The Wales rugby team has just won a Grand
Slam, winning all its games in the 2012 Six Nations. Former winger Shane Williams did not play one minute of the
tournament, did not take a pass or make a tackle, let alone score a try.
Yet I believe a lot of the credit for the Wales team’s
triumph should go to Williams who played his last international game in a
defeat against Australia last December.
In the World Cup in New Zealand last year,
Wales played Samoa in their second group game, having already lost to World
Champions South Africa. With 66
minutes gone, Wales had a narrow lead at 12-10. Wing Leigh Halfpenny found himself under pressure in his own
half, but managed to slip a tackle and broke downfield, passing to young centre
Jonathan Davies. Davies ran close
to the Samoan line, and tried to make a return pass to Halfpenny, to put him in
for a try. Unfortunately his pass
was woefully bad, and was heading into touch when Shane Williams who had been
following play, picked it up and skated over the line for the last score of the
game. Wales won 17-10.
They then went on to defeat Namibia and
Fiji, then Ireland in the quarter finals before a 14-man team pushed France all
the way in the semi, losing by one point.
But what if that terrible overhand pass from
Jonathan Davies had not been picked up by Williams for a try? It’s all speculation, of course, but
let’s imagine.
Wales may well not have won that game.
Their being five points ahead with time running out forced Samoa to seek a
converted try; if the difference had been two then the pacific Islanders could
have won the game with a penalty or drop goal.
If that had been the case then Wales would
not have qualified for the quarter finals. They would return home after the
group phase for the second World Cup in a row.
The coach Warren Gatland went into the
World Cup with a contract to see
him to the next, but he was under pressure. Despite a Grand Slam in 2008, Wales
had performed poorly in subsequent years. His lieutenant Shaun Edwards’
contract with the WRU finished at the end of the World Cup.
An early return would have seen a clamour
for Gatland to be paid off and fired by the WRU. Edwards would certainly have
left, plenty of English teams, including the national srt-up, would love to
have him on the books. And he would have been glad to escape the inevitable
anger and bickering of a Welsh rugby media and public that has often been
called a goldfish bowl
The players would have come back terribly
demoralised. They went to New Zealand as a very young squad, discovered almost
by accident; Rhys Priestland got his chance at 10 when first choice, Stephen
Jones was injured just a month before the start of the championship. Toby
Faletau’s first cap came in June 2011,
Sam Warburton was made captain only because Matthew Rees’ neck injury ruled him
out from the World Cup.
Instead of returning home, disappointed,
proud and determined, these young men would have been failures. Lacking morale,
labeled losers, they would have come back to regional teams in crisis, and that
crisis would have deepened as much of the Welsh rugby public turned its back on
the game.
The qualities that have won Wales its third
Grand Slam have been high degree of both skill and physicality. But the most
remarkable thing about the campaign has been the mental strength, confidence
and self-belief in the squad.
They were man down, and six points behind
with five minutes to play in their first match against Ireland. And they scored
a try and marched down the field to gain the winning penalty. Against England, they again lost a man
but controlled the ball for more than eight of the 10 minutes and the net
points loss was nil. In the last
10 minutes Scott Williams ripped the ball from a lock for a try and then three
backs raced to prevent what looked a certain try in the corner.
When France insisted on the roof being open
on Saturday, and the heavens opened, Wales were unfazed. France came to spoil,
so Wales tackled, contained and once they got ahead simply challenged France,
Priestland and the back three kicked well and kicked long to the French 22, and
the whole team trusted its defence. They fronted up to France as if to say:
“You want an arm wrestle? We’ll beat you that way as well.”
All of this shows tremendous belief in
their own abilities as individuals and a real sense of togetherness, of playing for each other and their
coaches. Look at Ryan Jones; two Grand Slams to his name already, once as
captain. He was replaced as captain rather ignominiously after a draw at home
to Fiji, and he has been asked to play this campaign as lock, number 8, and on
both flanks of the scrum. Without a word of complaint; he has done so. He’s an
elder statesman of the team yet seems to be willing to do whatever is required
of him , and his delight in the victories is palpable.
This is a team that seems to love being
together and has learned to win in the clutch; and it wants to win more. That is it challenge.
But I can’t help thinking none of this
might have happened if that terrible pass from Jonathan Davies hadn’t been
picked up by Shane Williams, if it had dribbled into touch. Another Wales
chance missed. So, for that, I say a part of this latest triumph is his.
