jose_jones says...

@ Whitelinefever,... yes, yes.. we hear this everytime Wales win a grandslam,... perhaps one day,.. when (sorry.... "if") Englnd win one,.... we can say the same about you.

Posted 07:18 21st March 2012

whitelinefever says...

Come on duff ref calls got Wales past ire and eng and they beat a French side away from home in transition. I predict another two or three year lull for welch rugby....with maybe one southern scalp in that period.

Posted 01:07 21st March 2012

ThinkingGame says...

Thanks for all the warnings guys, it is very important this team doesn't start dreaming of world domination just yet. We sort of assumed the 05 and 09 Lions would be full of Welsh slam winners, and that at some point after those more wins against the three best teams would come, and through injury and collapsing form, it never happened.

This Welsh team has a professionalism and intelligence that hasn't been there before, and that should help them deal with the long history of defeat to the big three, and the expectation that will now be on them. But they still have inconsistency in the lineout, and goal kicking, and a few too many players who cannot be replaced without weakening the side dramatically to be talking about when, and not if, they'll win in the SH.

Posted 15:42 20th March 2012

jose_jones says...

So I see it's turned into a kick the Welsh upstart thread,... again.

Just a few points for all the rocket scientists who put their name to a few comments here.

Read the article properly,.... it just makes you sound uneducated and a little bit arrogant when you comment on nothing more than the big words in the article,... I'm sure by now that those people I'm aiming this post at have already stopped reading and are looking for some picturesto look at.

Secondly,... Everyone knows the top three teams in the world are from the SH,... we can all read,... you don't have to contunually pull your skirts down everytime someone from the North has the bare faced cheek to say ,... AND I QUOTE "Our big aim is to be consistent in beating the southern hemisphere sides," That's how you get better,... you give yourself targets. It's called a goal.... now please don't cry,.. it probably won't happen.

So, to sum up,... read the whole article in context (if that's at all possible), and get over yourselves,..

Oh and just one more thing,... Wales won the Six Naions through paying rugby against their opposition, only Ireland tried to do the same back,.. only Ireland looked like beating them.

Posted 09:16 20th March 2012

kiwikev says...

@ JayStarr

I agree with you about the rising talent in the SA side but I think that having a strong leader (rather than the previous dolt) in the head coach's position is what will set the Boks right as much as anything else...

Posted 05:27 20th March 2012

ABlack says...

Cant wait for the next time the ABlacks play Wales in Wales in November.....!

Posted 00:18 20th March 2012

Ripzy007 says...

Gatland, you have beaten Oz in say in like before your recent 7 losses..No BIG Deal...You have also beaten the Boks recently, less importance....The Biggest and most significant scalp will be the ABs and that's all that matters...

Posted 23:21 19th March 2012

draig says...

A few interesting comments at Wales expense here: A few people critising Gats for thinking wales will win down under - read the article, he said the AIM is to win down under, if he's not aiming for that then we might as well give up and go down the pub...

Some bitter England fans I see... Lovely...

Someone commented on the current welsh pack losing to NZ/AUS and that the SH backlines will be too much for Wales. Well the current Welsh squad in its current form hasnt played NZ yet and the AUS games (SF play off and the Nov game) were 3/4 point loses. Not a huge amount to try and find really...

Posted 19:01 19th March 2012

JayStarr says...

@ tmcadadams: If Wales is playing South Africa this (NH I assume) summer... then nobody has bothered to inform us about it!

As far as I'm aware we're playing England... In fact, we're not even playing Wales during our end of year tour. Which means if they want to beat us, they'll have to beat the real deal next year.

@ three6three6:

As for the Springboks being weak after losing so many experienced players... Really? I said it myself before, but let's think about that again:

Who have we lost? John Smit and Victor Matfield. Fourie du Preez, Bakkies Botha and Danie Rousseau are still playing - just not in SA. Matfield is a big loss... but will almost certainly be the line-out coach, so not that big a loss. And who's replacing him? Andries Bekker! As for Smit: good riddance! Now Bismarck can start and Adriaan Strauss/Schalk Brits can be in the squad. Better, I say.

Also, Heyneke Meyer has already said he has no probelm with picking overseas players and will be contacting them all soon... So actually it means we'll have MORE talent available than before. And add to that the brilliant youngsters coming through and Meyer's statement that he believes in picking players who are in form, I think we'll be better off than during Jake White and PdV's "incumbent" era.

Players like Steven Kitshoff, Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Marcell Coetzee, Patrick Lambie, Johan Goosen and Jaco Taute are some the best players in the country at the moment - and they're all 20 years old!! Add to that Francois Steyn, Juan de Jongh, Francois Hougaard, Rynhardt Elstadt, Coenie Oosthuizen, Elton Jantjies, JJ Engelbrecht, Johann Sadie - all freaks of nature less than 24 yrs old - and SA rugby seems to be in a very good place actually!

@ philb87: Good game this weekend! But give the ball to Tamati more often please - he's in my fantasy team... ;P

Posted 17:39 19th March 2012

three6three6 says...

I agree with the analysis that Wales are now closing in on the SH giants currently occupying 1, 2 and 3 in the current world rankings. As for form in the Super 15 this does not really matter too much. What does matter more is having an injury free squad of top players ready to play at international level. Mention has been made of the players that will not be available to NZ and RSA. The BOKKE will be in a significantly different position having seasoned players.

Wales should be able to win at least one of their international matches against the Wallabies. This is also the time and place to show some form for all of those players looking for British & Irish Lions selection in 2013.

Wales will hopefully beat the ABs in my lifetime.... they have not managed to do so since 1953.... which is a tragedy for such a passionate rugby playing nation. Wales did come close in 1978 - being beaten in the final minutes through the award of a very controversial penalty. But 1980 was a turning point in Wales rugby fortunes.... and apart from a close match in 2004, Wales have been smashed by the ABs. However, the score lines over recent matches have been smaller - only a 12 point margin in 2010.

However, Wales should realistically target beating the BOKKE and the Wallabies at the Millennium Stadium later this year. The BOKKE have a poor record on recent European Tours and will be certainly be beatable.... But it may well be a year too soon to beat the ABs, who have not lost against a Home Nations team in Europe since England won all those years ago at Twickenham (November 2002).

Posted 15:55 19th March 2012