Welsh Match Answers Questions

The All Blacks downed Wales by 45-10 in a good old fashioned hiding at millenium stadium. A few questions were answered by this victory, first and foremost it has been settled that the All Blacks are no more cheats than anyone else in world rugby. Two players were yellow carded and, according to the Welsh commentators that we were privileged to enjoy on the Foxtel feed in Aussie, the All Blacks were lucky that the entire team were not sent from the field. They did have to concede that the calls against McCaw in particular to get away from the ball faster were harsh, however moments earlier they had themselves been bleating away about how he was lying all over the ball and cheating. In fact what was obvious from this game is that the All Blacks are miles ahead of a welsh side that lived up to the label of the village idiots of world rugby. Only one penalty try had to be awarded during the game (not against the ABs) and it wasn't an All Black that punched the opposition skipper in the face nearly sparking an all in melee. In addition, the Welsh were only able to score a try once, and that was while the captain was off the field. Having struck back, they quickly conceded a converted try to undo all of their hard work.

If the commentating that I heard is what passes for analysis of rugby in that part of the world then they have a massive uphill battle ahead of them to get to grips with where they are falling behind, and what to do about it. Constantly I was forced to listen to two whinging welshmen, one of whom was convinced that the All Blacks were continually screwing the scrum, and then taking it down because "no scrum can twist like that without it being purposely done by the opposing team pulling back on one side of the scrum". Well, if that is what they think was wrong with their scrum during that game, then they wont improve any time soon. The fact is that they were being torn apart time and time again by a better scrummaging unit, and probably resorted to screwing the scrum themselves to try and get a penalty. Full marks for trying to do something about getting the squeeze put on, but like everything else they tried that day, it didn't work.

What is most interesting about all of this though, is that it just doesn't matter. 45-10 was the final score and Wales were comprehensively out gunned all over the park. Their much vaunted back line failed to fire, and all that the forwards could do in the end was resort to cheap shot pucnhes on McCaw, and pulling Luke McAlister's hair near the end of the match. When you're behind by 40 points that is about all you can do really and it sums up just how average this Welsh side is, and how full of hot air the northern hemisphere media has been about this Welsh side.

Wales also failed as hosts. The field was simply shocking, an embarrasment to the game. There were patches of grass, the rest was uneven mud. The state of millenium stadium is a searing indictment on human civilisation between the years 1000 to 2000. It was shocking, imagine expecting international teams to play on fields that would compare unfavourably with most school fields in the rest of the world?

Also, the Welsh did not allow the haka to be performed in the place that it has for the last 100 years. Full marks to the All Blacks for refusing to give in to this sort of bullying. It is a tradition, like it or not, and failing to respect the tradition is an insult to the touring side. If the Welsh are going to play games, they can't cry foul when the All Blacks wont buy into it. The crowd did not deserve to see the haka even though the chanting from the crowd of "haka, haka, haka..." indicated that most people at the game wanted to see it. Whatever happened to teams being judged by their hospitality? The Aussies played silly mind games in Brisbane against the All Blacks this year and it back fired, now the Welsh have felt it too. This tour is over, the All Blacks won well in every game, and the World Cup is now their focus. These petty things might warrant further consideration in the Northern Hemisphere but the AB's will be turning to the World Cup and winning that. Good for them.

Elsewhere the Wallabies managed to turn around a poor start against a fired up, but ultimately aimless, Scottish side. 44-15 was the final score, and it was an accurate reflection of the way the two teams played. Scotland had a lot of passion, but that was about it. It was good for 10-15 minutes, but they simply were outclassed by a Wallabies side that turned up to play this time. Putting players back into their preferred position really worked wonders in the back line and that was the difference between the two sides. The scrums were a bit better, and the tight five will get better with more game time. Come the world cup they will be as tough to beat as ever.

The rest of the games don't really rate a mention. England were beaten by a Springbok side that kicked a better game than England did. White will be pleased to head back with a victory under his belt and this may just save his bacon. The meeting will go a bit better for him, however the decision may have already been made about his future prospects. Good luck Jake.