Six Nations Special Scrum V Sunday

COMMENTARY: The Six Nations has arrived. For Wales, there was a

heightened sense of expectation. History beckoned. It appeared as

though everything was going to plan. But the Italians hadn't read the

script and were chasing history themselves.

Wales held firm. But there are questions to address, as bigger

challenges loom. Good evening and welcome to the

Scrum V Six Nations Special. Wales have got their campaign off to a

winning start, but they were pushed all the way by Italy. Here to assess

their performance, please welcome Gareth Thomas, Gwyn Jones, Rob

Henderson and Martyn Williams. Gareth, welcome back to Scrum V.

Great to see you. Good to be back. A win is a win. It wasn't a convincing

one? No, when I looked at it yesterday, it was like a New Zealand

performance. Sometimes you do enough to win. It was good talking to some

of the players after. They realised there is such an expectancy around

them. It was like a kick up the backsides! They said, "We can do

this, we can win." There are flaws to the game and they need to work on

those. It gives you something to sharpen the focus? Yes. Because we

expect so much of this side, with Eno how good they are -- we know how

good they are, it wasn't a vintage performance. Maybe complacency set

in at half-time. Everyone went away a bit flat after the second half.

You mentioned the players looked a bit tired. Any concern around that?

I don't think so. The boys trained very hard last week. It's something

Warren has done in the past. They will probably have a lighter week

this week. You can't take Italy for granted. We were never going to lose

that game yesterday. The main focus is Dublin. Dublin is next. Rob

Henderson, welcome. Great to be here. Ireland were playing this

afternoon. Were you pleased with what you saw? When ever you play

against Scotland, you know what that you are going to be up against.

Coming out 28-6 victors, that sets a great stamp for next weekend. Losing

Paul O'Connell this morning, a bit of lasagne-gate has taken him out of

the equation. It bodes well for next week. It will be a cracker? I can't

wait. Round One is complete. What is your assessment? Without doubt, the

game on Saturday night in Paris has got everyone's interest up again. A

superb game of rugby. No surprise that Nigel Owens was in charge. We

know - and the players know and accept - if they play like that,

they won't be good enough to win. I doubt they will play that badly

again. If they do, they will lose. An epic Test Match on Saturday night

in Paris? That one, yeah! I thought I lost you there!

LAUGHTER Yeah, you know, I called France to

win by a very tight margin. This England team to me, at the start of

the tournament, I think this England team are very strong. As much as we

are looking forward to the next game and the tough games coming, my

concern about the game just gone is the Italian game, everybody will

lose one game. My worry is, when it comes to England playing Italy, they

will know what they will need to do to win the Championship. Yesterday,

we did enough to win. Potentially, we didn't do enough to get a points

difference. While you are here, because we

haven't seen you for a while, I will ask you one question. We have heard

today some reports in the papers that maybe the regions are on the

verge of going and forming an Anglo Welsh League. A statement we are

expecting tomorrow will confirm or deny that. What have you made from

afar? How much has this current row pained you? It is as clear as mud(!)

Nobody knows what is going on here. As a rugby player, they train a lot,

they play a lot, but they have a lot of down time. When that down time

comes, you sit down and ponder. You think - as much as I believe the

players go on the field and it doesn't affect them, it will slowly

affect their build-up. Everybody's wondering. I want somebody, whether

it be the regions or the Union, to come and say, "As a national sport,

we all pay our money, we watch the games, this is where we are, this is

what is happening." Let us know. Then we can stop thinking and this

is going to happen, or wondering... APPLAUSE

Well said. The voice of reason there, Gareth Thomas. We are going

to park it now. The statement is due tomorrow, so we will talk about this

more in the future. We will get back to the Six Nations and highlights of

yesterday's big match between Wales and Italy.

It came back to Hibbard. The blond hair flies over the halfway line.

The whistle went to the referee's mouth. But it's back there now.

That's a gift for Alex Cuthbert. It's a lovely little kick. This

should be taken. The right-winger comes across and covers, Esposito.

