27/11/2011 Scrum V

It is all about the letter W tonight, the World Cup may be over,

but we have a top-class line-up. Wales will be out for revenge. We

speak to a World Cup-winning coach who tells us what Wales should do

next. To win the most games. have a world-class wing forward.

play beside him is huge. We will be keeping an eye on him as well.

Wales' win wizard joins as as he prepares for his international

swansong. And we will have all the weekend's action from the pro 12.

My guests are Shane Williams and Jonathan Davies. Let's start with

We start with the Ospreys, who travelled to Galway last night to

referee. Taking out in the air. Gough completely missed timing his

charge on Gannon. It is dangerous play. Maya Nakora tackling for the

fly-half shirt this season. He opened the scoring. The wind has

proved too much. Matthew Morgan, not wanting to put boot to ball to

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Another penalty coming. That has gone wide. They will come back for

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for Nakora. Half an hour gone, the Matthew Morgan! Beautiful work by

the young Ospreys half backs. Rhys Webb and Matthew Morgan combining.

Morgan with his second league try when a scrappy line-out. The charge

crucial score for the Ospreys. Muldoon has given his heart and

soul for the home cause. But if the Ospreys can hold out another couple

a Duffy. Morgan could have been free outside. The chance still on.

The Ospreys have made a complete mess of a good try scoring chance.

Connacht giving the ball wide. A comedy of errors. We trained all

week. We knew it would be quite windy. The weather turned over

night. Connacht are very tough team to play, especially away. We always

think of Connacht as the weakest of think of Connacht as the weakest of

the four Irish provinces. It is a tough place to go? It is always

difficult at best Connacht. They are a bothered side, they never

give up. You do not get much sunshine in Galway. Always

difficult conditions. Conditions I am used to playing in it. Duncan

Jones showing a good turn of pace? He is pretty sharp. He is playing

some good rugby. We saw Matthew Morgan. What did you make of his

performance? I think it was a good break by the scrum-half. Good

support. Great balance. The conditions were dreadful. You

cannot really have a game of rugby. It was a professional job well done.

A very good performance. A missed opportunity at the end. It could

have been even better. The 18 players either off duty. Some

evidence there is some depth with the Ospreys? Yes, a lot of good

players coming through in all positions. It is great to see they

are getting their chances. Boys like Matthew Morgan have come

through and shown that he is a class act. We have got some good

boys coming through. Some good forwards, too. Some wingers coming

through who will push me out as well. It is great. A bumper

programme tonight. Here is what is coming up. It is all about the

letter W. The World Cup may be over, we have a world-class line-up. The

Wallabies are in town and Wales will be out for revenge. We speak

to a World Cup winning coach who tells us what Wales should do next.

I guess the next thing is to win the close games. And we have a

world-class wing forward. This will be Shane Williams's last game at

the Millennium Stadium. That is used for Wales. Wales's wing wizard

joins us as he prepares for his international swansong. And we will

have all the weekend's action from the Pro12. The Wallabies warmed up

for the forthcoming Test against Wales with a convincing 60-11

victory over the Barbarians at Twickenham yesterday. I caught up

with David Pocock. It will be a really big game. We were the two

youngest teams at the World Cup. Hopefully we can go on for the next

four years and be two of the top World Cup. It starts now. This is

the opportunity to start to improve and work on things going forward.

Both coaches not afraid of giving youngsters a chance? I think it is

really important to have that balance between the young guys

coming through, and the more experienced players. The Welsh have

a few injuries leading into this game. A few players may not be

available. Does that give the Wallabies a slight edge in terms of

being favourites? Not at all. We have got injuries, too. A whole

heap of guys who have not even come on the tour. Both teams will be up

for the game. Shane Williams's last game at the Millennium Stadium.

That is huge. We are aware of how much he has done for Welsh rugby.

He deserves to go out with a win. So it is a big challenge for us.

One we are looking forward to. It is our last game of the year.

are pretty keen to end with a win. We in Wales worship the number 10

jersey. The southern hemisphere probably favour the number seven

more than we do? The breakdown is a huge part of the game and such a

focus for the team, you have a lot more involvement in the game. We

have seen guys like Richie Morkov. Another world-class No. 7 is Sam

Warburton. One of his biggest regrets in the World Cup was that

he did not get to go toe-to-toe against yourself. Are you looking

forward to locking horns with him? It will be great. He is a very good

player. As a captain, he is obviously somebody guys look to for

a leadership. He is a big part of their team. James O'Connor starting

at fly-half for the first time? it has put a big gap in the number

10 spot. James has played a little bit in the Super Eight competitions

and he has a bit of experience. The coaches are backing him this week.

He looks forward to games where he is asked to step up and do more.

Good luck against Wales and for the rest of the five Test series. Good

to meet you. Cheers. Australians looked pretty sharp

yesterday. Fairly ruthless. Put that in context. The Barbarians,

some of them, their hearts were not in it towards the end of the second

half? A bit demoralising towards the end. That is what Australia can

do. They have a potent attacking force. Some world-class players.

