‘We can’t keep saying it’s a massive game … they all are, every single one of them,’ says Humphreys
AFTER a huge defeat last weekend against France, Wales head into a must- win game against Italy this Saturday, (February 8).
Wales suffered a colossal 43-0 defeat last Friday, January 31, the first time Wales have been held scoreless in the championship since their 51-0 defeat against France in 1998.
But for Welsh players and coaches it is now about moving onto Saturday’s clash.
“The pressure doesn’t make you perform better, it’s about being clear about what we want to do and what we want to achieve,” said Jonathan Humphreys, assistant forwards coach.
“We can’t concentrate on saying it’s a massive game, well France is a massive game, this is a massive game, Ireland is a massive game, Scotland, England, they all are, every single one of them, like I say every single one of them is written down in history,” said the former Welsh captain.
Ignoring all the noise was a key topic in Tuesday’s press conference.
“When you’re in a situation like we are, it’s easy to talk about ‘it’s a must win, the pressure’s massive’, we know that and it’s about us trying to get the players to focus on what we can control,
“If we start talking about outcome, outcome, pressure, it’s a whole different scenario that’s not going to help us in anything that we’re trying to achieve,” said Humphreys.
For back row James Botham, focussing on moving on from the heavy defeat was also a key factor.
“Every game is big, obviously everyone keeps referring back to this loss streak, but we need to get the win now and set ourselves up for the Six Nations and see if we can finish in a better position than we did last year,” said Botham.
“Against France we were unlucky at times, obviously held up over the line. Those things we can’t plan out, it’s just how the cookie crumbles. If we go back in with the same kind of game plan, obviously slightly different because it’s a different team, things will tweak and then we just have to execute it and then hopefully those one-percenters go our way.”
Despite remaining focussed on the plan, both Humphreys and Botham stressed that Italy will not be an easy game.
“We understand who they are and how they want to play. They have danger men all over the place,” said Humphreys.
“They’re all very good aren’t they? They’re gonna be very passionate about it and it’s going to be a good battle between the back row and that sometimes is where games are won,” said Botham.
Some fans have also looked at the positives of the players and coaches.
“Despite the deeply unflattering scoreline, some aspects of the Welsh performance were an improvement on what we saw in 2024,” said Toby Upham, a 24-year-old Wales fan from Hereford.
“There was a great deal more physicality in defence, particularly in the first half, and although there is a distinct lack of sharp attacking weapons in the backline, their overall offensive shape was relatively well formed throughout.”
At the end of the game against France both teams ended the game with equal possession with the sides being relatively matched in attacking stats across the board.
But Wales suffered greatly with defence and discipline and this is where the game was lost.
“Given their struggle to win exchanges at the gain line they need to try to play for as much territory as possible. This means putting a stop to their strange habit of unnecessary kicks to contest.
“What does need to change if they are to have any hope of winning in Rome is their decision-making on the ball,” said Toby.
During the game Welsh players only managed to beat 12 defenders in open play compared to France’s 27 with Wales only managing five line breaks through the contest showing a clear lack of attacking prowess.
Through the full contest Wales missed a whopping 27 tackles compared to France’s 12 with France also managing two interceptions compared to Wales’ zero.
Penalties are an area Warren Gatland’s side need to address in the game against Italy, with 12 penalties conceded during the game.
In this week’s game against Italy which many, including former Welsh No 10 Dan Biggar, have pinned as the battle for the wooden spoon, Wales will need to be much more careful after giving away the most penalties of any team during the first round.
Early changes to the squad facing Italy have already been announced with Scarlets’ back row Taine Plumtree being called up to the travelling squad due to Aaron Wainwright’s injury to his face in the third minute of the game against France.
Taulupe Faletau is expected to make his return this week after missing the first round through injury adding vital experience to the scrum.
Still notably absent from the squad is Gloucester centre Max Llewellyn who so far this season has scored the second most tries in the Gallagher Premiership.
Fan Toby Upham said: “In terms of selection I would start Dan Edwards. He looked level-headed and dynamic off the bench and Wales need to give him as much test experience as possible.
“I would also start Tommy Reffell, his capacity to win turnovers is an invaluable asset in defence and that pairs well with a more territory and defence-based game plan that I believe would see Wales have more success.”
A loss against Italy brings with it a huge amount of danger with Wales on the brink of dropping below Georgia in the world rugby rankings.
This potential disaster for the men’s Welsh rugby team has once again brought up suggestions of a relegation system in the Six Nations. Even former Wales captain Sam Warburton backs the idea.
James Botham praised the Welsh public for still turning up each week to support their side despite their recent form.
“They made the effort to come out and especially with the way everything costs now, for people to make that sacrifice and with other things they could be doing, but they’re coming out to watch and support.
“You just can’t thank them enough, and it just shows you how strong we are as a nation when it comes to the one sport we love.”
