Episode 21 Scrum V


Episode 21

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The title race has entered the final straight and the margins

:00:15.:00:22.

could not be tighter. Five contenders, four play-off spots and

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another round of big hits and controversial calls. We will also

:00:29.:00:36.

have all the action from the Swalec Cup semi-finals. Jamie Roberts bids

:00:36.:00:39.

an emotional farewell to the Arms Park and looks forward to the next

:00:39.:00:45.

chapter of his life. The next three weeks, they are massively important

:00:45.:00:50.

things happening. I have my results on Monday and the Lions selection

:00:50.:00:55.

on April 30th. And Warren Gatland assesses his priorities as the

:00:55.:00:59.

Lions tour looms large on the horizon. It is all about winning

:00:59.:01:04.

the Test series. If we drop a game on the way, trying different

:01:04.:01:07.

combinations, different structures, I am not going to get too hung up

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on that. Good evening and welcome to the programme. Plenty to get it

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-- to get stuck into tonight. We will be talking Lions in just a few

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moments that we start with the RaboDirect Pro12. It is the Glasgow

:01:27.:01:37.
:01:37.:01:39.

leaders to know any knowing a win was essential to keep their play-

:01:39.:01:45.

off hopes alive. Classical arrived as favourites having won eight of

:01:45.:01:55.
:01:55.:02:00.

their last nine in the league. -- Williams safely and beneath it.

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That was good from Ken Owens. Write off his bootlaces. Scott Williams,

:02:07.:02:17.
:02:17.:02:48.

Liam Williams. A Georgian off on Owens started it all. Now Glasgow

:02:48.:02:53.

have to be wary. They are putting bodies around the base of that ruck.

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The Scarlets go a bit wider. Good tackling. Right on the Glasgow try

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:03:12.:03:15.

line. Scott Williams at scrum-half. If he stands out a little bit and

:03:15.:03:22.

goes left, they will have to keep their width the Scarlets. Still the

:03:22.:03:25.

forwards persist in the meantime. Right up on the try-line again.

:03:26.:03:32.

Phil John squeezing it and they kept it tight and kept it amongst

:03:32.:03:42.
:03:42.:03:51.

the forward and Ken Owens has got again. Again, they are back within

:03:51.:03:57.

striking distance. Williams with the snap drop goal. When things go

:03:57.:04:02.

wrong, try something to get points on the board. Williams adds three

:04:02.:04:12.
:04:12.:04:19.

with the tackle. Just a couple of metres short of the try line. Was

:04:20.:04:25.

that a knock on? Yes. Alastair Kellock had to bend down that 6 ft

:04:25.:04:34.

8 frame and it was just too much. Rob McCusker with Jonathan Edwards

:04:34.:04:41.

in close attendance. Making sure the ball comes back again safely.

:04:41.:04:51.
:04:51.:05:01.

Back inside to Ian Williams. Easy try. What an easy try for Liam

:05:01.:05:11.
:05:11.:05:40.

now stands at 20 points. -- the gap. Just a minute and a half remaining

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of the game. The game has faded towards the end partly because the

:05:44.:05:51.

scar on its are going for tries. -- the Scarlets. Gareth Davies, surely.

:05:51.:05:55.

Glasgow doing the best to get underneath him. No doubt at all

:05:55.:05:59.

that he was over the try-line but did Gareth Davies get the ball to

:05:59.:06:09.
:06:09.:06:14.

We played in the right areas in the first half and in the second half,

:06:14.:06:18.

we have to work a little bit harder without the ball and we did not

:06:18.:06:23.

concede a try against a side that put 50 points on Munster. Looking

:06:23.:06:27.

at it in the context of the fact that we have two games left, the

:06:27.:06:31.

league position and where they are, it is probably our best performance

:06:31.:06:41.
:06:41.:06:44.

to win to finish the weekend in the play-off zone. Treviso were the

:06:44.:06:48.

opponents. And the Ospreys had revenge on their minds having lost

:06:48.:06:58.
:06:58.:07:17.

to the Italians on the opening is a penalty coming their way. But

:07:17.:07:24.

they have the penalty -- the ball anyway. Held up in the tackle. Joe

:07:24.:07:34.
:07:34.:07:58.

Bearman too quickly out of the immediately missed by Treviso. Only

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Dan Parks and Ronan O'Gara have scored more points in the league

:08:01.:08:09.

than Dan Biggar. He found the post with his first effort. But that is

:08:09.:08:19.
:08:19.:08:32.

better and the Ospreys are back on that malt legally. The Treviso

:08:32.:08:42.
:08:42.:08:44.

players were frustrated. That is knew he had done enough. Only just

:08:44.:08:54.
:08:54.:08:57.

but only just isn't enough. -- is enough. No thoughts of bonus points

:08:57.:09:07.
:09:07.:09:29.

from Justin Tipuric. The referee help a little bit, maybe! But this

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is a definite opportunity now. Ashley Beck, men spare to the left.