You have got the likes of James O'Connor, the good play and the

position. They are a great team. You mentioned James O'Connor, his

first start at number 10, and he looked pretty comfortable, didn't

he? Yes, he has got a good kicking game. He is quite powerful as well.

I would not read much into yesterday. I'm not sure how much

training Australia have done since the World Cup. It is their off

season. Secondly, the Barbarians did not want to tackle much. They

just rolled over. As Shane said, if you do not get your defence right,

they are lethal. They beat France the last couple of years by 50 odd

points. They scored 40 points in the last 30 minutes. If you let

them play, they can play. It will be an interesting test match next

week. David Pocock verses Sam Warburton, an interesting match up?

It is interesting. The backs, it all depends who their front five is.

Without Adam Jones, we would have to see who does play. It might suit

both sides to play looser. Then we can see Shane add some were tries

to his record and finish off on a great high. I am looking forward to

next week's game. Five more tries to beat David Campese. Hopefully

you have got it in you for the weekend! I do not know about that!

You have had plenty of magical moments over the years. How are you

feeling now with a week left? nervous. I am nervous, to be fair.

I am looking forward to it. It is a game I want to win with Wales. It

will be nice to see where we are as aside after quite as successful

World Cup. I hope we can move on. For me it will be a fantastic day.

By friends and family will be there. Probably 90% of the valley there as

well. I'm really excited. I cannot wait. It is not about me on the day.

It is about Wales beating Australia. Hopefully I can contribute did that.

Great tries. Quite a few hairstyles as well! I have had some dodgy

hairstyles! They do come back and haunt you! 12 glittering years. It

all began 12 years back when Graham Henry did you your first cap. He

coached New Zealand to Word Cup glory. We met him last week.

Congratulations on your triumph. Has it has sunk in yet? This team

has been ranked No. 1 in the world for some time. It was great to be

world champions at last. A lot of them put a lot of work into it. A

lot of Test matches and a lot of titles. It is great that they were

able to put that final hurdle to bed. You have a special bond with

Wales. What did you think of their World Cup? There are good players

coming through which is impressive. The challenges are to win those

place games more often than they lose them. And often they become

brittle if they lose a couple of players, so keep those young

players coming through. You know the atmosphere created in the

Millennium Stadium. How special do you think it will be that Shane has

hung on for one last game? All the fans will be there to pay tribute

to him. I think it is great and he deserves that. He is probably a

number one player in Wales for some time. He has been consistently

world-class. They look to him to do something special, and often he

does that. And if you wanted to give him a message of good luck,

what would you tell him? Get up there and enjoy the occasion and

score a couple of tries, hopefully. What about yourself, you have won

the Holy Grail, you are a World Cup winner. Is there anything left for

due to achieve in rugby? There are some things I would still like to

do. I am not sure if I touched a nerve there but he was a bit

perfunctory. Anything to hide? The first thing to do is get a smile on

his face! He has achieved the Holy Grail. That was a weight around the

country's neck. They got a win against France. Any job that comes

up now, his name will be linked to it. I think he should just enjoy

himself, Basque in the glory of being a World Cup winning coach.

I'm sure he will have offered to do a lot of different things. He has

been the subject of a number of rumours. Cardiff Blues is one

rumour, squashed by their chairman. But looking at the RFU, there is a

lot of turmoil there. I think it is at rock bottom, it could not get

any worse. I think these anonymous reports are a waste of time. You

just get into the changing room and sort it out. Because the things

that people are saying, it is not people who are in the starting 15.

To do that, and drag it further down, I just feel sorry for the

whole set-up. And in particular Martin Johnson that really is a

good bloke. What about Jake White, the latest man to express an

interest. He did not say for sure but I got the impression that she

could be interested? Whelk he wins the World Cup and then where does

he go? We have not seen him. It will be very interesting. Other

names have been mentioned. John Kirwan is finishing in Japan. You

have to have a bit of continuity. And it showed that with Wales in

the World Cup, they were comfortable with the players and

the management. It does take time to develop and grow. It is sad that

it has happened but it has tracked the game of rugby into the

headlines for the wrong reasons. People start questioning the ethics

and the morals of rugby. It is very sad and I hope it is cleared up as

soon as possible. Well that's returned now to pro 12 action. We

start with East against West, the a great tackle. Were the feet over

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penalty? That did bounce up in his table has turned on the Dragons

will be the yellow card. I bet it will be number seven. No. 8, Tom

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taken away from them now? Jones keeps up his 100% kicking for the

was going to be. They are a good side and that is why the game was

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not as open as we would have liked run in for the winner. A third try

the referee. And here is Sweeney to put the tin hat on it for the Blues.

No problem. So a round-up of the Victory over Ulster. How does that

leave the table? The Ospreys reclaimed the victory with their

They were pretty clinical in the second half. They got the bonus

point. So you could not ask for anything else. In the second half,

the Italians did not want to be there. They did cut loose in that

second half. They could have been a lot more in the first half as well.