It is a dreadful bounce. It's a lovely kick. It is covered. This

should be cleaned up. He mistimes it and misjudges the bounce.

George North building up a head of steam.

Four Welsh players sprinting for that try. Good play, good pass.

Great cover. Dan Lydiate was penalised there.

Still advantage to Italy. They have the penalty.

George North has support. The space disappears and into touch goes Alun

Wyn Jones. That's very good defence by the Italians. They could do with

the crowd here to lift the intensity of the Welsh side. That was a

mistake. A push. A bit of interference there. A penalty to

Wales. This to give Wales another three

points. Despite the slip, the ball goes full

and long and Wales have ten points. Plenty of strength in midfield. He

is going to take it on. Sergio Parisse against George North. How

did it go loose? Is this to be a try?

Left hand. Parisse's left hand gets to the ball. That is a knock on.

The line-out just a bit loose again. A bit deeper than they thought.

Roberts is through. He has support from Williams. Williams will score

for Wales! The second try. Simple. The hole created by Jamie Roberts

and the try finished by Scott Williams.

Again, not the best line-out. He drifts a bit too early, drifts too

early. Good support on the inside. It's Alberto Sgarbi who has gone too

early. He shows too much on the inside for Jamie Roberts. The angle

is too good and very good support by Scott Williams. One missed tackle.

Priestland. Parisse. Good play. The clock will go red. The final passage

of play. Campagnaro has some pace. The kick infield for Esposito to get

there. Touchdown from Priestland, who will bring this half to an end.

Priestland again. The ball knocked forward.

REFEREE: Advantage over. There's Campagnaro. Sarto. It's

going to be a try for Campagnaro! That's a very, very good try. Given

a bit of width and an excellent kick. That's exactly what they

wanted. Inside to Sarto from Bortola. This

is good pressure by the Italians. They are slowly going forward, and

making inroads into the Welsh defence.

Here comes the noise of the Millennium Stadium. They are trying

to rouse the Welsh defence. Italy trying every off-load at the moment.

There's Alberto Sgarbi. Just run out of patience.

Cuthbert. Charteris. They've made some good ground. Here's Lydiate.

Priestland is in. He might go all the way! Rhys Priestland gets it

infield. The ball is loose. Charteris, it was at your feet!

Great step. Dummy, step, and he is away. The ball goes back inside.

Luke Charteris gets his Bigfoot to it.

-- big foot to it. Penalty to Wales. This will put the game to bed. Tobie

Botes, fresh on the field at scrum-half. Italy not driving

straight. Sergio Parisse not happy. This one fizzes through and Wales

reach 20 points. Allan sends it towards Halfpenny.

Good play. He gets the ball away to Roberts. Oh no! Interception and it

is going to be a run for the line. It is going to be a try and it is

going to give Italy hope. It is Campagnaro again! Under the posts

and it will be seven points and the game is still alive. He knows as

soon as he throws the ball, Leigh Halfpenny knows Campagnaro is in.

No-one was going to get anywhere near this kid. Luke McLean is

defending in the line. There is space behind the defensive line for

Wales to exploit. He has to kick for goal. That's good

from Leigh Halfpenny. That may be good enough.

Jamie Roberts down injured at the moment in this final passage of

play. Priestland sends it cross-field. The ball goes loose.

But a tap-on from George North. That will be the end of things. A look at

the clock, a blast on the whistle. And a victory to open the defence of

their Six Nations campaign for Wales, but not the whole story. It

is a win, though. So, that was the game. This is the

verdict. We expected a difficult match. I'm

happy and proud for the young guys who played today. They tried to do

everything for the team. They were unlucky, probably, in the first try

of the match. After that, we find our defence and that was the key for

us in this tournament. It's a loss. We are not happy for that. It is a

good platform for the future. Italy were dogged. They competed pretty

hard all day. We have given them a couple of turnover opportunities.

