{"id":19405,"date":"2017-03-21T11:58:10","date_gmt":"2017-03-21T11:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=19405"},"modified":"2017-03-21T11:58:10","modified_gmt":"2017-03-21T11:58:10","slug":"comment-six-nations-campaign-gives-wales-questions-answers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2017\/03\/21\/comment-six-nations-campaign-gives-wales-questions-answers\/","title":{"rendered":"Comment: Six Nations campaign gives Wales more questions than answers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">WALES, world rugby\u2019s great slow starters, opened the 2017 Six Nations with a trip to Italy. After the autumn campaign, fans were excited after seven new caps had been selected for the tournament. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That excitement dissipated when none of them was picked for the opening match. Seven weeks since that opening round, they all remain uncapped.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cIt is important that we start well, hence the selection,\u201d said interim head coach Rob Howley ahead of the game. They started anything but well. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Italy led 7-3 at half-time despite Wales dominating possession and territory. Wales\u2019 lack of composure and clinical edge had been the main criticism of Howley\u2019s side, and the concerns did not go away as they tried and failed to break down the Italian defence.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It took over an hour for Wales to score their first try. Eventually they finished up with three, and came within a whisker of a fourth when Liam Williams just lost control of the ball in the final play of the game. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How critical would it be that Wales missed out on a bonus point? In terms of the final table, it didn\u2019t matter a bit, but Wales were the only side not to score four tries or more against Italy. That is a telling statistic.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To the visit of England. Injuries to Dan Biggar and George North in Rome gave hope to a Welsh public crying out for signs of progress that Sam Davies and Steff Evans might be handed their chance.<\/span><br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_17700\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17700\" style=\"width: 519px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-17700\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/George_North-1024x766.jpg\" alt=\"North missed out on England game, before coming in for huge criticism for his performance against Scotland\" width=\"519\" height=\"388\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/George_North-1024x766.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/George_North-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/George_North-770x576.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/George_North-500x374.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/George_North-293x219.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/George_North.jpg 1027w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 519px) 100vw, 519px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-17700\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-17700\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/George_North-1024x766.jpg\" alt=\"North missed out on England game, before coming in for huge criticism for his performance against Scotland\" width=\"519\" height=\"388\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/George_North-1024x766.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/George_North-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/George_North-770x576.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/George_North-500x374.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/George_North-293x219.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/George_North.jpg 1027w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 519px) 100vw, 519px\" \/><\/noscript> North missed out on the England game, before coming in for huge criticism for his performance against Scotland (Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/deed.en\">liamwarrender<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As it was, Biggar was passed fit and North was replaced in the warm-up by Alex Cuthbert. Form was being ignored for experience, and the lack of form showed on the field. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Liam Williams ran in a superbly executed training-ground move just before half-time, suggesting that Wales had found a semblance of attacking flair at their Vale base. At the hour mark, Wales led 16-11 and were well on top. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But once again, old failings came back to haunt Wales and they were incapable of crossing the try-line when they needed to. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With just four minutes to go, leading 16-14, England hammered away but Liam Williams came up with a potentially match-winning turnover. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jonathan Davies had one job, to send the ball into row Z and allow his aching team to regroup. He did not achieve his goal.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As three million Welshmen sighed with a sense of inevitability about what would unfold, George Ford, Owen Farrell and Elliot Daly combined in 10 seconds of slick, crisp, magnificent passing to round Cuthbert and score the winning try in the corner. The difference between the two sides was encapsulated in that ruthless passage of play. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Murrayfield next. Wales hadn\u2019t lost to their opponents in a decade, but this Scotland side was better than any other incarnation they had faced in that time.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the first-half, that record didn\u2019t look like ending. Quick-thinking from the effervescent Rhys Webb at a scrum penalty caught Scotland napping, and after some Farrell-esque crisp passing, Liam Williams finished off the move in the corner.<\/span><br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19407\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19407\" style=\"width: 457px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-19407\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Webby-1024x766.jpg\" alt=\"Rhys Webb staked a claim for the Lions nine jersey with a succession of superb performances \" width=\"457\" height=\"342\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Webby-1024x766.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Webby-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Webby-770x576.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Webby-500x374.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Webby-293x219.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Webby.jpg 1027w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 457px) 100vw, 457px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19407\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-19407\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Webby-1024x766.jpg\" alt=\"Rhys Webb staked a claim for the Lions nine jersey with a succession of superb performances \" width=\"457\" height=\"342\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Webby-1024x766.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Webby-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Webby-770x576.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Webby-500x374.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Webby-293x219.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Webby.jpg 1027w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 457px) 100vw, 457px\" \/><\/noscript> Rhys Webb staked a claim for the Lions nine jersey with a succession of superb performances (Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/3.0\/deed.en\">Caroline L\u00e9na Becker<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Halfpenny failed to extend the lead to 16-6, and soon after Finn Russell made it 13-9 at half-time.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Few would have predicted that Russell\u2019s kick would be the beginning of an unanswered 23-point haul for the home side as Wales fell to pieces, consigning themselves to an embarrassing 29-13 defeat. Surely something had to change?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It didn\u2019t. Howley opted to offer the same XV a shot at redemption with the visit of Ireland. Was he mad? George North was, and he proceeded to take out his anger on the Irish defence, scoring Wales\u2019 first two tries with Webb once again the catalyst. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was a brutal, frenetic match but Wales were still leading 15-9 with 11 minutes to go. However, Ireland were on the up and looked for all money as if they would maul over for a game-changing try.