OK, here it is, the big one. Well hopefully not THE big one, if we win we have a semi, and every shot of making the final. And that is what is making me so nervous. We now have a REAL route to the final, thanks to the Irish beating the Aussies, and looking ahead of ourselves is something we have done very well in the past – how many false dawns have we managed so far?
The fact is this is a big game. The Irish have been playing a game of trying to get the word ‘ding-dong’ into teh media interviews, and it shouldn’t be hard here. It WILL be a ding-dong battle. We’re in good form and the Irish have shown they still have a pack that can beat top teams.
That is probably the major battle. If the Irish pack can get on top they can strangle us out of the game. Yes, they do have some cracking backs – I am a huge Tommy Bowe fan, and BoD continues to be a threat. But in total I am not too concerned about their backs…if it does become a wide game that should suit us.
Forward Clash
It is the forwards that concerns me. The Irish win vs Australia was based highly in two things
1. The scrum. They dominated a scrum that was being ranked as improving, whilst hardly being a traditional strength of this Irish side
2. Backrow. The Irish backrow is working in impressive union, smashing into ruck and carrying massively.
Now think about that. The Irish scrum on top? If they can beat Adam and Gethin there then it would be a miracle. Hell they couldn’t even beat Craig Mitchell and Paul James there in the 6 Nations (despite some early arrogance form their press about it). Will we get on top there? Usually I would be confident, but lets see how the fitness of Adam and Geth manage, and how the difference of Charteris being in the 2nd row vs the powerful Bradley goes.
Backrow? Far, far more of a concern. O’Brien is probably the form flanker, and I doubted him as being a 7 but he is kicking backside there. Ferris is destroying rucks and all 3 are carrying like beasts. Our backrow has gone pretty well. I would say Warburton has been the premier 7 in the tournie (SoB playing more like a 6.5), but whilst Lydiate has come on in leaps and bounds his all round game doesn’t approach that of Ferris or Sob. At 8 it’ll all be about form on the day, let us hope Faletau finds his game he had vs SA!
The fact is this is where I am concerned. I try to look at Wales with a realistic eye, in fact many accuse me of being excessively negative. But right now I am getting too carried away I think. They probably edge the pack with their impressive 2nd row…but if we get on top at the scrums and Charteris can hold his own in the lineouts (both should be very possible), then we could at the very least match them.
Out side the game should be ours. It is great to see Halfpenny at 15 – he was easily our most dangerous back when he came on their vs Samoa, and given the indifferent form of Byrne and the fact that Hook IS NOT A FULLBACK (Needs capitals for emphasis) it was an easy selection imo.
George North! is still as deserving of his exclamation point as ever. Over here the NZ herald even run a piece comparing him to Jonah Lomu. He is a beast. Shane on the other wing is still a threat vs anyone (though memory seems to suggest he struggles vs the ever dangerous Bowe).
Roberts is approaching his best form, which is great to see. Jon Davies though has struggled alongside him, though I did rate his game vs South Africa. Scott Williams or Hook had a shot, so lets hope Davies manages to hold his game and, at the very least, keeps BoD in check.
Priestland has far more to his game than RoG (please, please, don’t let bloody RoG of all people be the one to knock us out). At scrum half Phillips is also hitting form.
So all this means – I am bloody cacking myself. I can’t remember the last time I was this confident, and there in is where the problem lays. Too many times our pride has come before the fall. And I am far from the only one thinking like that.
Talking to Welsh fans here in New Zealand they are feeling much the same. We get cocky, thinking about actually making a final…then we remember our tendency to fall at hurdles, and the Irish win vs Oz. Because whilst they have failed to impress this year, never mind the RWC, they have fronted when it mattered – impressive and deserved wins vs England in the 6N and Oz in the RWC.
They are a team that knows how to win when it matters – look at Munster and Leinster. Even when they may not be in the best form they can front up. And we needed a dodgy linesman and home advantage to win the 6 Nations.
So for me, trying to be sensible, toss a coin. Letting my emotions take over? Wales by 10, with Roberts and George North! smashing holes.
Bring it on! Oh and a quick gloat – I have tickets. Mwhahahaha.
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Cheers for the preview. These are probably the two most evenly matched teams in the entire competition. And both sets of supporters are rightly confident given the form of their respective teams.
I do think that the absence of Byrne will be a loss for Wales, his indifferent form notwithstanding. If you remember back to the six nations match this year his reading of the game prevented Ireland from getting the kind of field position we thrive on. Halfpenny’s got electric pace but is his positional sense and aerial ability as good as Brynes? It’ll have to be on saturday as they’ll be plenty of bombs put up between himself and Kearney.
I reckon Kidney might also have missed a trick in not at least starting with Sexton however. The winning of this game is going to be in the backrow, but the selection of O Gara means that the Irish flankers will have to do a significant amount of defensive work in this channel, instead of having the license to attack the opposition as they have done thus far.
It should be a cracker. May the best team win, and may that team bring the trophy home for the celts.
I’m devastated. We got beat, fair and square. It’s my penance to say so on a Welsh site. Well done fellas. You played with conviction and precision. We have nothing else to say to Welsh rugby for this world cup. May you go to the final & may the sun shine on you.
Great stuff, hope you lads knock over those bloody Frenchmen.
Well called. What about France ? I felt that Ireland were a much tougher proposition than France but the french have this infuriating habit of raising their game. Then again, they have looked distinctly average during this WC; 2 losses (1 to Tonga) and the match against England was not so much a stellar performance by France as a dire one by the perfidious albions who were quite awful. I feel that we can do it if we continue to play as we have and hold our nerve and composure. We need to come out of the blocks fast and hard and attack France relentlessly in the first 20 mins plus. If we are up at half time I favour our chances as it will deal a major psychological blow to the french which, with their tendency to fatalism may prove to be decisive.Nonetheless, I am getting very nervous.
Come on men of Wales your time has come. Stand up to the mark set by those great Welsh men that have gone before you. Let your passes be straight and true, let your tackles be hard and effective. Let the backs hold their line firm and let the forwards not droop under the weight on their shoulders.
You can win this but don’t forget the fight is not over till the whistle has been blown even if you are running in the lead.
Dont expect any quarter to be given by the French, expect the worst.
Go with God and a strong heart, we are all with you.