Wales (archive)
- Mark Orlovac - ±«Óătv Sport journalist
- 20 Mar 07, 01:45 PM
London - So after five weekends of thrilling action, the dust has settled on another Six Nations campaign.
Before the tournament started, our team of ±«Óătv Six Nations bloggers sat down to select a combined team of the tournament and we did the same three games in.
Now hostilities have come to an end, the votes have been painstakingly counted and we can exclusively reveal what we think is our definitive starting XV.
Triple crown winners Ireland provide six of the team, with champions France and Italy having four players apiece.
Youngster David Strettle is England's only selection while Wales and Wooden Spoonists Scotland miss out altogether.
Six players from the original team have kept their places, and interestingly five of them are in the pack.
Let us know what you think of our selections, what we've got right, what we've got wrong, and let us know how your Six Nations XV would look.
Continue reading "Team of the Tournament"
- Rob Hodgetts - ±«Óătv Sport journalist
- 18 Mar 07, 10:31 AM
London - The 2007 Six Nations ended in controversial, joyous, heartbreaking or infuriating fashion depending on the colour of your shirt.
But there's no doubt it's been a cracker - maybe not for the actual quality of rugby but for the drama and suspense right up until the final match.
France, Ireland and England were all tied at the top of the table going into Saturday's finale, meaning every point scored, for or against, would be crucial in deciding the eventual winners.
Continue reading "Six Nations - the final verdict"
- Phil Harlow, ±«Óătv Sport journalist
- 18 Mar 07, 10:30 AM
Cardiff - James Hook's outstanding display against England has given new hope to a Wales team that had looked bereft of it for much of the Six Nations.
But it has also provided coach Gareth Jenkins with a rather tricky selection dilemma in the very near future.
Continue reading "Do believe the hype"
- Phil Harlow, ±«Óătv Sport journalist
- 18 Mar 07, 09:21 AM
Millennium Stadium - Wales secured their first win of the Six Nations and avoided the Wooden Spoon with a hard-earned 27-18 win over England in Cardiff.
See what you think of my player ratings for both sides.
Continue reading "Wales v England player ratings"
- Sean Davies - ±«Óătv Wales Sport journalist
- 15 Mar 07, 10:51 AM
Cardiff - I took a fair bit of abuse in a previous blog as people seemed to think that my desire to see Wales beat England made me some sort of atavistic cave dweller.
With the big Cardiff showdown now looming large, Iâm still clearly smarting as Iâve decided to revisit the touchy subject.
Now I donât believe that a win over our oldest rivals should be Walesâ ultimate ambition, or that it would completely make up for a for Gareth Jenkinsâ team. But it would set the world to rights, if only for a short while â and hereâs whyâŠ
Continue reading "As long as Wales beat the English"
- Phil Harlow, ±«Óătv Sport journalist
- 14 Mar 07, 02:39 PM
Bath - England coach Brian Ashton may have only made to face Wales on Saturday.
But he certainly retains his reputation as a ruthless selector.
After starting all Six Nations matches so far, Josh Lewsey has been cast out of the entire squad following a disappointing performance against France.
His replacement by Sale winger Mark Cueto, who has never played at fullback for his country before and who has made only a handful of appearances in the position for his club, suddenly means his international future is looking a little uncertain.
Continue reading "Will Lewsey feature in Ashton's future plans?"
- Sean Davies - ±«Óătv Wales Sport journalist
- 14 Mar 07, 10:00 AM
Cardiff - Ok, Stephen Jones has taken some pretty vociferous criticism on various blogs and message boards for his performances in this season's Six Nations, and now he's .
I think a lot of the flak has been pretty unfair to a player who is a great servant to Welsh rugby and I would have kept him at outside-half in Wales' first four games of the Championship.
But said that Jones should have been taken out of the firing line after his battering in Rome and I'm with him on that one (hey, it's not a bad opinion to share!), but let's throw it open for your thoughts - I'm sure there'll be a few as usual on the Welsh number 10 debate!
Continue reading "Jones loss a blessing in disguise?"
- Phil Harlow, ±«Óătv Sport journalist
- 13 Mar 07, 11:14 AM
London - As we count down to the , there are still four teams with a chance - mathematically speaking, at any rate - of winning the title.
If, like me, maths in not your strong point, pens, paper, a calculator and a protractor may well be required for what follows....
Continue reading "Our Six Nations permutations guide"
- Nick Mullins - ±«Óătv Sport commentator
- 9 Mar 07, 05:04 PM
Rome - There is money at stake for Italians tomorrow.
If they can beat Wales and record their second win of the championship then they will each pick up a bonus of ÂŁ15,000.
Forget the pride of recording back-to-back victories in the Six Nations for the first time, this is also about pounds and pence, or euros and cents.
No-one is entirely sure why they have that . Andrea Scanavacca might not be Dan Carter but he did the business against Scotland.
Having said that Ramiro Pez was banging them over from his own half in the sunshine at the this lunchtime.