Apart from that, defensively, our structure was pretty good. Maybe

could have competed harder at the breakdown and created a few

opportunities that we didn't finish off. Credit to Italy, they made it

tough for us. It probably looked as if we were under more pressure than

we felt on the park. We were a bit ragged at times. We probably put

ourselves under pressure at certain times. In the past, we've possibly

been criticised for not having ambition. We showed that today. With

ambition, and a will to play, you get mistakes sometimes. The only way

we could have stopped them tries if we had a goalkeeper. One was from an

interception and one was from a turnover. We are the sort of team

who do try to play attractive rugby and try and entertain the fans and

score points. We were trying to do that on those occasions, but they

didn't go our way. I think in the past, when we come under pressure

like that, we might have not had the composure to finish off and we were

able to do that today. So, it was a tough game. It is great for this

tournament. As defending champions, every team will make it tough.

Warren Gatland full of praise for the Italians. What about that Wales

performance? Let's go to the Stat Pad. Unconvincing. It's a win, but

things were that the in the stadium yesterday. What will prove to be a

tight Championship will year, Wales will need to be much better. Italy

proved to be difficult opponents. They shared in the possession

stakes. They also shared in the try stakes - two tries each. It is the

ball in playtime that was low for Warren Gatland. He will need it over

40 minutes for the rest of the Championship. They had possession

dominance in Italy's 22. They failed to be clinical enough to score more

tries. A rusty Wales turned the ball over 18 times, 40% possession

turnover, which manifested itself in all of Italy's 15 points. Rhys

Priestland selected at 10 again. They lacked a bit of cohesion and

great pressure from a rash Italian defence. When Wales lose their

shape, they look a bit ordinary. Italy tried to convince runners to

go back inside. Sergio Parisse spots out of the line forcing Rhys

Priestland back inside and another Wales turnover ensues. It was

crucially in that 22 where Wales were applying pressure. Scott

Williams coming through here and Wales lack urgency to the tackle

contest resulting in another Italian penalty at the breakdown. Later on,

as Wales tried to pull clear, Leigh Halfpenny fails to see the outside

spotter and the number 13 intercepts and goes the length of the field to

bring Italy back into the game. Wales like to kick the ball long.

Italy like to kick the ball off the field so Wales had lots of line-out

possession, but their platform was poor yesterday. Fortunately, Jamie

Roberts turned up, he got across the game line with 17 carries for his

team. With so many line-outs and pressure from the Italians, Wales

struggled at the set-piece. Mike Phillips often had the ball at his

feet. And the one scrum Wales had on the attack, Italy applied huge

pressure. Again, as you see here, difficult delivery for Mike Phillips

to deal with. Wales had three opportunities to drive to score. Why

didn't they? Italy were smart. They put them on the floor, All Wales

forwards were on the ground. Jamie Roberts came to the party and was

looking good after injury. He got his forwards into the game. He

swapped sometimes with Scott Williams. The crucial moment before

half-time, the battering ram gets through the Italian line and a nice

subtle pass to his centre partner. Very timely for Wales. Italy's ill

discipline, including the captain, Parisse, that cost him. Look at this

example. Parisse just nudges Alun Wyn Jones out of the line, it was

spotted by the referee. It was a needless penalty. But Halfpenny

kicked three points from there. A contentious scrum decision, putting

Wales under pressure. The Italian referee gives the penalty and the

Italian captain disagrees with him. That was a big mistake at a crucial

time in the game. My question tonight is: Are the Northern

Hemisphere sides starting to work out Wales?

Good question. I will bring you in on that one, Gwyn Jones. You have

often called for Wales to show more variety in their play. Is there a

more urgent need for that after yesterday? No, I think after the

first season, after the first - halfway through the first season -

people knew how Wales were going to play. The working out was done years

ago. People find it hard to stop it. They are very good at what they do.

They pick the players in order to execute that game plan. We didn't

execute it particularly well yesterday. That is why we stuttered.

