:00:23. > :00:33.We wonder what will be in store for the regions as the new year starts.
:00:33. > :00:33.
:00:33. > :00:41.Who will make a name for themselves? Well Gatland's young
:00:41. > :00:45.stars shine again? And who will step into this man's shoes?
:00:45. > :00:51.Welcome to Scrum V, a very happy New Year to you all. We have the
:00:51. > :00:56.thoughts and opinions of Mr Jones, but let's remind you of what has
:00:56. > :01:02.happened over the festive period. It kicked off on 23rd December when
:01:02. > :01:12.the Dragons took on the blues and Gavin Henson returned to the fray.
:01:12. > :01:20.
:01:20. > :01:30.can he reach the line? -- Cuthbert carries on it. The Blues still
:01:30. > :01:37.pressing. He picks up and plummets over the line, great strength! The
:01:37. > :01:43.try a stance. Bradley Davies this time. He is going to run with them.
:01:43. > :01:48.Can he go all the way? He can. That is the score that settles it.
:01:48. > :01:52.It was the battle to be crowned best in the West on Boxing Day with
:01:52. > :02:01.the Scarlets looking to exorcise the ghosts of Christmas past.
:02:01. > :02:11.Shane Williams, oh! Rhys Thomas, he has got them!
:02:11. > :02:20.
:02:20. > :02:30.then sprang a surprise by making 14 changes. A Dragons team was
:02:30. > :02:43.
:02:43. > :02:49.determined to reverse a recent a close call. -- modern early
:02:49. > :02:59.afford. He took three or four steps before he actually took the ball --
:02:59. > :03:07.
:03:07. > :03:10.charge. -- chance. Jonathan Edwards rounds it off. Excellent counter
:03:10. > :03:19.attack from the Scarlets. And defences have at last been broken,
:03:19. > :03:26.a good try. Great hands by the forwards. The two prop forwards.
:03:26. > :03:33.Newton is in, not selfish, a lovely pass.
:03:33. > :03:43.That is some boot downfield. Murphy is making good yardage. Thomas has
:03:43. > :04:01.
:04:01. > :04:11.go back in. Great play by Gavin pass did not region, it is the turn
:04:11. > :04:16.
:04:16. > :04:23.as a tackle. I would say it was a loose ball, there was no tackle
:04:23. > :04:33.completed, but the referee does not agree. Great cover, a great tackle
:04:33. > :04:34.
:04:34. > :04:44.by the second row, day. The referee said he did not stay on his feet. A
:04:44. > :04:50.
:04:50. > :05:00.carrier, Murphy. The Dragons desperately need points, and they
:05:00. > :05:18.
:05:18. > :05:23.Scarlets defence. -- he finds a bit of space. He is in trouble. Support
:05:23. > :05:33.arrives from Jonathan Edwards. Not in time, but the though. The ball,
:05:33. > :05:33.
:05:33. > :06:16.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 42 seconds
:06:16. > :06:23.Just that little bit of composure. Burns. With a decent Carey as well.
:06:23. > :06:31.-- decent carry. Within kicking distance now, that is just what
:06:31. > :06:37.they have got. Just watch, number eight goes in. He is block of, the
:06:37. > :06:47.cops one on the chin and heap has to go off for 10 minutes -- he is
:06:47. > :07:01.
:07:01. > :07:11.Tuilagi. A good interceptor. North is tearing down field. It is all
:07:11. > :07:15.
:07:15. > :07:25.Evans, not really sure what is happening -- it was a chase by
:07:25. > :07:41.
:07:41. > :07:47.Robling. As Mr another one. I feel for the kid. -- has missed another
:07:48. > :07:57.one. He has missed two relatively easy ones. A very big scrum. Well
:07:58. > :08:05.
:08:05. > :08:15.there! What a kick from Aled Thomas! The format dragon. --
:08:15. > :08:21.
:08:21. > :08:27.is back to Adam Jones. No slips from the Dragons. Harris. The pass
:08:27. > :08:37.was asking too much. It has gone for it. The Dragons' last chance
:08:37. > :08:38.
:08:38. > :08:41.has gone, and the Scarlets, by the It is a huge result, it is a very
:08:41. > :08:46.difficult place to come. The Dragons played good stuff. We were
:08:46. > :08:49.confident. The players were spurred on by comments from earlier in the
:08:49. > :08:55.week and proved their worth. have to stick with our convictions,
:08:55. > :08:59.we cannot worry about the pressure, we have a decent amount of pressure.