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And so they did &#8211; illegally. Centre Robbie Henshaw flew into the maul ahead of the ball-carrying Rory Best, leaving Wayne Barnes (who had missed a similar call the previous weekend and so had the ruling ingrained in his mind) no option but to penalise the unstoppable green tide.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The decision sucked all of the wind out of Ireland\u2019s sails, whereas Wales found another and Jamie Roberts\u2019 late try gave the win a comfortable 22-9 gloss. The question now: Could Wales sustain that level of performance for a second week?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They couldn\u2019t. As with Scotland, a long-standing winning record came to an end at the Stade de France. For 80 minutes, it was one of the least memorable matches in modern rugby history.<\/span><br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19408\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19408\" style=\"width: 455px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-19408\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Wayne-Barnes-1024x766.jpg\" alt=\"Referee Wayne Barnes handled a range of difficult decisions expertly in Wales' matches with Ireland and France\" width=\"455\" height=\"340\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Wayne-Barnes-1024x766.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Wayne-Barnes-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Wayne-Barnes-770x576.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Wayne-Barnes-500x374.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Wayne-Barnes-293x219.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Wayne-Barnes.jpg 1027w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 455px) 100vw, 455px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19408\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-19408\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Wayne-Barnes-1024x766.jpg\" alt=\"Referee Wayne Barnes handled a range of difficult decisions expertly in Wales' matches with Ireland and France\" width=\"455\" height=\"340\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Wayne-Barnes-1024x766.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Wayne-Barnes-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Wayne-Barnes-770x576.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Wayne-Barnes-500x374.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Wayne-Barnes-293x219.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Wayne-Barnes.jpg 1027w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 455px) 100vw, 455px\" \/><\/noscript> Referee Wayne Barnes handled a range of difficult decisions expertly in Wales&#8217; matches with Ireland and France (Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/deed.en\">Pierre-Selim<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wales only once looked close to scoring a try, and indeed they would have if Virimi Vakatawa hadn\u2019t done what everyone would have done in that situation and deliberately knocked the ball on. Referee Barnes wasn\u2019t certain of a try (though the law book only stipulates a try would probably have been scored) and no penalty try was awarded. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">France weren\u2019t much better but as ever they were at times irresistible in attack, particularly in the early stages with Remi Lamerat going over for an early five-pointer. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As it was, Leigh Halfpenny\u2019s right boot returned to its factory settings and knocked over six challenging penalties, and Wales led 18-13 when injury-time began. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Little did anyone know that injury-time would last for a (surely never to be repeated) 20 minutes as the Wales pack found themselves cast in rugby\u2019s interpretation of Groundhog Day. Many blamed Wayne Barnes\u2019 handling of the situation, but he controlled France\u2019s dubious substitutions, numerous reset scrums and the Welsh infringements with aplomb. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Should he have awarded a penalty try for the repeated scrum penalties? Absolutely not. Penalty tries have nothing to do with the quantity of offences. Wales may have been committing technical infringements at engagement, but France weren\u2019t walking their opponents over the try-line, and so play continued. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Damien Chouly\u2019s try with 99 minutes and 55 seconds on the clock robbed viewers of the pleasure of seeing 100 minutes, and with it robbed Wales of a victory.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wales ended the tournament fifth. Only Italy were below them. It doesn\u2019t matter how one sugarcoats it, that is not a good result. But at least the team\u2019s playing style has progressed and new players have been blooded?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nope. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There were some plus points. Individually, Ken Owens, Justin Tipuric, Sam Warburton, Ross Moriarty and Rhys Webb were outstanding for the majority, if not all, of the championships. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But for some reason, that only those involved can explain, the total was far less than the sum of the parts. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WALES, world rugby\u2019s great slow starters, opened the 2017 Six Nations with a trip to Italy. After the autumn campaign, fans were excited after seven new caps had been selected for the tournament. That excitement dissipated when none of them was picked for the opening match. Seven weeks since that opening round, they all remain uncapped. \u201cIt is important that we start well, hence the selection,\u201d said interim head coach Rob Howley ahead of the game. They started anything but [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":248,"featured_media":19407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[151,4],"tags":[152,1291,1642,180,241,1644,3432,4793,766,2889,3557,154,1799,985,328,339,4864],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-19405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rugby","category-sport","tag-italy","tag-cardiff-2","tag-england","tag-france","tag-george-north","tag-ireland","tag-justin-tipuric","tag-ken-owens","tag-leigh-halfpenny","tag-liam-williams","tag-rhys-webb","tag-rugby-2","tag-sam-warburton","tag-scotland","tag-six-nations","tag-wales","tag-wayne-barnes"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Comment: Six Nations campaign gives Wales more questions than answers - The Cardiffian<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2017\/03\/21\/comment-six-nations-campaign-gives-wales-questions-answers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Comment: Six Nations campaign gives Wales more questions than answers - The Cardiffian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"WALES, world rugby\u2019s great slow starters, opened the 2017 Six Nations with a trip to Italy. After the autumn campaign, fans were excited after seven new caps had been selected for the tournament. That excitement dissipated when none of them was picked for the opening match. Seven weeks since that opening round, they all remain uncapped. \u201cIt is important that we start well, hence the selection,\u201d said interim head coach Rob Howley ahead of the game. They started anything but [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2017\/03\/21\/comment-six-nations-campaign-gives-wales-questions-answers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Cardiffian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-03-21T11:58:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Webby.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1027\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cathyduncan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@cathyduncan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cathyduncan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2017\/03\/21\/comment-six-nations-campaign-gives-wales-questions-answers\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2017\/03\/21\/comment-six-nations-campaign-gives-wales-questions-answers\/\",\"name\":\"Comment: Six Nations campaign gives Wales more questions than answers - 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After the autumn campaign, fans were excited after seven new caps had been selected for the tournament. That excitement dissipated when none of them was picked for the opening match. Seven weeks since that opening round, they all remain uncapped. \u201cIt is important that we start well, hence the selection,\u201d said interim head coach Rob Howley ahead of the game. 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