Continue reading "Rome learns to love rugby"
- Dewi Hughes - ±«Óătv Wales Sport journalist
- 7 Mar 07, 03:03 PM
The Wales rugby squad has its far share of humorous player nicknames.
None of them are particularly complimentary, but a fair bit more imaginative than in football, where the tendency is simply to tweak the surname (Giggsy, Keano, Lamps etc)
Gareth Thomas is known as âAlfieâ because of his canny resemblance to the furry alien in the popular 80âs television series ; Brent Cockbainâs uncompromising rucking has earned him the nickname âDisasterâ; while it doesnât take a genius to guess why Gethin Jenkins is affectionately called âMelon Headâ.
Continue reading "Will Welsh skipper's new nickname stick?"
- Sean Davies - ±«Óătv Wales Sport journalist
- 2 Mar 07, 12:07 PM
Cardiff - The general impression Iâve been getting from around the country this week is that the majority of Welsh fans see their team as the underdogs for next weekâs game with Italy at the Stadio Flaminio.
If thatâs correct, itâs the first time itâs happened - although I imagine that moods will swing back to the usual ridiculous Welsh optimism as we build towards the fixture!
I donât have any scientific facts to back up the theory, so I thought Iâd throw it open and see what the mood of the nation is.
Continue reading "Who are favourites in Rome?"
- Sean Davies - ±«Óătv Wales Sport journalist
- 28 Feb 07, 05:59 PM
Cardiff - There can only be one way to go after Super Saturday - the Six Nations must be expanded and taken to Spain.
Now we could have the worthy Argentina side playing from there, or we could allow the Spanish national team in to give Wales the chance of winning a game (Iâm sure Scotland would throw the new boys a few tries to get them started).
But the basic plan is the only sober conclusion I can come to after witnessing Saturdayâs eight-hour marathon feast from the depths of Finneganâs genuine Irish bar in Valencia.
Continue reading "Super Saturday from a skewed angle"
- Phil Harlow - ±«Óătv Sport journalist
- 27 Feb 07, 12:48 PM
After the pivotal third weekend, the is starting to look more settled.
France are the only team who can still achieve the Grand Slam, while Wales, with three straight defeats, are looking up at the rest of the sides.
Ireland are on course for a Triple Crown, but England took a big step backwards with their massive defeat in Dublin.
Italy showed they are a genuine force in the tournament with their first ever away win over a misfiring Scotland.
I've assessed the state of play with two weekends left to go.
Continue reading "Six Nations state of play"
- Bryn Palmer - ±«Óătv Sport journalist
- 25 Feb 07, 12:30 PM
So the dust is beginning to settle on the Six Nations' "Super Saturday" - three games, 163 points and 16 tries.
A good day to be a rugby union fan (although , and supporters may dispute that), the middle Saturday of the tournament was a real test of endurance.
Continue reading "How was "Super Saturday" for you?"
- Nick Mullins - ±«Óătv Sport commentator
- 23 Feb 07, 04:07 PM
Paris - I guess Wales will have a tougher French test to overcome when they run out at the Stade de France, but I hope they react with slightly less bemusement than the fans from Neath on the table next door this lunchtime, who struggled to decipher the bistro's rather unhelpful English menu.
This city is one of the gastronimical centres of the world - but I doubt chefs in the Place de la Republique will be rustling up too many dishes of "paving slabs on of top pepper sauce" for the red army this weekend.
A fortnight after trooping rather disconsolately away from Edinburgh, the fans are back out in force this weekend. It remains one of the enduring features of this grand old championship that no matter how badly your team might have let you down last time out, it'd be rude not to be with them again next time, especially when that next time is in Paris.
Continue reading "Welsh fans set Paris abuzz"
- Gareth Lewis - ±«Óătv Wales Sport presenter
- 23 Feb 07, 03:53 PM
Cardiff - You can always rely on Welsh rugby to throw up something controversial when things are starting to settle down again.
As thoughts turned to beating France rather than beating up the coach and captain, stole the headlines.
It's hard to disagree with the general consensus of wishing Phillips well in negotiating - or having had his agent negotiate - such a big deal, which constitutes a pay rise of anywhere between ÂŁ50,000 and ÂŁ100,000 depending on who you talk to.
All power to the scrum-half's elbow.
Continue reading "Will Phillips deal spark pay spiral?"
- Nick Mullins - ±«Óătv Sport commentator
- 22 Feb 07, 08:16 AM
Cardiff â I donât think Englandâs rugby players know how lucky they are sometimes.
Sure theyâve been rightly pilloried for that insipid performance against Italy, but they ought to pay their ÂŁ5.10 and spend some time on this side of the .
Then theyâd know exactly what when you live in an oval-shaped goldfish bowl.
Itâs interesting to see how quickly a team dubbed by some as potential Grand Slammers before the opener against Ireland can attract two games later. Itâs either feast or famine when it comes to the national team - the middle line is rarely popular.