I don't think anyone in the Northern Hemisphere has proven they can beat

Wales regularly. If we want to beat the Southern Hemisphere sides, that

is a different matter. Northern Hemisphere, they haven't stopped us

yet. Rob, you know Warren Gatland. Is he a stubborn character that will

stick to his guns despite any criticism? You could say that. He's

a guy that will look at the squad of players and he'll get a game plan

based on what he has at his disposal. No-one can argue with the

fact that Wales have been outstanding for the last couple of

seasons. They stuttered a little bit on Saturday. You can always watch

the videos, you know what they are going to be doing, but you have to

stop us! I think with game breakers in the back three, it takes a bobble

of a ball or one side-step and Wales can get 7 or 14 points clear. So

he's not worried about other people looking at the videos of Wales. He

is probably enjoying it. Italy were effective yesterday, they came and

played and no-one gave them much of a chance before the game. They had

done a job on Wales? Yes, that is when Wales have struggled, when they

haven't been able to get over the game line. And have the quick ball,

which Argentina did to us a couple of autumns ago, Samoa, and when we

do struggle we go to a Plan B. You have won three Championships, a

Lions tour playing a certain way, why change it? They will stick to

their guns and we would like to see free-flowing, so many passes, but

they don't need to change it. It's a proven formula. Scott Williams was

playing in the middle. If you look at last year, our centres passed the

ball six times for every 20 times they had the ball. Yesterday, Scott

Williams, on -- it takes the contact area wider and we normally hit

narrow with big runners. They don't have to fold. They can shadow

across. Also, it takes the intensity out of the game. It's not the game

line battle that we normally do so well at. I want to see that develop

in our game. Scott Williams added a new dimension to us behind. Gareth,

on this notion that Wales are slow starters and we have seen it time

and time again - we saw it last year with that first half against

Ireland. But they peaked by the time of the England game. You can't judge

the team on the opening match of the Championship This team are a good

team. They haven't gone bad overnight. What they have done,

which Welsh teams have not been - they have not handled being

favourites. I never played in one of them! They handle the fact of being

favourites, it is a difficult tag. To win playing badly and realising

they can get better, to me it's a good thing. I'd rather see this. To

me, I'd rather have seen yesterday and realising we have something to

work on than a 50-point victory. We go to Ireland, with our tails up

thinking everything is right. On that... APPLAUSE This team have

never really blown sides away. We - with the exception of England. We

have to mention England! They are the masters of grinding out tight

victories. I think the notion of them going out and putting 30 or 40

points on teams, they don't do that. You have been in that camp, you

understand how Warren Gatland and his coaches work. What will training

be like this week? Wales do have one extra day compared to Ireland. Will

they put through their paces? Or will it be a more mellow week of

training? Not sure. That is why I'm not panicking. You look at Gatland's

record and the big crunch games, we mentioned England last year for the

Grand Slam, Third Test for the Lions, this management team are the

masters of getting the boys right for the big deciding games. I still

think - I know the Irish boys have won European Cups. The Irish team

haven't won a big one yet. Wales will turn up next week. Wales didn't

use their bench yesterday. You have Hooky on the bench who can change

the game. If you want to open it up, you can bring the bench on to open

it up. There's a lot more to come. You would like to see Hooky? I love

to see Hooky come off the bench. He takes the structure away from the

Welsh team and you give him, he is playing out in France. He - he is a

player who you praise him because he does amazing things. He has to mess

up to get to that amazing thing. He is a player that excites and he can

come on. APPLAUSE The one thing that no-one's mentioned is the fact that

Italy played quite well. They have developed as a nation. They are

playing in the Pro 12. Their players are getting exposed to the Hian --

Heineken rugby all the time. They have backs that can catch a ball and

they are looking to distribute. I think that their performance

yesterday was very, very good against a good Welsh side and maybe

Wales had one eye on next weekend and took their foot off the gas at

half-time. We can't mention Italy without mentioning Sergio Parisse.

Yet again, immense on the field yesterday? They got Italy on the

front foot and he does everything. He plays it 15, 10, 9, he had a big

performance yesterday. Congratulations to him, in defeat,

of course. We will talk about the Ireland game in detail in a little

while. The Under 20s and Wales women also played this weekend.