:09:35.:09:45.
:09:45.:09:49.

Jonathan Spratt, Richard Fussell. What a tackle! A try-saving tackle.

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That is a top-class tackle. I do not know what has gone on since.

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:10:03.:10:12.

They have tried to take the quick got a completely unexpected try for

:10:12.:10:22.
:10:22.:10:29.

the Ospreys. Yes, he did well. There is no let-up. The midfield is

:10:29.:10:39.
:10:39.:10:50.

up quickly. It falls for Dan Biggar. late, late try for the Ospreys. It

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won't be enough for the bonus point but it underlines the win that puts

:10:54.:11:04.
:11:04.:11:04.

An all-important victory for the Ospreys. That battle with the

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Scarlets continues for 4th spot. They missed out on the bonus point.

:11:08.:11:15.

They are up against it. Yes, they probably are. The Scarlets have two

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home games. The Ospreys have to go to Glasgow and then one of the

:11:20.:11:25.

divers places to go in Europe, Leinster. As one of the toughest

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places. It is an uphill battle. One major

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talking point yesterday was that Ben John tried. It is a bizarre one.

:11:38.:11:48.
:11:48.:11:53.

Two reasons why it should not have line-out in the in-goal area. The

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Ospreys's Ben John catches it and put it down. It is a great defence

:11:57.:12:05.

from Treviso. Great tackle. Then there is a quick line-out. You

:12:05.:12:11.

cannot take a quick line-out in the in-goal. It has to be within the

:12:11.:12:17.

try lines. And then he has his foot in touch. And then he dropped it

:12:17.:12:25.

down. The linesman says to the referee that he did not see it. He

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goes to the video referee and he gives the try. I think that is a

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big decision because the conditions were dreadful and it was a dog

:12:34.:12:37.

fight. They came and a spot, Treviso. They tried to play a bit

:12:37.:12:41.

of football, the Ospreys, but it was dreadful. That was a huge

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turning point just before half-time and it took them clear, which gave

:12:45.:12:52.

them a significant advantage in the second half. It happened Italy

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versus France in the Six Nations this year. The Italians took

:12:54.:12:59.

another quick throw-in from the in goal. You cannot do that. It should

:12:59.:13:05.

not be allowed. That has clear that one up. Let's talk about been

:13:05.:13:12.

Scarlets. An impressive performance from them. Yes, Simon Easterby said

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in his interview, it is probably their best interview of the best

:13:16.:13:26.

performance of the season. They dominated from start to finish. It

:13:26.:13:29.

was all built on the defence. The pressure they put on Glasgow

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without the ball. Ken Owens starting if -- it off in the first

:13:34.:13:38.

couple of minutes. That is in the back of Jackson's mind. The back-

:13:38.:13:47.

row impress me. I thought a Aaron Shingler was rightly man of the

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match. And Jonathan Edwards. They will all over Glasgow right through

:13:51.:14:01.
:14:01.:14:16.

the game. Turning over the ball in Johnathan Edwards puts Kent Owens

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through early on. Great play from Rob McCusker. I thought it was very

:14:24.:14:31.

good. In the first half they picked don't draw, picked and draw and

:14:31.:14:36.

they were in control. Bait may be are slight favourites to get to the

:14:36.:14:41.

top four because of two tough games. But I did feel that when they were

:14:41.:14:48.

20 points up, I still think, to be safe, you need that bonus point.

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They are capable of winning. I thought the Llanelli Scarlett had a

:14:54.:15:00.

chance to get a bonus point but they went for goal which was quite

:15:00.:15:10.
:15:10.:15:11.

Some good news of the pitch for Scarlets. Ross Williams has signed

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as sender. There were rumours he might be joining George North in

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leaving. Staying with the Pro 12 and there was a huge Irish Derby

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yesterday between Munster and Leinster. We will get all the

:15:23.:15:33.
:15:33.:15:38.

action from that in a few moments Belfast on Friday night and were

:15:38.:15:42.

hoping to end their run of three defeats in a row. Tommy Bowe was

:15:42.:15:46.

making his first start since December and they had the top of

:15:46.:15:51.

the League in their sight. Good work, putting them under

:15:51.:16:00.

pressure. Good scrum. Tommy Bowe is in. What a homecoming by Tommy

:16:00.:16:10.
:16:10.:16:16.