The Italians' discipline was quite poor. They just looked tired in the

second half. But they got the full bonus points in the end and it was

a good win. The referees were talking about their frustration at

the way the breakdown and was are refereed. If you watched the

Scarlets, they did not contribute to the ruck. They did not have that

cutting edge to put the Scarlets away. That was their downfall.

Because one opportunity, Stephen Jones and kicked magnificently all

night. It is so difficult now which still ball, if it is not refereed

properly, it will be a slow and boring game. Because the defence is

so far these days. We should see players aving the space to run into

it. Let's go now to the Premiership. The teams that have been told they

were axed from the new Premiership have been reinstated. There has

been some great news at the Brewery Field in the past 24 hours. The

Welsh Union has agreed in principle to upgrade the Premiership from 10

to 12 clubs to include Bridgend. to 12 clubs to include Bridgend.

There has been tremendous spirit. We have had a lot of

congratulations as well. It is wonderful news for the area and

well deserved. It is a historic club. These clubs have been in

existence for a long time. We are delighted. Bridgend is a massive

place for Welsh rugby. So we can now plan going forward for next

season and the season after. Ospreys have backed us all awake.

We're grateful to them and for so many other people for having got us

back into this position. We are delighted, it just had to happen

for the area. It is excellent. hope we can do it proud now. We are

a great club and we are going to be again. Fantastic. This is

unbelievable. All our Christmases have come at once. So great news

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fist? What is the referee going to do? Yellow-card firm Murphy and

any room to run. Ross Jones. Morgan could not control it. Aberavon are

and great side. They are always competitive in this lead. We're

pleased with the effort. Good to see the crowd supporting you after

some great news from the union last night? Yes, great news. The boys

That result means Aberavon remain As we have been discussing, Shane

Williams's 12 year international career is about to come to an end.

Back to where it all started. When used stand at the top of the

Swansea Valley, it is striking to consider how many great players

have come from here. Robert Jones, Rollins, and back there, Gareth

Edwards. I am going to take a stroll down the hill to the home of

Shane Williams, what does he mean to your club? Fantastic. He is an

ambassador for the club and the village. To have a world player of

the year coming through our ranks is absolutely fantastic. His

brother and sister involved in the Shane, when he has got some free

time, he has done training with the boys. He is very much like one of

the boys. Were you worried about him? Everybody always goes on about

how he is little. He was very small when he was playing in the under

16s. Did you always see something special in him? He had plenty of

guts. He was not afraid of nobody. Can you pick out a moment when you

felt was a special moment? first game for Wales. Emotional.

lived at the bottom end of the village. That is where it all

started. When he played he was absolutely sensational.

important is the to this club? He does a lot. He comes training on

Thursday is what the boys when he is not training himself. He gives

us inside tips on how to improve Darfur game. You are rather fond of

this place as well? It is a great place. It might not look it today.

It has always been where I have lived. Everybody is kind of hoping

here that this may not be the end of your career that you may ring

had one season here playing for the amateurs. Is that a possibility?

have made the promise after a few pints! I love playing rugby. I did

not care on a Saturday morning which TMi was playing for. I will

be willing. Who knows? I cannot think what I will do with myself on

a Saturday afternoon. For Wales fans it is difficult to come to

terms with the fact that Shane Williams will run out for the last

time in a red jersey next Saturday, bringing the curtain down on

incredible international career. He will live on in our memories and in

our hearts as a true legend of Welsh rugby.

Shane, I was going to ask you what is next. It sounds as if you have

committed your future? There was a verbal agreement, unfortunately.

Coming up, the final game against Australia. You mentioned earlier or

how you had no doubt. I guess the emotions are beginning to rise to

the surface now? Of course. The closer it gets to the game now, the

more excited I am getting. First and foremost, it is about winning

the game. It is not Shane Williams versus Australia. It is Wales. I

will give it my utmost to be part of it and contribute to it. The

emotional side, it will be a great day. My family and friends will be

there. Family I did not know why had are coming on Saturday. I hope

I can play well and finished on a high note. It is still a Test match

and the revenge match after the World Cup? Yes, it is. But it is a

special occasion. I know he will try to play it down. I have been

very lucky that sense I have been broadcasting there have been great

times. Shane has been a shining light. When I have watched Wales,

he has given us all such pleasurable moments. I hope they do

win and I hope these cause a few tries. When it's time to hang your

boots up, you know it is the right time. I wasn't the best the block

what every does. As long as it does not try to get my job! We saw them

at Twickenham yesterday. They looked very sharp indeed. What sort

of opposition do you expect to face? They play expansive rugby.

They have got players like Pocock were deadly without the ball. The

amount of turn overs he creates is incredible. An Australian team with

turnover ball is deadly. They are one of the best in the world. Very

physical. You see the flamboyance they have got. But they're very

physical with it. All-round they are a great side. They can play