10/11/2013 Scrum V Sunday

It was a ferocious match with no quarter given or asked, collisions

brutal, intensity unrelenting. De Villiers, brilliant, brilliant

score! Both of them receiving treatment...

The biggest concern for Warren Gatland is, of the key players who

are missing, how many will be back? And the intensity never let up, and

with the game balanced on a knife edge, it was always destined to come

down to one lap saw one stroke of good fortune.

Brilliant by Jack to greet -- Jaque Fourie! Massive frustration, at the

end of the day, we did not win. It was not to be. Hello, good evening

and welcome to Scrum V. It was brutal, it was uncompromising and

utterly compelling, but ultimately another agonising defeat for Wales.

Jonathan Davies and Gwyn Jones were both there, their thoughts on a few

moments, but first let's relive that pulsate in encounter at the

Millennium Stadium. The champions of Europe against the

second-best team the world. Vermeulen takes the first catch.

Fourie du Preez at scrum-half, well taken by Morne Steyn. Wales with the

attacking line-out. Toby Faletau wins at the tail.

Jonathan Davies picks up the inadvertent ball! He is still going!

The tackle is by Flip van der Merwe. Penalty advantage to Wales.

And straight as ever, Leigh Halfpenny with the first points of

the game, Wales lead 3-0. Fourie du Preez with the follow-up

tackle, good offensive rucking by the Springboks, and they can

themselves the penalty. -- earn. One of these, Morne Steyn opens

South Africa's account, three to three.

Sam Warburton tackled by Eben Etzebeth. Jonathan Davies comes

through! The ball has gone forward. South

Africa, hands in the ruck. Well, it is a penalty fest in the opening

minutes. Well, Wales have what looks like another three points, but they

will have wanted more. Fantastic break.

George North is beaten by Habana. Bismarck du Plessis, Lee Williamson

cannot tackle him. He off-loads to Jean de Villiers, De Villiers is

over, and Alain Rolland awards the drive. Fantastic break out by South

Africa! That is a reward for ambition, they could have kicked for

territory, but once Bryan Habana looked up and saw rigid Hibbard, he

chuckled to himself, but what a fantastic run by the South African

winger. Injury to Williams. Jonathan Davies

is coming off, a double blow for Wales to concede the try and lose

two players. This time it is Adam Johnson cannot

get up. Try awarded. The power of the Springbok pack, oh, they are an

immense force. Bismarck du Plessis...

Penalty advantage, Mike Phillips does not wanted. You will see Gethin

Jenkins makes the appeal, because when he goes down, he is allowed to

place the ball, the arm is still there.

Third successful Leigh Halfpenny, Wales nine, South Africa, after two

tries, 17. -- success for. Wales have lost three players in the first

half-hour, Allen Jones is the third, Scott Andrews comes on into the

front row. Van der Merwe with the take.

Bismarck du Plessis in his customary position in the driving seat of them

all. -- the maul. The advantage is over. Bryan Habana is back. Not a,

though. -- not away, though. Wales have the penalty.

Beautiful strike, beautiful by Leigh Halfpenny.

Scott Andrews comes away with it. Good bounce for him.

It is going to blow up now, flag against green was said earlier.

Danger for South Africa. Blade goes on, we think there will

be a stoppage. -- play. Penalty to Wales, and again it is

something like eight apiece at the breakdown.

Francois Louw. And everybody has got very excited here. We used to have

hands in every breakdown. Now then, did Priestland carry it

back? He is off, it does not matter, he is outside the 22 now,

Leigh Halfpenny in support, Scott Williams outside.

JP Pietersen walls Richard Hibbard down. -- Paul -- hauls. South Africa

get the put in at half-time, a chance to catch our breath, what a

half of rugby! Wales 12, South Africa 17. Everybody, having with!

-- have a with! This time it goes to Wales. And the

referee wants a word with Gethin Jenkins. The penalty was against you

on this occasion, I hope it is the last time. If you go down again on

this site, you are both going off. Well, I cannot tell who has gone

down there, I cannot tell who is at fault.