Up until a few moments ago, it did look like a Wales win. The Italians

came back so strong. So, bitter disappointment for the Welsh side in

their Six Nations campaign. Wales went into the game as favourites and

quickly dominated the pack. A slick pass Bihar Ris gave Wales their

first -- by Harris gave Wales their first try. Only a penalty by Wilkins

followed. Going into half-time, they had just scored 8 points. The second

half started the same with Wales leading. Italy came back fighting in

the final quarter with a try. Wales replied with a successful second

penalty. But the Italians had the last say with a try in the closing

moments of the match. We are very disappointed with the result. We

have worked really hard this year. We were hoping for a win. There is

nothing we can do now but move on as a team and hope for a win against

Ireland. Not the result the women's team were hoping for, but it was a

different story on Friday night for the Under 20s when they took on

Italy. The Under 20s kicked off their

campaign with a comfortable win against the Italians. Wales were

clear front-runners when it came to possession. Even with a strong

Italian defence. But a try and a couple of penalties pushed Wales

into an early lead. COMMENTARY: Ben Roach makes good

head way. It's a walk-over for Adams.

Lloyd waits. Gets it out to Price. A change of angle again.

Wales at the very end do get a third try. That's the icing on the cake

for Wales. Man of the match went to Wales Scott Matthews.

So plenty of new faces, plenty of chances and plenty more to come from

the young side. Congratulations to the Under 20s.

England opened their account yesterday with a tough assignment,

an away trip to Paris. We are off and running. Pape for

France driving it up. Doussain. Plisson, his first touch for Huget!

What a start for the Six Nations! The worst possible start for

England. And conversely, France will take anything that's given. That

came from a failure to take the initial kick-off. Good tackle by

Nyanga. He is deeply involved. Huget against Goode. A second try for

Huget, a second try for France! What an opening quarter. Penalty.

Advantage England. Care takes it quickly. Danny Care on his own. Five

metres short. Hartley. Mike Brown. Has he scored his first try for

England? A lot to do here. One, two, three, four. It is Mike Brown's

first try for England in his 22nd game.

Chris Robshaw comes away with it. Vunipola. The players hanging on to

him. The kicking game worked. The passing game worked. England are

level! It is now the French who are under the cosh.

The pass is wild for Fofana. Fickou! The finish by Fickou. He is going

around under the posts and France are going to steal it!

APPLAUSE Heartbreak for England at the death there. How gutted will

England be there? Don't really care! APPLAUSE

They will be - it was a brave - they showed character to come back and

played really well. They look a decent side. Yes, there is nothing

worse than losing in the last minute. It is devastating. It was

heartbreaking. Fickou crossing for that try. Do you think the fact that

England had such an inexperienced backline, maybe they didn't have the

composure to see out an important Test Match like that? There is a

young player that was starting out on his career, Nowell, he had a

shocker. He has been very good for Exeter. He was poor at the weekend.

He put hids hand up for that. The pack was outstanding. In the

backline, they have no real 10 impetus. I would have been happy to

see George Ford playing there. They look a lot more dangerous. At the

same time, Burrell did well. The French step it up. Nyanga is

brilliant, he was the man of the match for me. On France, they have

had a fairly torrid time. Do you think their luck are about to

change? They can beat anyone, but over the last - but they managed to

pinch it yesterday. England deserved to win that match in the end. They

shouldn't have lost that in the end. Maybe this is a rebirth. That is all

they need. We know the talent they have got and the intensity of the

top 14 gives them enough quality to play there. It is just inconsistent

selections at halfback. If they can get consistency there, they have the

player base. It was a great Test Match. Do either of those sides

convince you as potential champions? Yes, there was a slight part of me

that was a little gutted that England lost. That means the rest of

the tournament for them, they have to up it. Again, there is no

complacency with them. They have gone on the road. They have lost to

one of the top four. They realise now that against another top four,

they can't slip up again. That is my fear for Wales having to go to

Twickenham in a few weeks' time with England already having lost. Sure.

Never easy. Thanks, guys. There has been another game today. Wales' next

opponents Ireland were in action against Scotland.

The ball in. The power of the number 8 nearly got him there on his own.