Continue reading "Why Wales have cause for hope in Paris"
- Rob Hodgetts - ±«Óătv Sport journalist
- 15 Feb 07, 09:58 AM
London - I can't quite decide how I feel this morning. Not about life in general, though that's got me unusually stumped too, but about whether it's a good thing there's no this weekend.
By this time, we're normally upping the ante and starting to salivate over the weekend's clashes.
The teams have been named, the coaches and captains are in the process of delivering their final news conferences and we, the fans, are easing into our familiar pre-match routine of talking a load of old cobblers at each other until 30 seconds before kick-off.
Continue reading "Breaking the spell"
- Bruce Pope - ±«Óătv Wales Sport journalist
- 14 Feb 07, 04:15 PM
Cardiff - Are professional rugby players, specifically international rugby players, allowed to have a drink?
By drink I don't mean rehydrating with some fancy isotonic concoction or, heaven forbid, plain old water. I mean booze, hooch, the devil's brew - alcohol.
I only ask because one of the daily tabloids down here in Cardiff dedicated Wednesday's back page to a report on how after Saturday's defeat to Scotland.
Apparently there were more than a few Welsh fans "enraged" by seeing Gareth Jenkins' boys out supping a few ales after .
Continue reading "Drowning sorrows brews trouble"
- John Beattie - ±«Óătv Scotland Sport commentator
- 12 Feb 07, 11:50 AM
I seek knowledge. Could someone please explain to me the concept of home advantage? Eh? What is it all about?
Why do teams playing on a piece of turf that is 100m by 70m and largely identical to any other such piece of turf .
Hoarse, tired, happy. Thatâs how it feels after youâve won, and all I was doing was a commentary!
Having been at Murrayfield on Saturday and marvelled at how a Scottish rugby team with such a paucity of comparative resources can beat a Welsh team, life is a bit sweeter.
Continue reading "Why does home advantage make a difference?"
- Sean Davies - ±«Óătv Wales Sport journalist
- 11 Feb 07, 04:26 PM
Cardiff - âThe Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over.
âThe others are those who who pushed their control as far as they felt they could handle it, and then pulled back, or slowed down, or did whatever they had to when it came time to choose between Now and Laterâ - .
So how can a side like Wales, who lived and thrived on that edge between prudence and disaster in 2005, be reduced to the ineptitude of ?
Continue reading "Wales flounder around The Edge"
- Andrew Cotter - ±«Óătv Sport commentator
- 9 Feb 07, 12:04 PM
Edinburgh - They are comingâŠâŠâŠ..
Friday morning - I have arrived in Edinburgh and already they are everywhere.
Legions of them, bringing strange sounds and songs. They are unstoppable. Soon they will take control of the city and will run red.
No pub is safe. Flee while you can.
So, is it still true that Welsh fans travel in greater number to Edinburgh than they do for any other 6 Nations game?
Continue reading "Hail the Welsh invasion"
- Sean Davies - ±«Óătv Wales Sport journalist
- 5 Feb 07, 03:43 PM
Cardiff - Considering Walesâ early February dreams of Triple Crowns and Grand Slams had been shattered after the , there was a remarkably positive feeling reverberating around the streets of Cardiff on Sunday night.
Now thereâs no doubt that the liberal amounts of alcohol doled out on St Maryâs Street had a major influence on that.
But, inebriation aside, I think that the lightness of Welsh spirits can be attributed to three specific factors.
Continue reading "Wales revels in defeat"
- Sean Davies - ±«Óătv Wales Sport journalist
- 4 Feb 07, 06:07 PM
Millennium Stadium- I witnessed at first hand the thrills and spills of Sunday's Six Nations clash in Cardiff. See if you agree with my ratings for players on both sides.
Wales
K Morgan - 8. Walesâ biggest counter-attacking threat; pulled off a stunning, try-saving tackle on OâDriscoll.
H Luscombe - 4. Luscombeâs talents in the centre are often unfairly criticised, but he showed again that he lacks the pace of an international wing and is only an emergency stand-in in the role.
J Robinson â 5. Although Robinson offers genuine pace at 13 there was a lack of penetration from the Wales three-quarter line.
J Hook â 6. Flashes of his attacking skill came through, but he struggled to handle DâArcyâs physicality and had a crucial second-half clearance kick charged down.
Continue reading "Wales v Ireland player ratings"
- Sean Davies - ±«Óătv Wales Sport journalist
- 2 Feb 07, 02:28 PM
Cardiff - Altitude training and an escape from the all-consuming Six Nations build-up with a stay in Tenerife was the meticulously planned schedule for this yearâs Championship.
Iâm not sure whether this would have worked for any of the squads, but my pre-tournament jolly didnât quite maximise my effectiveness for the mighty tasks to come.
The Wales team announcement should have been done and dusted by the time I plunged back into work, with time to build up the battles before heading down to the Millennium Stadium for the on Sunday. But nothing is ever that straightforward in Welsh rugby â certainly not when Gareth Thomas is involved.
Continue reading "From the volcano to the cauldron"
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