout move a few minutes later saw Jac Morgan go over for the try, Rhys Priestland adding the extras. And Morgan was over for another just minutes later as quick recycling of the ball allowed Tomos Williams to find him unmarked on the blind side. Wales were turning a period of dominance into points, and thought they had a third try after Josh Adams won the chase to his own kick, only for a forward pass to him from Tomos Williams to wipe the score off the board. and the teams went into the break with the score at 12-3.

The second period started much like the first, with most of the game taking place between the 22s, but Wales’ decision to keep kicking the ball came back to haunt them on 50 minutes as Alex Cuthbert was given a yellow card for taking out Alexander Todua in the air. And the Georgians took advantage once they made it into the Wales 22, with Abzhandadze’s cross-kick finding Todua in acres of space for a try just before the hour, with Abzhandadze’s conversion making it a 2-point game. And as the Lelos got the momentum, the fly half had a chance to put them ahead with 15 minutes remaining with a penalty, only to pull the kick to the left. With 7 minutes remaining, it looked like Jac Morgan had completed his hattrick after an error from Niniashvili under the high ball, but replays showed that Taulupe Faletau had knocked on in the build-up as he tried to collect his own kick on. A massive Georgian scrum allowed them to clear their lines, and the next with 3 minutes remaining demolished the Welsh scrum on their own ball to earn a penalty, and with his first kick of the game, 21-year-old replacement fly half Luka Matkava kept his nerve to kick the Lelos into the lead. An error at the restart gifted Wales with one more opportunity off a scrum, but the Georgian pack once again demolished them on their own ball to earn a penalty and secure an historic 12-13 victory.

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Freefalling

Georgia are an improving team with a good solid defence, but let’s be honest: they aren’t Ireland or the Springboks. And yet Wales made them look like such with an aimless attack.

Yes they may have had a spell where they scored 2 tries (and just missed on another) in the first half, but beyond that the attack looked pedestrian, despite a the entire back line being regulars in the 23 or highly experienced internationals. And while the pack showed a few more changes, you would have thought there was still enough there to beat the Lelos.

Instead, the attack looked aimless as Tomos Williams and Rhys Priestland kicked ball away, the pack struggled to make any metres of note in contact and the return of Owen Watkin at 12 appeared to break any midfield chemistry that had been building between George North and Nick Tompkins. And it all combined to leave players like Louis Rees-Zammit feeding of scraps.

Wayne Pivac has been in the role for years now, and yet there is no consistency of selection as he appears to still have no idea what his best XV or his team identity is. And with losses at home to both Italy and Georgia in 2022, they are lucky that the Six Nations relegation suggestions haven’t began in the same way they do each time Italy lose a game. It seems clear now that Pivac is not the man to lead the team, and while replacing him now would be a late call, it would allow Wales to use the Six Nations as a chance to prove themselves. Let’s be honest, even a poor World Cup under someone else would surely be an improvement on the current situation, where an exit at the pool stages seems the least of their worries, as finishing outside the top 3 of a pool made up of Georgia, Fiji, Australia and Portugal (and thereby missing out on automatic qualification for RWC2027) looks a real possibility.

A seat at the table

This is a big day for Georgia, their first win over a Tier 1 nation other than Italy (who they beat in the summer), and at the Principality Stadium of all places! The calls have been loud for Georgia to get more matches against Tier 1, and following this result they are sure to get deafening.

We’ve seen in the past how it took so long for Argentina and Italy to win their spot in Tier 1 tournaments that the team who earned them the spot soon aged out with a lack of quality underneath, so that cannot be allowed to happen again here. And while there is plenty of experience is the squad, there is also a generation of exciting young talent in their 20s coming through, spearheaded by Abzhandadze, Vasil Lobzhanidze (preparing for his 3ʳᵈ Rugby World Cup despite being only 26), Niniashvili and Giorgi Kveseladze, who was missing from this game.