Leigh Halfpenny, five kicks out of five, the gap narrows.

Oh, it has gone down on that side! He is going to get rid of both of

them. He is going to do both of them. Off you go, thank you.

Have Wales got a bit prop to come back on? Scott Andrews has gone off.

If they have not, it will go to uncontested. He was not the

principal architect of that, but when you are warned... It does not

matter. Well, uncontested, the ball should still be straight, though!

Eben Etzebeth to Bismarck du Plessis... Mtawarira knocks on, and

George North is a way! Oh, no, advantage played by Alain Rolland!

He will have to explain this one away.

Oh, there is a knock-on by Wales. Dan Lydiate.

Richard Hibbard, a crunching tackle. Wales are doing to South Africa

what's South Africa were doing to Wales, South Africa going

backwards. And into touch, a huge defensive display by Wales.

Jaque Fourie and Fourie du Preez! That is a try from a master

strategist, he saw space, he chased, and the two old hands, recalled to

the Springboks, worked it out between them.

Lamprey has to do the gig left footed. A chance for Ward and! --

wall button. Fourie du Preez comes across,

Tipuric is there. Wales Eileen, they must have the

turnover, they have got the penalty! -- pile in.

South Africa come away with it through Adriaan Strauss somehow.

Advantage over, Priestland is back there. And the ball goes out.

That is what Le Roux has done again and again. That is a knock-on by Le

Roux. Lloyd Williams has set it up, Justin Tipuric over the ball.

George North knocks it on. Oh, dear, a sort of Maradona moment!

The final whistle goes in Cardiff. It is the same old story. It was

close. It was a very good game. The second half did not quite get up to

the first. And the final score, Wales 15, South Africa 24. That is

what happened on the pitch. Let's find out what the players and

coaches had to say. Missed opportunities. We were in the game.

We conceded some sort tries. -- soft tries. We have to get ack, to 17-15,

and then it is a different, at 17-15 at halfway, rather than get a try

under the posts. Some things for us to work on. Very pleased. We knew it

was going to be a tough game. We always knew that that was going to

be tough, and it was a tough game against the Welsh. The other six

Nations championship -- champions. Second half we felt we were

controlling it at 23 minutes, and then they scored a try. Then the

momentum shifted a bit. The two tries they did score, they did not

break us down or anything. From my perspective these were disappointing

tries to concede. They did not make as many errors as us in turnovers,

and you saw that. Probably a little bit rusty. Hampered by having some

key players out and losing some players in the first half, and that

this rock did us a little bit. -- disrupted cars. -- disrupted us.

Getting up and doing those early morning sessions, the boys were so

committed to doing well. We will improve, that is for sure. A

downcast Sam Warburton. We have only beaten the Springboks once in 107

years. The statistics favour wheels, more possession and territory,

carrying more, made more clean breaks, why did that not translate

into victory? They turned over 19 times and that was crucial momentum

and good positions. Against southern hemisphere sides you have two create

an score tries to beat them. It was a great test match, ferocious hits,

but I thought Wales did well to be in the game at half-time with the

injuries. They had that try from Du Preez. They scored three tries at

the end of the day. Wales did not create that much. They played so

well. That was the most telling statistic, three tries to nil. It

was a creditable performance from Wales, but we want to beat them, and

beat them at home. Similar sides in a that they set up. Great

ball-carriers, and the kicking game. In all three departments the

Springboks were comfortably better than us and have a very striving --

driving line-out. We played against 14 men for ten minutes and we did

not make an impression on them. The point about the trying at the end

was unfortunate but I don't think anyone was complaining that the

better team did not win. You mentioned the lack of creativity.

