State of the Nation: Wales
With the Six Nations done and dusted for another year, we look at the state of affairs in each of the competing nations. Next up, Wales.
Prior to the tournament, the odds were stacked against Wales, as they faced an injury crisis, with Dan Biggar, Taulupe Faletau, Liam Williams and George North just a few missing the opening rounds while Rhys Webb, Dan Lydiate and Jake Ball would miss the entire tournament.
It gave head coach Warren Gatland the opportunity to blood new players ahead of the World Cup, most of whom acquitted themselves well. Their second-placed finish is a vast improvement on their fifth-placed finish the year before.
They will feel they have exceeded expectations but will be kicking themselves that they were not able to beat England, as the Red Rose were there for the taking. They simply made too many mistakes and suffered without the dependable Leigh Halfpenny.
They started the tournament like a house on fire, playing at a tempo Scotland could not keep up with in their opening-day 34-7 victory in Cardiff.
Then came that frustrating 12-6 defeat to England in a low-scoring encounter at Twickenham, followed by a 37-27 loss to Ireland in Dublin.
After that followed a routine 38-14 drubbing of Italy before the finale against France, a showdown for second spot back at the Principality Stadium. At the end of the day, the 14-13 result slightly flattered them and definitely put the gloss on their tournament.
Wales’ find of the tournament has to be Aaron Shingler. Why on earth was he left out of starting XV for the penultimate match against France? Shingler made the most line-out steals of any player in the competition and his sheer athleticism and physicality was a sight to behold.
The lineout, in general, was a cornerstone of their success, with captain Alun Wyn Jones (who had a fantastic tournament) another instrumental figure alongside Shingler in this regard. 53 lineouts won and only two lost is a record to be proud of.
They will need to work on their away form, however, ahead of the World Cup, having won just one of their last seven Six Nations games on the road.
In terms of the fly-half position, Gatland will be better served by opting for consistency, with the number ten jersey being retained once in only five matches of the Championship.
The selection of so many Scarlets players paid off in the end, with Hadleigh Parkes and Cardiff Blues’ Josh Navidi shining through in particular. All in all, the future looks bright for Welsh rugby.