Sexton out into the open. Marshall inside. The captain for the corner.

Hogg tries to take him. Heaslip scores. Is there a foot in touch?

You might want to have a second look at this one. It was a great

defensive effort. Hogg tried to - the crowd don't agree - but it's the

right decision. Ireland getting closer. Wide it goes now. Big

defensive thump comes in. Great tackle on Tuohy. Wide now and

Ireland can get the ball. The try is there for them and Trimble crosses.

Ireland have their try as the clock goes red. What a time to score. What

a try! Ireland have gone once again for

this position. The kick for touch. They go for the line-out. The

line-out works. Here comes the drive. This time it's a gallop

towards the line. Surely the try. It has to be. It is! A try for Ireland.

Heaslip coming up with it. There were two men there. The try is there

for Ireland. Good off-load and Chris Henry steps.

Finds support from Cronin. Rob Kearney stretches for the line. A

try for Rob Kearney. Ireland are winners in this match now.

Still they come, Ireland. So close. A little chip through now. It might

work well for Ireland. Kearney - did he get it down? That's clearly out.

No final try. A shake of the head. The whistle from the referee.

Another whistle will follow to end the match and the boos of the crowd

will turn to cheers. A convincing win in the end for

Ireland. I spoke to Keith Wood just after the game. I asked him how

impressive they really were. I thought they were fairly impressive

once they got going. Scotland had all the play, all the territory, all

the possession for the first half. They didn't seem to have any

cutting-edge. Ireland took whatever chance they got in the first half.

Then, by the time the second half started, they upped the intensity.

Not a huge amount. But maybe 5-10% and put themselves in a good

position. Plenty of food for thought for Wales then. Going back to

yesterday's performance, a lot of the press here saying it was

lacklustre, stless. What did you make of Wales? I thought they were a

bit rusty. I thought they looked a bit tired with 15 or 20 minutes to

go. I think a lot of people don't quite understand exactly how hard it

is to play against Italy. They sap every ounce of energy out of you.

They are very physical. I thought they played very well. They would be

disappointed that they didn't come away from Cardiff without getting

closer on the scoreboard, or getting a win themselves. Wales struggled a

little bit. It was workmanlike. Keith, let's move on to the big one,

the crunch game in Dublin. Ireland versus Wales. Both Warren Gatland

and Brian O'Driscoll insist they have put their differences to one

side after the Lions. You can bet every TV programme will be talking

about that supposed grudge in the build-up to that game? I think to be

honest, there will be no chat about Gatland in the Irish camp or

O'Driscoll in the Welsh camp. They want to go out and play the game.