What can be done to turn these opportunities into scores and

ultimately victories? The South African said they knew that Wales

would have a certain style of play and they were affected, but it is

easy to defend sometimes. They filled the midfield. It is difficult

to break that defence. I would like the stand-off and the full-back to

have more of a say in the attack because you have got to look at

mismatches, go a couple of times and if it is not on, to go wide again,

you have got to assess where you are, and work together and create

the overlap. That is what the halfback is there for. If they

dating get little bit, if we see these -- if they tinker a little

bit, let's see these examples, Hibbard goes with him, look how

condensed the defence was there. They are creating something, rather

than looking at contact, creating a three on one, or a four on two. Just

look up and looked at a forward pass. This was a good play. Scott

Williams straightens up, and takes out du Preez. Lovely little

runaround by Leigh Halfpenny, and Fourie has a decision to make, he

makes the wrong call, and Jonathan Davies takes a lovely run off Scott

Williams. This is very early in the game. But they still managed to get

back. Priestland and the outside backs have got to bust a gut to get

with them and look to score that opportunity. That is what they have

to do. They steal a line-out, and what happens? Faletau Is quick

enough, but Lookout condensed that defence is. Scott Williams goes with

him and holds that inside the things and if Leigh Halfpenny goes with a

little pass from the back, look at the numbers out there, you have got

four on two without Leigh Halfpenny taking the ball. Rather than looking

for the contact issue just have heads up and look at the bus, look

for the other option. The South African defence was very condensed.

If de Villiers went in, Fourie did. But, like a matador, you bring him

on to you, or if you're shooting up you hit him on the outside shoulder.

They have to very tactics. They have to score tries, because Argentina

will be in the game. What Warren Gatland and Rob Howley will say, you

cannot go wide until you have earned the right. Then you go. It might be

true for us in the way that we play and that is why the former state get

on the way they do, but I would like to see us play more football, get

into the channel is a bit sooner, because other teams manage it, and I

would like to think that we could do it. That was on the third play

sometimes. That is where the best sides are. I thought South Africa

would be resuming. It restored my faith in luck rugby when the all

Blacks won the game, because they knew that they were going to have a

bashing but they played but all with their heads up and scored six tries

to four, and that is the difference. How do you beat these southern

hemisphere sides, you do the basics right but you have got to score

tries, because they will score against you. The date kick away too

much possession? We kicked the ball a lot. A lot was said publicly

beforehand, but we kick the ball as much as anyone and we just came

second best. Normally we kick long and chase up the pitch. That gives

teams an opportunity to counterattack. We need to compete a

little bit more in the middle third of the pitch. We did not do it well

at all. This is an example from George North, who kicks, but there

was nobody putting pressure on the South African who catches the ball

in acres of space on the halfway line. He did not have to jump to get

the ball, and he puts a kick in that puts Wales under pressure, huge

pressure, they get a penalty from this, a good example of two kicks.

This is a box kick from nine, chasing the centre, the wingers are

chasing, but look a much time there is for Pietersen the gadget. He runs

15 yards before he is touched. This is a line-out. This is a move,

line-out chasing the game. It was too far anyway but I was surprised

that we would consider do do that from that position. As a contrast,

big chase, he has to jump outside the 22, look how many players are

there, they knew that they were going to kick, as we did, but their

response to the chase and so much better. This is when du Preez is

chasing Leigh Halfpenny. Locale quickly they get there to secure

that and they get a penalty from that and that this three points.

Again, the consistency and dropping the ball out to the 22, making

people jump for it. And making life very difficult. It was a big

friends. We kick the ball five times behind their three quarters line. We

got the ball back once and one of them ended up in the try for De

Villiers. We are normally good at that kicking game but we lost Leigh

Halfpenny from full-back which might have made a difference. It is about

fine margins. Do they just execute with better position? -- precision.