:08:59. > :09:04.Our defence has been excellent in recent weeks. There are good parts
:09:04. > :09:08.to our game, we have to make sure they stay in place and develop the
:09:08. > :09:11.areas we need to work on. fantastic result and one that
:09:11. > :09:16.vindicated Nigel Davies' selection policy but it is one that the
:09:16. > :09:21.Dragons should have won. Yes, the Scarlets, on the back of some Pro
:09:21. > :09:25.12 wins, showing confidence. The Dragons, very few Pro 12 wins and
:09:25. > :09:31.very little confidence last night. Making too many errors, giving the
:09:31. > :09:36.ball always. Here we see Sidoli, Owens with a great tackle. He rips
:09:36. > :09:41.the ball away, and this leads to this great try for the Scarlets.
:09:41. > :09:44.Lydiate, we know he is one of the best players for the Dragons, he
:09:44. > :09:48.carries it into contact. Owens, ripping the ball off, relieving the
:09:48. > :09:52.ripping the ball off, relieving the pressure. This is from a restart.
:09:52. > :09:57.The Dragons are down in the Scarlets' 22. Phil John, ripping
:09:57. > :10:03.the ball clean from the tackle. You can't allow those things to happen.
:10:03. > :10:08.We see great defence from the Scarlets here. 127 tackles
:10:08. > :10:13.yesterday. Wayne Evans, a nothing kick. We saw a few of those from
:10:13. > :10:17.the half-backs. This was the end of last season, playing with
:10:17. > :10:25.confidence, those balls were going to hand. They had the opportunities
:10:25. > :10:29.to win it and they blew them. This was right at the death, 11 phases,
:10:29. > :10:37.a pass in front and the game is gone. The loss of Tovey was a big
:10:37. > :10:40.blow. The Dragons really need to be more precise. Going back to the
:10:40. > :10:44.Scarlets and Nigel Davies' bold selection policy. He insisted it
:10:44. > :10:50.was not a second string and these players have as much of a claim as
:10:50. > :10:55.anyone in the squad. Yes. Nigel was agitated when someone called it the
:10:55. > :11:01.second string. What you want in your squad is 31st choice players.
:11:01. > :11:06.I admire the boldness of Nigel. You have got players with a slight
:11:06. > :11:11.knock, maybe they have played World Cup, looking at six elections,
:11:11. > :11:15.thinking, should they play? When you have kids -- looking at Six
:11:16. > :11:21.Nations. When you have kids stepping in and they win... They
:11:21. > :11:26.have got the win. Nigel isn't a great position. He can put his hand
:11:26. > :11:33.on the back of the fellers and say, you are not needed this week. The
:11:33. > :11:36.list is endless and putting pressure on the internationals.
:11:36. > :11:40.Morgan is the number one in his position, playing out of his skin
:11:40. > :11:44.at number eight. Eligible for Wales in a fortnight, but there has been
:11:44. > :11:47.speculation that he has made his mind up and he will opt for England
:11:47. > :11:52.if he gets caught up. I don't want to speak out of school but I asked
:11:52. > :11:56.in the question direct. At the end of the day, he is an Englishman. He
:11:56. > :12:02.lives in Stroud, not far from Wales. But I think if England came calling,
:12:02. > :12:03.he would go with England first and foremost. Thanks for that. If Ben
:12:03. > :12:07.Morgan get selected for international honours and chooses
:12:07. > :12:15.Wales, he will be working with Shaun Edwards. We took the trip
:12:15. > :12:25.north to look back at the World Cup and Ford to the Six Nations. -- and
:12:25. > :12:32.
:12:32. > :12:38.The first time we spoke to you on Scrum V since the dramatic World
:12:38. > :12:45.Cup. A few months down the road now, what are your reflections? Still a
:12:45. > :12:49.lot of pride at the way the lads performed. Still frustration at
:12:49. > :12:52.what might have been. Being able Cup final would have been a
:12:52. > :12:57.tremendous achievement for the whole of Wales and unfortunately,
:12:57. > :13:02.it was not to be -- being in a World Cup final. What went through
:13:02. > :13:06.your mind when the red card was brandished? I was frustrated, I
:13:06. > :13:09.thought it should have been a yellow. I am told, all the other
:13:09. > :13:15.referees have been told, is anybody's leg goes above, you have
:13:15. > :13:19.to be sent off, would I think is ridiculous. -- which I think is
:13:20. > :13:23.ridiculous. Surely a referee of that class, experience, the ability,
:13:23. > :13:26.should have the scope to make that decision by himself. Is one of the
:13:26. > :13:31.best referees in the world, he should not have to tell them what
:13:31. > :13:36.to do in every situation. I think he should have the scope to make
:13:36. > :13:40.his own mind up. Post World Cup, everyone returned to Wales with
:13:40. > :13:50.reputations enhanced. You had the target of a number of other
:13:50. > :13:52.