Georgia need every chance to continue building after this Rugby World Cup, and to do that, they need 2 things:

  • They need to be playing regularly against Tier 1 opposition, and that means finding a way to get them into a top competition, which will then see Tier 1 Nations playing in Tbilisi, which will only help grow the sport in the country.
  • They need to get at least 1 club side into a top tier competition, while ideally also keeping a sprinkling of players through other leagues, as this will just widen the number of players getting regular matches against Test-level players

If the Lelos can get these things soon, the next cycle could be massive for them.

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Autumn Nations Series 2022: Wales v Argentina

Autumn Nations Series 2022: Wales v Argentina

After a disappointing hammering from a “beatable” New Zealand team, Wales were hoping to get their Autumn back on track with the arrival of Argentina, and they were almost immediately on the attack as a kick counter from Louis Rees-Zammit, making his first test start at fullback, sparked a break that took them up to the Pumas 22 before a handling error. Wales had the early momentum but errors continued to end their attacks, while the Puma’s first attack saw them break into the 22 and draw a penalty, which Emiliano Boffelli kicked for the early lead. Welsh indiscipline soon had the Pumas back in the hosts’ 22, and Rees-Zammit was forced to cover a clever grubber into touch right in front of his try line, while another penalty at the lineout allowed Boffelli another simple kick at goal. A knock-on at the breakdown from Gonzalo Bertranou gifted Wales a scrum going into the second quarter, from which they won a penalty and went to the corner, but after the first attack was stopped illegally and they went back to the corner, Matias alemanno managed a timely steal in the air to allow the visitors to clear their lines. Wales were soon back on the attack though, only for Ken Owens to spill the ball as he went over. Another penalty on the half hour saw Wales go to the corner, and this time they were able to get the driving maul going, giving Taulupe Faletau an easy ride over for the opening try, with Gareth Anscombe’s conversion giving them the lead, while he kicked another penalty 3 minutes before halftime for a 10-6 lead at the break.

The second half started much like the first, but when Juan Cruz Mallia failed to get any height on his kick, Tomos Williams successfully charged it down and beat the fullback on the trn to dive on the ball in-goal to extend the lead. The Pumas responded by bringing on a new front row, who immediately won a scrum penalty, but after the Pumas went to the corner, Adam Beard won a crucial turnover penalty. The Pumas were soon back attacking the Welsh try line, and after a clear high tackle on Ignacio Ruiz was ignored by the officials, Pablo Matera was held up over the line. As Argentina looked to get their next attack going, a cynical play on the scrumhalf from Will Rowlands while he was off his feet saw the lock sent to the bin and allowed the Pumas to kick back into the Welsh 22, only for Pablo Matera to knock on as he slipped as the ball was passed to him. Errors continued to blight the Pumas’ second half, and with Rhys Priestland kicking a penalty just after the hour, they were now even losing their 10-minute powerplay. But a strong rolling maul just moments after Rowland’s return saw Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro escorted over for the try with 12 minutes remaining and Boffelli’s conversion cut the lead to 7. A poor exit at the restart from replacement scrum half Eliseo Morales on his debut gifted Wales a lineout in the 22, and when they went for a clever chip into the middle, Mallia just beat George North to the ball on the try line. As the game reached the final minutes, the Pumas had possession on halfway but were unable to create any line breaks, and as the clock went red, Wales turned them over and kicked out for a much-needed 20-13 victory.

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Zam the man

While Wayne Pivac’s constant chopping and changing means that you can never quite be sure, pretty much everyone else will be in agreement that wales have found their new 15 in Louis Rees-Zammit.

The Gloucester speedster has made a name for himself with some incredible performances on the wing, but has been known to go missing for Wales out there as their team have sometimes struggle to get the attack going. However right from the start, it was clear that the move to 15 was one that would see him much more involved in the game.