The kick is only as good as the chase. I thought it was, we played

exceptionally well and it was, we were in a arm wrestle, but we did

not use George North enough down the number ten channel. We just did not

create enough to deserve to win that match. The other thing Warren

Gatland said in a press conference was, it is a big step up between

regional rugby and that rugby. We know it is coming all the time and

yet it is a shame that he feels that he has to instil a greater level of

fitness when he gets the players, that they have to do this extra

training. If it is a systematic thing that is always happening it

should be being addressed properly rather than just waiting until he

has them then he feels he has to get them fit to play this game. I think

that the front nine is not as competitive as the southern

hemisphere. I don't know what it was yesterday. The momentum, Wales had a

lot of momentum in that game, they had possession and territory, but

when South Africa had the ball, you had the momentum shift. You could

see, they injected pace into the game when they won the attack, they

asked questions of the defence, and sometimes we did not seem to do

that. You are playing against the second best side in the world, and

we are close, and little things make a huge difference. We will hear now

from a Springbok legend, Joost van der Westhuizen. He is suffering from

multi-year and disease and is in the UK to promote awareness of the

disease. It was a very poignant interview. He played for the

Springboks when the World Cup in 1995. On the six occasions that he

faced Wales he won every game. But now aged just 42 he fights a daily

Apple against motoneuron disease, which is a degeneration of motor

neurone is in the brain and spinal court. -- cord.

The great and the good of Welsh rugby you are at a dinner this week

in aid of his foundation, all with special memories of a special 9. He

was probably one of the most powerful players, not a heavy one,

but he was tall, strong, lean, exceptionally quick off the mark and

was a player who made things happen. When UCB Bull supper with this

dreadful sort of disease, it just makes you realise that one minute

you are a super sportsman, then the next minute suffering. -- when UCB

Bull. We are very fortunate to be in the company of the two greatest...

He was a natural try scorer, one of the key factors in South Africa

winning the World Cup in 1995, a magnificent competitor, a fantastic

player. He was a nemesis for Wales for ten years, I was fortunate to

play against in four or five times. He had the abilities to score from

anywhere on the park, and what he has done over the last two years

since his illness, he is an inspiration. It must be nice meeting

up with Lee Jenkins and Rob Howley as well.

You say that this illness has changed you - which we? -- which

we? Joost van der Westhuizen, if there

is anything and can put a game of rugby into perspective, it is that.

I find that upsetting to watch, he was a great player, one of the

strongest scrum halves ever, and I lost two rugby league collects to

the same illness, and it is sad to see the effect it has on people. --

colleagues. It is only a game, and it certainly puts life into

perspective, yeah. Desperately sad to see a man who was such a

warrior, epitomised the strong man on the pitch, in such a physical

condition as that. That is right, that is why it is so upsetting, the

embodiment of athleticism, one of the finest athletes reduced by a

degenerative disease to a man who is really struggling with movement

generally. But one thing about rugby union, it is a very strong community

of brotherhood across the world, and people come together at all levels

to help people when they need that support. Great to see him back in

the UK, looking up with all his old buddies. Just a reminder of the

immense talents that he was on the pitch. We can move back to

yesterday's test match rugby now, Island took on Samoa, the highlights

in a moment, but first Scotland versus Japan. -- Ireland.

Seymour goes in for the try, that is a good score.

This is the flyer, an incredible try from Japan, from one end of the

pitch to the other. That is how to get back into a game!

There is something on here, Jackson over to see more, he is in again,

that is a good try! Scrum dominance, line-out dominance, and now a try to

take them further ahead. A try for Duncan Weir, that is

extraordinary! That is good counter rucking by

Ireland, they have turned that one over.

A huge amount of space down the far side! A chance for Ireland! Here

comes McFadden. O'Brien is stopped, he is off, he is

over, he has scored! Within touching distance of the

line. Again, good presentation, quicker

ball. Is it a debut try for his brother? It is pretty close! What a

moment for the Carney family! A chance on this narrow side, there is

a 3-1 year. -- here. He has done it again, a second try

for Dave Carney, can you believe it?! Two tries on his debut, drinks

for the Carney yeah tonight, I think! -- Carneys.

We will turn our attention now to Wales' next opponents, Argentina.

