Fairplay to Wales; that was one of the best second half performances I’ve ever seen in the Six Nations. When you’re down 27-0 it’s easy to capitulate and the score could easily have been very ugly.
I’m visiting the Vale team on Tuesday and during half time I was thinking about canceling my trip! It would have been a pretty horrible place if the situation hadn’t changed, but those last 35 minutes will completely change the atmosphere.
When Wales have their team meeting tomorrow, the conversation will be about how they can take that second-half performance and take it to Twickenham.
I thought England were okay against Italy, but they certainly don’t look unbeatable. Momentum is important in rugby and the energy was all Wales’ by the end of the match in Cardiff.
The impact Tomos Williams made at scrum half from the bench was outstanding. His form for Cardiff over the last 12 months has been brilliant and he carried that into the testing phase
Wales just failed to complete a sensational comeback against Scotland
Scotland were in complete control for the first 40 minutes at the Principality Stadium
Trailing 27-0, Wales scored 26 unanswered points in the second half
Nothing went Wales’ way in the first half. They lost the lineout, collisions and the kicking game. Without some major interventions from Tommy Reffell, the game would have been well and truly out of sight.
Wales read the situation and made the decision not to kick the ball in the second half. Tomos was at the heart of that. They reached out and played with speed, energy and X-factor. Elliot Dee, Alex Mann and Ioan Llloyd all impressed.
They really put Scotland under the microscope and forced them to concede fourteen penalties on the spin.
Scotland capitulated, but I’m sure England will be much tighter and more streetwise next week. Their line speed in Rome was faster than I have ever seen from them. Felix Jones introduced a rush defense, much like South Africa’s.
Wales’ attitude in the second half will be the best way to approach that. They may have a new number 10 after Sam Costellow was sent off after 35 minutes as he was not assessed for a head injury, and it won’t be much harder for him. He must have learned a lot.
It was the first time I had watched the Six Nations since I retired, and I put my feet up for the game on the sofa at home in Toulon. I had my two boys in the living room with me and it felt very strange.
You feel quite removed from this. I’m used to the first match being cold, wet and dark, but we had the patio doors open, 18 degrees outside.
Tomos Williams had a huge impact off the bench for Wales on Saturday
But Wales dominated the second half at a raucous Principality Stadium
Duhan van der Merwe crossed early in the second half to make it 27-0 for Scotland
Finn Russell majestically pulled the strings for the visitors in the first half
It was quite surreal watching the commentary from the BBC team. I sent a few good luck messages, spoke to Tomos and Josh Adams before the match and when the match really got exciting I was on the edge of my seat.
When you hear the vibe in that moment, there’s a little part of you that wishes you were there with them. But I’m happy with my decision to step away.
Ireland outperformed everything else this weekend. They were clinical, efficient and organised. They have three games at home, which is a huge advantage.
They don’t have a brilliant record at Twickenham, so that’s the only stumbling block I can see if they want to achieve the Grand Slam.
England opened the tournament with a victory over Italy, but it was not comfortable
But Ireland were at their most brutal when they demolished France in Marseille on Friday evening
Based on this weekend’s results, it’s hard to tip anyone other than her for the title. There is always a transition phase after a World Cup, but Ireland seemed to be on the right track. That is a reflection of Andy Farrell’s coaching and he absolutely deserves the Lions coaching job for next year.
The Irish players all knew what they were doing, they were aligned and had a clear plan. They moved the ball to channel 13 and made a profit. Jack Crowley had a tough job taking the number 10 jersey from Johnny Sexton, but he led the game and kicked his points.
France, on the other hand, looked so tired, slow and pedestrian, which is everything it hasn’t been in recent years.
The Irish players have a lot less playing time for their clubs than the French players in the Top 14 and I think it showed. It’s Ireland’s to lose.