While everyone knows about his incredible pace, he also has a great eye to spot the gap to exploit to start a break, is more than capable of competing in the air—he certainly held his own against Emiliano Boffelli today—and has a big boot to play his part in the kicking game.

But more than that, it’s a simple matter of getting the best players on the pitch at the same time, and by moving to 15, it allows both Alex Cuthbert and Rio Dyer to cover the wings, resulting in 2 strong and quick wings who can cause problems out wide or coming inside and a lightning quick 15 just looking for a gap, who can also hold his own in contact.

Wales will face tougher tests, and still need to work on how to utilise Rees-Zammit better, but a move to 15 seems a strong start.

Kicking off

Is it time for Argentina to make a change at their restarts? Usually, you will see the fly half kicking the restarts, but there is no law that this has to be the case. It’s understandable why, as it means that if the ball is won back, there is a playmaker who has naturally been held back at the restart and not involved in the chase, but at this level of the game, there are more than enough players who could temporarily fill in as a playmaker for one phase at the restart.

Santiago Carreras is a fantastic player with an incredible skillset, but pretty much all of his professional experience as a fly half has come at this level, and you do see some errors in his game as a result, including a tendency to float a couple of restarts too long and into touch on the full. Meanwhile, his performances at Gloucester have highlighted his quality in the air, with him often being used to compete at the restart, as Boffelli often is.

What I would suggest is looking for an alternative option to take the restarts, which would free up Carreras to join Boffelli in trying to compete for the ball, while also allowing them to vary things up more as opposition teams would have to account for both of them if they moved around at the restart.

Right now, I feel that Carreras needs some of the pressure taken off him while he learns a new position on the hardest stage. If this small change can not just relieve pressure on him, but also utilise his skills to add an extra weapon at the restart, surely that’s a win-win.

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Autumn Nations Series 2022: Wales v New Zealand

Autumn Nations Series 2022: Wales v New Zealand

With the Test Window now open, Wales’ Autumn Nations Series campaign got underway with the visit of New Zealand to the Principality Stadium. Wales were forced into a late reshuffle after Leigh Halfpenny pulled out through injury but should have had an early numerical advantage when referee Wayne Barnes and his team of officials missed Dalton Papali’i making contact with the head of Gareth Anscombe, and instead Richie Mo’unga opened the scoring with a penalty just a minute later. The Welsh were having the best of the possession early on, but a break from Papali’i following a turnover from Ardie Savea put the All Blacks on the front foot in the Welsh 22, and after going through the phases, Codie Taylor finally burrowed over for the try. As both sides tried to deal with a greasy ball, the visitors were getting the penalties in their favour, and their next visit to the Welsh 22 once again ended with Taylor forcing him over from close range after phases of concerted pressure. With Wales finally winning a penalty after 20 minutes, Rhys Priestland put the ball in the corner, but their maul went nowhere and their attack was pedestrian at best, going backwards for the majority of the 17 phases before finally winning another penalty. Priestland again kicked to the corner, and this time the crowd had something to celebrate as a lovely strike sent the looping Rio Dyer through a gap to score on his debut. A counterrucking turnover of the next All Blacks attack upped the volume of the crowd, and a break from Nick Tompkins off the resulting lineout brought the home side up to the 22 and drew a penalty, which Gareth anscombe kicked to bring the deficit back to 7 points after half an hour of play. But the All Blacks were straight back into the Welsh 22 following a penalty from Taulupe Faletau, and after putting pressure on the line to earn a penalty advantage, Richie Mo’unga kicked high to the corner, where Jordie Barrett beat Dyer in the air for the visitor’s third try. The hosts had one more chance before the break when an overthrown New Zealand lineout was gathered by Ken Owens, drawing a penalty which Anscombe kicked for a halftime score of 13-22.