Bowe! Good solid defence. Ulster still in the driving seat. Golding

:16:16.:16:21.

has done brilliantly. -- Golding does brilliantly. What a great

:16:21.:16:31.
:16:31.:16:32.

finish by this talented youngster. Here comes Williams. Clever by

:16:32.:16:42.
:16:42.:16:42.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 48 seconds

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Cave. He will get Ulster's third. pace. Here comes the Dragons. They

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are looking for the last try. They are going to get it. Eight terrific

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finish by Tom Prydie. Munster's Pro 12 hopes were already gone ahead of

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the Irish Derby but they came into on a hike following their European

:17:51.:17:56.

renaissance last week. It was the visitors who stole an early March,

:17:56.:18:01.

fly-half in Madigan knocking over three penalties. That Sturt Munster

:18:01.:18:11.

into action. The closure -- the home side... Phoenix Jones doubled

:18:11.:18:15.

their tally despite protests by the visitors about alleged illegal

:18:15.:18:23.

blocking. A half-time lead belonged to Leinster as the League's leading

:18:23.:18:28.

points scorer knocked another one over. Further penalties were

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exchanged at the start of the second half but this incident

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became a major talking-point, Paul O'Connell's boot making contact

:18:37.:18:44.

with Dave Kearney's head. Play resumed after a 3.5 minute delay

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and with the clock and winding down, it was Leinster who seized the

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initiative. There was this try from Brian O'Driscoll. Keane, no doubt,

:18:55.:19:05.
:19:05.:19:07.

to impress a certain phase in the The big talking point was that

:19:07.:19:12.

incident with Paul O'Connell. There have 48 hours to decide whether he

:19:12.:19:16.

will be sited. Jonathan, it looked pretty bad on the replays, should

:19:16.:19:22.

he be sited? I think we spoke about it earlier. If he is sited, he gets

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away with it. He is clearly going for the ball. He puts his hand, the

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ball is there and then he stretches it out. He boot the ball and his

:19:33.:19:41.

Sinn catches his head. To me, the intent was to go for the ball --

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his shin catches his head. As soon as the incident was over, Paul

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O'Connell was straight over to Dave Kearney to see if he was all right.

:19:51.:19:56.

I do feel it was a nasty injury but we have all been there. You had

:19:56.:20:03.

been on the floor. It looted. It is one of those things that happened.

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He is a hard and uncompromising player but no signs he is a debt to

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one. Warren Gatland was running his rule over Paul O'Connell and a

:20:11.:20:15.

number of other players. The Lions squad will be announced in a

:20:15.:20:20.

fortnight's time. Their head coach spoke to Scrum V and I asked him

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how a satisfying was for Wales to retain their Six Nations ground. --

:20:26.:20:36.
:20:36.:20:37.

crown. I was absolutely delighted for the squad and the team. Became

:20:37.:20:42.

under huge amount of pressure from the media and the public. I got

:20:42.:20:45.

more of a buzz out of Wales winning the final game than if I had been

:20:45.:20:52.

in charge. I was delighted for the coaches, the squad, so yes, it was

:20:52.:20:57.

a big thrill. I could not have asked any more for a final game as

:20:57.:21:01.

the Lions coach just the players having to perform under pressure. A

:21:01.:21:07.

great atmosphere. And real pressure cooker atmosphere. So much at stake

:21:07.:21:11.

with England going for the Grand Slam and Wales knowing they had to

:21:11.:21:15.

win by seven points or more to retain the championship. A big game,

:21:15.:21:20.

a big occasion but exactly what I wanted. For a lot of Welsh players

:21:20.:21:23.

it was their last trial given there were no Welsh teams in the latter

:21:23.:21:27.

stages of Europe, so for them to stand up in the way that they did,

:21:27.:21:32.

it must have changed things in your minds thinking? I think as we were

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going along, we had three or four meetings before the last game and

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you put in thick specs to players and for ours, there were probably

:21:44.:21:54.
:21:54.:21:55.

three or four that the coin was on the other side -- to Hicks. We have

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seen you in the crowd back countless games as a thing all the

:21:59.:22:07.

options, give us an idea about how much -- how close you are to

:22:07.:22:12.

nailing down the squad. There are probably 23 Aug 24 players who have

:22:12.:22:20.

been on the list of 36 of 37 and players coming back from injury.

:22:20.:22:26.

Some players will play their way out of a potential squad. It is

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probably trying to finalise that last 10 or 12 spots. For us, it is

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about form and ability but also looking at personalities and having

:22:37.:22:41.

good people and good characters and people who can create that harmony

:22:41.:22:46.

within a squad. As you are probably aware, every rugby fan up and down

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the country is picking their Lions 15, the ones that matter is when

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you and Rob Howley sit down the table together. We met on the

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Wednesday after the England-Wales game and it was a little bit

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emotional. Trying to take a bit of the heat out of it. I said, in

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terms of the suppliers, they need a list of 50 or 60 names to start

:23:15.:23:21.

thinking about putting be gear together. We did not pick a squad

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of 56 -- 36, we picked a larger squad. For Graham and Andy, so

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close after that final game. Rob Howley magnanimous or a little

:23:34.:23:39.

bit smug in the first meeting? would like to think he was a bit

:23:39.:23:43.