2013 has been a tough year for Argentina. Another winless campaign

in the rugby championship and the loss of some big names. Juan Martin

Fernandez Lobbe has been sidelined with an elbow injury. Also gone is

the technical advisor, a certain Graham Henry, and their head coach

of nearly six years, Santiago Phelan. But as Wales discovered last

year, you underestimate the Pumas at your peril.

The drop goal from Sanchez, he likes it! Nice of load, he is going to go

all the way for the try! Fabulous stuff!

This is going to be a try in the corner!

Argentina thoroughly, thoroughly deserved this win. Wales never

recovered from that defeat, losing their next three as they slipped to

an Autumn whitewash. Twickenham was the first stop for the Pumas this

autumn, where they found themselves up against an England side that beat

them twice in the summer. Once more, England spinning and

reeling and then driving in, setting themselves, and it seems

inevitable, with the crowd at their back, that they will get to the

line. Can they get the ball down? Argentina beginning to splinter,

penalty advantage, the try is scored, Joe Launchbury stretches out

a giant arm and gets the first try of this match for England.

Still they come, Launchbury cut off at the ankles.

A lovely pass, can Ashton Gate there? He is over but he is held

off. Twelvetrees goes on self and gets it

down for the try. Dylan Hartley scrabbling his way to

the try line. They are just a metre or so from a third England try.

Surely it will come now, why did goes, there it is for Ashton. He

gets its down this time. England perhaps with a final chance ear for

something in the second half. -- here. They come now, Morgan goes

straight through, and Ben Morgan gets the touchdown. Suddenly they

come to life towards the end of this match. We played well in the first

half, I was pleased with the intent. I thought the scoreline reflected

the half, so going in as 24-6, we wanted to take on, and the last try

at the end, we never really did that. Credits to Argentina, they

upped their game in the second half. We need to be better than that next

week, that's for sure. Stuart Lancaster was right, Argentina upped

their game, what sort of threat do they represent? They may not be the

team they were this time last year, but they have got a scrum, and we

have got injuries in the front row, and a good driving line-out. We have

got our hands full that, and it is amazing how quickly the momentum has

shifted with injuries. We are looking at the Pumas in a different

light now. It will be a challenge, no doubt. On the injury note, they

have confirmed four players invited to train, Rhodri Jones, Hallam Amos,

Tom Prydie from the Ragan is as well. Jonathan Davies is out for the

rest of the autumn season. Remarkably, he made more metres than

anyone else in the Welsh side, despite being on the pitch for just

12 minutes. That is an enormous blow, isn't it? Yes, he is

developing into a world-class player, the organisers the defence.

Well, that is what they are there for, to develop these players, an

interesting selection next week. It might be an opportunity to put James

Hook in for a bit more creativity. Yesterday, I thought he played well,

and he deserves to have a spot. I think I would go with James Hook.

Again, as Gwyn said, emphasising how would be kicking was yesterday, in

comparison to the South Africans, that is one of their strengths. You

know what the Argentinians will do, they will welly it in the air and

chase all day, hanging, kick their penalties and take drop goal is

unscrambled to a result. We have to create and scored tries against

these type of sides. I would like to see Leigh Halfpenny hitting the

channels out wide again, and maybe with James Hook to create those

spaces. It is going to be tough. I thought he played well yesterday, he

plays well when he is an instinctive position. It is not the same as

playing 12 or 13, although we as a talented guy. Also, if we are going

to play those players in the middle, it leaves us quite likes to play the

way we normally do. George North, even if he does not start in the

centre, he has been employed as a ball carrier in the centre from

line-outs and scrums, to give us back our shape that we have been

successful at using in the past. I thought they would utilise him,

with the loss of Jamie Roberts, to come down the channel, but we did

not see a lot of him yesterday. He did not come in very much. A lot of

people on Twitter have said, should George North be the ball-carrier and

play in the centre? We will discuss this on Scrum V Extra, which follows

is immediately online after this programme. The weekend promised to

be brutal and it certainly lived up to its billing.