:13:52. > :13:57.organisations but you stuck with There were a number of reasons, the
:13:57. > :14:00.speed with which the Welsh Rugby union acted was one of them. My
:14:00. > :14:04.loyalty to Warren Gatland, he has been a great mentor to me over the
:14:04. > :14:08.years. And hopefully he will do them to be that. And the people I
:14:08. > :14:14.have worked with, and the where have been welcomed by the Welsh
:14:14. > :14:18.nation. My fellow players and -- my fellow coaches and the players have
:14:19. > :14:24.been very receptive to my coaching style. I feel very much at home.
:14:24. > :14:29.Are you excited by the prospect of what is to come? A lot has been
:14:29. > :14:34.said about Wales having the youthful squad. So these guys could
:14:34. > :14:37.be peaking at the right time in four years' time. Let's hope so. If
:14:37. > :14:42.they can keep themselves injury- free, God willing, they have got a
:14:42. > :14:47.great attitude, these guys are great to coach, they want to be
:14:47. > :14:50.good. They're doing all the right things at the moment. Going into
:14:50. > :14:54.the Six Nations, there is expectation upon us. I have always
:14:54. > :14:58.said that the Welsh team are better when they are under pressure. And
:14:58. > :15:04.there is pressure on us to perform in this Six Nations. Every weekend
:15:04. > :15:07.there is a game coming up. Fingers crossed, nobody gets injured.
:15:07. > :15:11.Because there is no doubt that over the last few years, we have been
:15:11. > :15:16.hit more than some other nations with injuries. Hopefully we can
:15:16. > :15:21.keep that to a minimum, and really going to the Six Nations with some
:15:21. > :15:24.confidence. That little bit of pressure will be good for us.
:15:25. > :15:28.suppose the inevitable consequence of a successful World Cup will be
:15:28. > :15:33.that clubs will be looking at players in a different way. As one
:15:33. > :15:37.of the coaches of the national side, does that concern you? In an ideal
:15:37. > :15:45.world, they would all be playing in Wales. But as we all know, it is
:15:45. > :15:49.not an ideal world. I was thinking during the World Cup, people like
:15:49. > :15:53.Luke Charteris, two years ago, they were not superstars, they probably
:15:53. > :15:59.would not have got an offer from France, but these are guys are
:15:59. > :16:05.going to be looked at from a one. People like Gethin Jenkins, Adam
:16:05. > :16:10.Jones, probably coming towards their lost contract, these kind of
:16:10. > :16:15.guys may unfortunately at some time leave. But conversely, people like
:16:15. > :16:19.Gethin Jenkins leaving, could that open up a place for more young
:16:19. > :16:25.Welsh players?. Another thing which has been commented on extensively
:16:25. > :16:28.has been the fitness of the Wales squad, largely because of these now
:16:29. > :16:34.legendary camps in Poland. I hear you're going back there before the
:16:35. > :16:41.Six Nations, how did that idea go down? You will have to ask them, if
:16:41. > :16:46.you asked me, it is going down well, I have been that many times, I will
:16:47. > :16:51.be applying for Polish citizenship! I love going to training camps. It
:16:51. > :16:55.is a mixture of aerobics as well as strength and power. It was very
:16:55. > :17:01.beneficial for us going into the World Cup. Hopefully it will give
:17:01. > :17:05.us a bit of an edge, and we want to get to the same levels that we got
:17:05. > :17:09.to in the World Cup. Whether we can get that to that absolute level in
:17:09. > :17:14.six or seven days, I'm not sure. But it will definitely be
:17:14. > :17:21.beneficial for the Six Nations anyway. Going into the new year,
:17:21. > :17:26.any resolutions? Win the Six Nations. Simple as that. He looks
:17:26. > :17:30.confident, doesn't he? Shaun Edwards mentioned it himself, Wales
:17:30. > :17:36.will be favourites, at least joint favourites, in the eyes of many. He
:17:36. > :17:40.also said, we perform better when we are under pressure. How
:17:40. > :17:44.difficult Willerby to recapture the spirit of the World Cup? It is a
:17:44. > :17:47.psychological challenge for them. The players need to have the same
:17:47. > :17:54.confidence, but they need to realise what they will be up
:17:54. > :17:58.against. It is almost like a second-season syndrome. For example,
:17:58. > :18:03.Heaslip of Ireland, he did not care too much about Toby Faletau six
:18:03. > :18:08.months ago, but now, I'm sure he will. Ireland will be hurting from
:18:08. > :18:11.the World Cup. So, there's some big challenges. Managing the psychology
:18:11. > :18:18.of the players will be the challenge, keeping the confidence,
:18:18. > :18:23.but also, I agree with what Shaun Edwards said, we are often better
:18:23. > :18:27.as underdogs, unfortunately, fighting nayland tooth. If we do
:18:27. > :18:33.that, and get a good start against Ireland, we can win the Six Nations.
