Hit And Miss Campaign But Some Stunning Tries

Hit And Miss Campaign But Some Stunning Tries

- Shane Williams

 Modern day Test rugby is all about momentum and after victory over South Africa, Wales can go into the Six Nations with a degree of confidence.

But the Autumn campaign could, and should, have been a lot better. Two wins from four is not bad, but it’s not great either – about a B-minus. There were some good things, but certainly plenty of areas to improve upon.

This win didn’t come easily and midway through the second half I was really concerned. But we came out on the right side of the result which was nothing short of vital. Lose and Wales would have ended the series with just one poor success over Georgia.

A 50 percent win ratio is hardly something to gloat about, I know, but I was interested to hear Warren Gatland say after the game that he’s more than happy for the media to talk up the likes of England, Ireland and Scotland for the Six Nations.

The first half against South Africa was exactly the sort of rugby I’ve wanted to see from Wales – it was great to watch but the question I have to ask is why has it taken this long for it to arrive?

It was clear to see Dan Biggar targetting South Africa in the air and once full-back Andries Coetzee had tried to claim a couple of high balls, you could see why. He was awful in that area, but Wales do deserve credit for the way they exploited the Springboks weaknesses in defence to claim three first-half scores.

The first for Scott Williams was a beauty. It was a sublime cross-kick from Dan, so good in fact that Hallam Amos didn’t even have to break stride as he ran on to the ball. After that, all the momentum was with Wales and Scott had a relatively easy finish.