Everything that happened in the past should stay in the past. However,

that will be entirely different in the media and in the fans on both

sides of the Irish Sea. It will be the topic of conversation for

everybody. It is a really big game. It's one that Ireland know that they

have to win. They want the momentum to go ahead and try and deliver on

their promise and for their new coach and try and make certain they

can get something out of the Six Nations. I think without a shadow of

a doubt, they would be looking to try and win the Six Nations and win

a Grand Slam. That's the mindset that most of those players would

have. It's the mindset that the coach would have. They will be

aiming and hoping to go that way. OK. Great to talk to you. Thank you

for joining us. A measured Keith Wood there. Warren

Gatland was annoyed at the press conference when the subject of Brian

O'Driscoll was raised. He insists differences have been put to one

side. The fans aren't going to forget about it? They are not. To

me, that is the spice. As a fan and a player, the atmosphere creates, it

makes it a special thing. In that cauldron, there will be an added

spice. So the Irish will be extra loud. The Welsh are going to go

there and they will want to outsing the Irish. Having played on the

Lions tour with him when he got injured, it was all about O'Driscoll

at the time. He said, "Get on with it, don't worry about the hype." He

was on a plane the next door and gone. He has 120-odd caps because he

is a great rugby player and a great person. As far as he is concerned,

his focus is Ireland winning. I like the hype. Kick it up even more! I

love it. LAUGHTER It's what we live for as a fan. We want something

else. It is all part of the drama? It is very naive. Warren knew this

was going to come up and this was his response. He was very annoyed it

was being brought up. What it will probably do is people won't ask him

directly in the press conferences about it, but they will ask everyone

else and it will be a constant theme of the week. As Gareth says, that is

what lots of people want. Yes, for the two camps, it will be largely

irrelevant. For everyone else, it is part of the drama. Rob, you know

Brian very well. You played with him in that Test series in 2001. Give us

an insight into the mind of the man. This is probably his last Six

Nations. It is his 15th Six Nations tournament, which is incredible. How

competitive is he? The fact that he didn't take part in that Third Test

in the Lions. Will he want to go out on a high? Of course. He's the

record cap for Ireland. He's a guy that works as hard off the field,

getting everyone together and united so the team is focussed on what they

are trying to do. You have all seen the videos about him slapping Austin

Healey with a table tennis bat. We would love all to do that at some

stage! LAUGHTER He's a guy that is 100% determined

and focussed. I know for a fact when he wasn't selected, the

disappointment is there. When the team won the Test series, he would

have been the first person to pat everyone on the back, possibly not

Gatty. Gatty, he made a decision based on what he thought was the

right team to take the field... It was the right team! The results

prove it. APPLAUSE It is one of them - I will say, however, I'm a massive

fan of Ryan's and having played with him, I think for a man of that

calibre, who has been a figurehead for the Lions for so many tours now,

it would have been a fine way for him to go out if he had been

involved in the match day squad. As it happened, he could have brought

him on with ten minutes to go and given him a proper swansong.

APPLAUSE Rob made an interesting point there,

and Sam Warburton said this, these boys are great mates now. The idea

that they hate one another is nonsense, isn't it? I didn't realise

O'Driscoll was partly Welsh as well! I didn't know you were a comedian

either! They are good mates. On and off the field. I totally agree with

the boys. It adds to the hype. Warren knows it is going to be built

up. He is probably a bit frustrated with the performance yesterday. Yes,

look, as well as you get on off the field, once the whistle goes on

Saturday, there will be some atmosphere there. In terms of

Ireland today, what did you see in that performance that Wales will

need to be concerned about? We saw lots of intricate loops and running

with Sexton and O'Driscoll and that high tempo passing style that has

won Heineken Cups. It's very effective. Does it translate? Wales

feel comfortable against Ireland. They have played them in some big

matches, the quarterfinals of the World Cup. That was the big game and

they blew them away. Wales will respect what they can do, but they

won't be scared of them. I tell you what, for all their passing play,

their set-pieces were outstanding. I thought their scrum, the driving

line-out caused Scotland all sorts of problems. I thought the Irish

pack were way too strong for the Scottish today. The scrum - last

year's Championship, we had 38 scrums and we had 25 penalties

awarded. We had 20 of those penalties. That is a massive part of

the way we play. Against England, 13 scrums, 11 penalties and free-kicks

to Wales. We dominated from that position. Yesterday, 11 scrums,

penalties went 4-4. So it's a lottery when referees come to it. In

their perception, who is winning this battle, I don't think they

think Wales is dominating given the penalty. Are you trying to compete

with Jeremy Guscott as King of the Stats? You might want to get out

more. Gareth, Ireland have played today which means they have one

fewer day to prepare. How much of a difference does that make? It does

make a difference. I read some articles and talked to some players.

The primary focus now is their recovery. So that when they play,

they are at their maximum. It is a massive part of playing now. 24

hours makes a big difference. Time tomorrow, they will be back out on

the field. Tomorrow for the Irish boys, it is all about recovery. They

are 24 hours behind. When you look at the games, Wales need that extra

24 hours. Ireland have a little bit more confidence. They don't need the

extra 24 hours. Thank you, guys. We will talk selection in a moment.

First, a reminder of yesterday's game. This time through the eyes of

the fans. We were in the house of the John family.