:18:33. > :18:38.-- tooth and nail. The coaching set-up has got a settled look about
:18:38. > :18:43.it now, all of them having resigned for another four years. Conversely,
:18:43. > :18:49.half of the teams have got new coaching regimes, like England and
:18:49. > :18:54.Italy and France as well. Yes, France, for sure, needed someone,
:18:54. > :18:58.and Philippe will do a fantastic job, we know that. France has got a
:18:58. > :19:02.fantastic pool of players. They have just got to select the right
:19:02. > :19:08.players, and they will be a challenge. They will be playing at
:19:08. > :19:11.another level for the new coach. England, taking everything which
:19:11. > :19:16.happened off the field to one side, they finished top of their group,
:19:16. > :19:19.they lost in the quarter-final in a game which they could have won and
:19:19. > :19:23.other day to a team which went to the final. It is not a massive
:19:23. > :19:28.crisis, like everybody is talking about. The new coach, Stuart
:19:28. > :19:32.Lancaster, a smart guy. They will be a big challenge for everybody at
:19:32. > :19:35.Twickenham. It is going to be a really interesting tournament.
:19:35. > :19:41.mentioned Ireland, the Six Nations is always about momentum, that
:19:41. > :19:46.first match against Ireland will be really important in Dublin. Those
:19:46. > :19:49.Irish lads, every morning they have woken up since the World Cup and
:19:49. > :19:53.looked at themselves in the mirror, I'm sure they have been thinking
:19:53. > :20:02.about the challenge of Wales first up. It is a huge challenge. The
:20:02. > :20:09.first game is so important in the Six Nations. Thank you very much.
:20:09. > :20:13.There has been another Welsh derby today, the Ospreys welcoming the
:20:13. > :20:16.Blues to the Liberty Stadium. It marked a return for Gavin Henson
:20:16. > :20:26.for the first time since his controversial departure in October
:20:26. > :20:32.
:20:32. > :20:37.the Quinton -- in the Blues line-up from their last game. Much of the
:20:37. > :20:41.attention will focus on Gavin Henson. For the Ospreys, good news
:20:41. > :20:45.in that both Adam Jones and Shane Williams have passed fitness tests,
:20:45. > :20:53.and take their place in the team, hoping to bring to an end a losing
:20:53. > :20:59.run of three matches. They look for a gap down the left-hand side, it
:20:59. > :21:09.reaches Cuthbert, who kicks back infield, but Morgan can counter-
:21:09. > :21:12.attack! It is a lovely run. He's going on his own! And it is Peter
:21:12. > :21:22.mate who rescues the Blues. But that was a beautiful run from
:21:22. > :21:30.
:21:30. > :21:35.Matthew Morgan. A little bit of a slip by Gavin Henderson, much to
:21:35. > :21:42.the delight of the crowd. But he has got support here. One man
:21:42. > :21:48.outside him. He breaks inside into the 22. Lloyd-Williams, to
:21:48. > :21:53.Molitikia. Tito comes on a charging run, but did he lose the ball?
:21:53. > :21:58.Gavin Henson, counter-attacking. And look at him chasing up. He had
:21:58. > :22:04.support from Xavier Rush, Cuthbert was outside as well. Gavin Henson
:22:04. > :22:12.would have enjoyed that. The couple of metres inside the Blues 22. It
:22:12. > :22:19.goes over the top of everybody. Molitikia cannot get hold of it.
:22:19. > :22:29.This is a great run from the open- side flanker. He needs support.
:22:29. > :22:35.Josh Navidi finally gets Collard. The tackle comes in from Jones.