The Kiwis were under pressure soon after the break, as a rare errant pass from Aaron Smith was kicked to the corner by Tomos Williams, who combined with Taulupe Faletau to force Beauden Barrett out right next to his try line, and while they failed to make anything of note from the position, they did earn a penalty, which Anscombe kicked to cut the lead to 6. Smith quickly made amends though, as he crabbed off the side of a maul and found a gap to shoot through to celebrate becoming New Zealand’s most-capped back with a try. The Welsh refused to give up, though, and when Tomos Williams chipped through in the 22 under penalty advantage, Rhys Priestland challenged Mo’unga in the air to force the ball to bobble loose, and skipper Justin Tipuric just about collected the ball with sufficient control as he went over next to the posts to give Anscombe an easy conversion. The All Blacks were straight back in the Welsh 22, though, and when Nicky Smith fell for the most theatrical of offloads from Ardie Savea, the back row carried through the gap and offloaded to Aaron Smith for another try. A Tomos Williams quick tap pen put him in behind the defence just before the hour, but his offload to Tipuric went agonisingly forwards. In comparison, the All Blacks looked like scoring each time they made it into the Welsh 22, and after a fumble backwards from Caleb Clarke stopped an initial attempt to spread the ball, they reset and went through the phases, with Savea eventually diving over to open up an 18-point lead. With the result looking likely, Wales brought on Sam Costelow for his debut in place of Priestland, but it was the originally intended fly half for the day, Anscombe, who made the next impact as he charged down a kick from former New Zealand U20s teammate Beauden Barrett and regathered, only for Richie Mo’unga to tackle him into touch just short of the line, and with just minutes left in the game, another attack in the Welsh 22 saw Beauden Barrett sent brother Jordie over from close range. With the clock in the red, Wales chose to play from deep after winning a free kick in the own 22, but an untimely slip from Anscombe led to a turnover penalty, and after kicking to the corner, the pack drove replacement Samisoni Taukei’aho over for a try to take the All Blacks over the 50-point mark, with Beauden Barrett’s conversion making the final score 23-55.

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Finding a balance

This Welsh team still isn’t the finished picture, but it appears to be finding a good balance. Rowlands and Beard are getting used to playing together as a pair, as are Tompkins and North, 2 combinations where familiarity and chemistry can be so important. In the pack, the return of Ken Owens provides a hard carrying option that allows Wayne Pivac to pair returning flanker Justin Tipuric with another jackal in Tommy Reffell, while North provides a physical option in the midfield to create space for the electric wings Rio Dyer and Louis Rees-Zammit, which was perfectly highlighted by the way he created the gap for Dyer’s try.

They aren’t the finished article, though. The rest of the tight five still needs to provide more metres with the hard carries, and until they manage that, their latchers need to do a better job of securing their weight in the tackle. Meanwhile North chose to keep hold of the ball a couple of times when he could have probably played the ball out to Rees-Zammit and then ran the inside support line. Probably most worrying was how a period of 17 phases saw them go from having a driving maul about 8m out from the All Blacks line to being 30 metres from the line. They may have won the penalty at the end of it, but their attack looked pedestrian at times and easy to deal with… and this is against a team who aren’t known for their impressive defence of late.

It’s a step in the right direction for Wayne Pivac’s men, but they still have a way to go if they want to challenge in the World Cup next year.

Taking control

One thing that the All Blacks should be really happy with from this game is the effectiveness of their scrum. Granted the Welsh aren’t known for having an elite scrum, but the All Blacks pack were dominant on the day, winning a number of penalties and refusing to give Wales a clean platform to work off, while giving themselves a solid and steady platform.

The new starting prop pair of Ethan de Groot and Tyrel Lomax has been a revelation for the All Blacks in recent months, and at 24 and 26 respectively, you can’t help but think that they could potentially be the pairing for the next cycle, while Fletcher Newell is also establishing himself as a regular off the bench aged just 22.

The pack will certainly face much sterner tests, but the continued success of such a young group gaining experience is huge for a side that are arguably in a miniature rebuild with the World Cup just a year away.

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