I do not like that. What do you mean? I don't like it. He looks

terrible. Through a brick wall which is called

Hibbard! I don't think he is going looking for a date on the rugby

pitch, is he? There are so many more people on that field better looking

than Leigh Halfpenny. Alex Cuthbert is a definite! I'm not a fan of

Halfpenny. COMMENTARY: Williams will score for

Wales! Yes! APPLAUSE Gatland's laughing. Second half will

be much better. Didn't you say the second half was going to be good? I

have to give it to the Italians. Their food is amazing. We were too

flat. There is no-one to stop him. No

depth. No pace. He's everywhere. Too many Italians

on there. We shouldn't be hanging on to a game against Italy. Winning and

playing bad is a sign of a good team. That was a terrible game.

APPLAUSE Thank you very much to the John

family. Very entertaining stuff. Selection now. That is what we are

going to talk about now. Gareth, centres is a topic that we have all

been discussing. Jonathan Davies played a half for the Scarlets in

the LV Cup. What do you do, if he is fit, to you chuck him back in? Yes,

Jonathan Davies and Jamie Roberts complement each other. I think we

are comfortable with our centre pairing. Jamie Roberts was

outstanding yesterday. APPLAUSE I think he was man of the match. He

was my man of the match. I don't know who picked the Italian centre.

To me, it... Jonathan! There you are then. That says it all. They are a

centre pairing that is tried and trusted. Going to Ireland, you need

tried and trusted. Rob, what do you think? To be honest with you, he was

arguably one of the players of the series over in Australia. Just

coming back from a big injury, playing a half at the weekend, I

don't know whether throwing him back in to the Aviva against Ireland in

one of the games of the competition is the right thing to do. If he is

fit, put him on the bench. I don't think he's had enough game time to

come straight back in. What do you think Gatland will do? Good

question. I think he will stick with the pairing from yesterday. I think

he will stick with Scott. I don't know how he went yesterday. He came

off at half-time. It's a great position to be in. Three world-class

centres. The intensity of the game next week, I think it is difficult

to find your match fitness there. I think he will stick with the boys

from yesterday. Talking about match fitness, we saw Sam Warburton come

on for 15 minutes yesterday. He hadn't played since the Australia

game in the autumn. He seemed to cope well. Will you chuck him

straight back in and if so, at the expense of who? I think he will

start. A big game for Justin Tipuric yesterday. He didn't manage to pinch

a ball or to win a penalty. So, that's the thing that separates him

and Sam Warburton. He's got the rest of the game. I think they will go

back. What Warren said after the game, he was a bit disappointed in

how competitive they were. That says, that is what Sam delivers so

well, so Sam will start at 7. And Lydiate will stay at 6. The

perennial question, Gareth, the Welsh fly-half position. Some

criticism about Rhys Priestland. No bigger an authority than Barry John

bigging him up today. Who would you go with? I would stick with

Priestland. APPLAUSE I thought he played well yesterday. Some people

can say a couple of kicks went astray, but again, you have tried

and trusted. You can't - we can't glorify these boys for ten games

because they play amazing and then warrant a drop because they have a

couple of bad instances in a game. I believe that he is a good enough 10

and he holds the backline well together and brings the centres in

well. One word, who is going to win? Wales. Wales. Wales. APPLAUSE

Ireland! Like he was going to say anything else! That is all we have

time for. Thank you very much for watching. Please show your

appreciation for Gareth Thomas. APPLAUSE Gwyn Jones. APPLAUSE Martyn

Williams. APPLAUSE And Rob Henderson! APPLAUSE We will be back

at the same time, same place next week, after that crunch game against

Ireland. We hope you can join us. We are very much looking forward to it.

There is so much to think about, so much to ponder. Good night.

Week one - Italian job done. Nothing fancy but a win's a win. Now for the

big one, Ireland v Wales. So many questions. What will the weather be

like? Has Warren been forgiven? And is Keith happy now? Will John Fox

make it and make a difference like last time? Will we have a bit of

river dancing from George, or even his old man? Could cheeky Mike

chance his arm again? Or will it all come down to the boot of Halfpenny?

He knows all about close shaves these days! And will Irish eyes be

smiling or seething?