:22:35. > :22:41.They need fast ball. Yapp arriving now. They're just outside the
:22:42. > :22:48.Ospreys 22. Yapp picks up, slipped the ball back. But that's great
:22:48. > :22:52.defensive work from the Ospreys. But what a run this was from Josh
:22:52. > :22:57.Navidi. From just outside his own 22, crossing the halfway line, and
:22:57. > :23:07.for a minute, I thought he might go all the way. Typically, Tommy Bowe
:23:07. > :23:18.
:23:18. > :23:28.attacking opportunity. They come right. Out it goes to the right.
:23:28. > :23:29.
:23:30. > :23:39.Can he get there? I think he might have got over the line. Initially,
:23:40. > :23:45.
:23:45. > :23:55.the two Samoans I think, and Tommy Bowe just about made it. Tom Isaacs
:23:55. > :24:00.
:24:00. > :24:10.did ever so well, as did Ashley Beck, and Bowe just about made it.
:24:10. > :24:10.
:24:10. > :24:20.Paterson involved. Dan Parks goes for the drop goal. Has he
:24:20. > :24:33.
:24:33. > :24:40.Ospreys, and they win a penalty. A crucial one, you would have to say,
:24:41. > :24:50.at this stage of the game. Can he be a hero for his team? It is a
:24:50. > :24:54.be a hero for his team? It is a good one. They're in the lead.
:24:54. > :25:01.Blues back line is full of internationals, and we were very
:25:01. > :25:05.pleased to keep them out. This team does not lack in spirit. We are
:25:05. > :25:09.disappointed, we thought we have managed to get back into it at
:25:09. > :25:13.half-time, we were starting to get into the game. And then we had a
:25:13. > :25:18.couple of injuries in the second half, and we were unable to finish
:25:18. > :25:23.offer opportunities. The Ospreys are very good at the breakdown.
:25:23. > :25:33.They were able to turn the ball over at crucial times. There were
:25:33. > :25:34.
:25:34. > :25:42.two other games today in the RaboDirect Pro12. Leicester kept
:25:42. > :25:45.their title drive going. The Scarlets and the Blues are both now
:25:45. > :25:50.within touching distance of the play-off places, but the Dragons
:25:50. > :25:53.really need to start winning if they are to climb the ladder. So, a
:25:53. > :25:59.close encounter there this afternoon at the Liberty Stadium,
:25:59. > :26:03.but a welcome victory for the Ospreys. Yes, they have been really
:26:04. > :26:07.good in the Pro12 this year. That was a dogged performance, good
:26:07. > :26:13.substitutions, nice to see young Matthew Morgan plane, he always
:26:13. > :26:17.looks like he can bring something to the game. A good substitution,
:26:17. > :26:23.with Dan Parks coming on, to bring the Blues back into the game. But
:26:23. > :26:31.it was a very, very important win for the Ospreys. A man who has
:26:31. > :26:35.already developing a good reputation, Liam allure -- Matthew
:26:35. > :26:45.Morgan was outstanding again today. They have got lots of good players
:26:45. > :26:49.
:26:49. > :26:54.coming through. Over the Christmas period, they have been outstanding.
:26:54. > :27:00.It is great to see all the players coming through. And lots of them
:27:00. > :27:05.are under 24. And a certain Gavin Henson, what did you make of him?
:27:05. > :27:10.He showed touches of class, we know what he is about. He looks fit. The
:27:10. > :27:14.kick and collecting the high ball, he runs nonchalantly, but I'm sure
:27:14. > :27:19.he's going very fast. He's very hard to put down. For Gavin Henson,
:27:19. > :27:29.it is just about him, what he wants, because he has got as much ability
:27:29. > :27:29.
:27:29. > :27:35.as any rugby player in the world. Several big names have been linked
:27:35. > :27:39.to the Ospreys head coach job. Do you fancy it? It is nice to be
:27:39. > :27:44.linked, but I have got the six nations coming up, and I'm looking
:27:44. > :27:48.forward to that. That is where my focus is right now.
:27:48. > :27:53.announcement itself, give us an idea from the perspective of a
:27:53. > :27:59.coach, what effect will it have on the playing squad? Will be
:27:59. > :28:06.unsettling? I don't think so. I think Shaun Edwards has got the
:28:06. > :28:13.major role with the team. It might have a positive effect. Players
:28:13. > :28:18.might be thinking, is Jonathan Humphreys going to move up? Who
:28:18. > :28:21.will be coming in? Everybody might have to up their game a bit. But I
:28:21. > :28:29.think they're all working hard. They have had a couple of defeats
:28:29. > :28:33.recently. But there is no lack of effort in that team. They lacked
:28:33. > :28:40.direction a couple of times away to the Scarlets. Thanks for your