smug. I think he deserved to be as well. He has been under massive

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amounts of pressure and criticism. Only in Wales sometimes it is quite

:23:49.:23:55.

personal. Talking about the bond and the unity, how bothered are you

:23:55.:24:01.

about having a blend of all four nations? Do you want

:24:01.:24:07.

representatives from each or depict the 36 best players? We will pick

:24:07.:24:12.

the 36 best players but personally I would feel uncomfortable if the

:24:12.:24:15.

four home nations were not represented and that is the history

:24:15.:24:20.

of the Lions. It is players coming from four different nations and it

:24:20.:24:26.

is important. I would not feel right to be going on tour with

:24:26.:24:30.

players from two countries of three countries. We need to have that

:24:30.:24:33.

representation. We try to do it in some way with the management as

:24:33.:24:40.

well. The coaches are from Wales and England but behind the scenes

:24:40.:24:45.

we have representation from the four home unions. The Super 15

:24:45.:24:49.

season is well under way, I assume you have been casting your eye out

:24:49.:24:55.

for that as well for so what have you made of the Aussie side? He has

:24:55.:25:05.
:25:05.:25:05.

left that a number of players. I know a couple were suspended. The

:25:05.:25:09.

Brumbies have had it good start and the other three teams have probably

:25:09.:25:13.

been disappointing. Saying that, when they put that Jersey on and

:25:13.:25:18.

they represent Australia, you know what is coming. There is no better

:25:18.:25:22.

example than we saw in the autumn when Australia were soundly beaten

:25:22.:25:28.

by France in Paris and people were expecting a touch up against

:25:28.:25:35.

England. They dominated England and deserved to win. Whoever does get

:25:35.:25:39.

selected it will be tough, it will be competitive but hopefully it

:25:39.:25:43.

will be incredibly exciting as well. Do you think Robbie Deans is

:25:43.:25:47.

playing mind games by suggesting Wallabies will be at a disadvantage

:25:47.:25:50.

because they will not have the preparation time he would have

:25:50.:25:56.

liked? Absolutely. They will have some time together. They have a

:25:56.:26:02.

camp this weekend. For us, our preparation is brittle. If you

:26:02.:26:08.

think about how iconic the Jersey is and the history of the Lions,

:26:08.:26:14.

the ideal thing for us is would be to have a couple of weeks in the UK

:26:14.:26:19.

or Ireland preparing for the tour as a full squad if we hopped on a

:26:19.:26:27.

plane. Reassemble on 26th May and fly out on the 27th. -- we assemble

:26:27.:26:31.

on 26th May. That is the first time the squad will be together. Part of

:26:31.:26:40.

the plan for us when we go on tour is to make sure, if we drop a game

:26:40.:26:43.

on the way because we are trying different combinations, I am not

:26:44.:26:49.

going to get too hung upon that. Looking back at 2009, and the same

:26:49.:26:54.

things that happened in 2009, we had been through the tour

:26:54.:26:57.

undefeated in terms of the provincial games but we lost the

:26:57.:27:03.

series 2-1. No one remembers that. It is all about winning the Test

:27:03.:27:07.

series. It is all about making sure we arrive in that first Test in

:27:07.:27:12.

Brisbane ready and prepared to take on hopefully what will be a great

:27:12.:27:17.

occasion, a great atmosphere and hopefully great rugby as well.

:27:17.:27:22.

It is getting close now, isn't it? Plenty to talk about that. Let's

:27:22.:27:26.

talk about the captaincy. He was very tight lipped about it. Who

:27:26.:27:34.

should it be? I do not know. It is a tough call. People mentioning

:27:34.:27:38.

Ryan and Gethin and Warburton and Alun Wyn Jones but you cannot rule

:27:38.:27:45.

out the two Irish boys. At the moment, I still think Driscoll is

:27:46.:27:55.
:27:56.:27:56.

there. And were you looking at Munster v Leinster. When we that

:27:56.:28:00.

beat Six Nations he was on every flight with us. May be out of all

:28:00.:28:07.

of it, that will be the toughest one. The tests are the important

:28:07.:28:12.

games. If he picks a tour captain, if he does not make the Test side,

:28:12.:28:15.

batted as decision you will have to make them. I think it is

:28:15.:28:22.

interesting that he is conscious he wants all the nations represent to

:28:22.:28:27.

-- represented. It is very heavily based with the Welsh and English

:28:27.:28:32.

coaching staff which makes me think he will go for Driscoll. He will

:28:32.:28:37.

not go far wrong whichever one he picks. He says the 36 best players

:28:37.:28:41.

and then he says he wants representation from the four, I

:28:41.:28:43.

think that is slightly contradicting himself a little bit

:28:44.:28:50.

but it will be a very tough choice. Is certainly will be. I also talked

:28:50.:28:57.

to him about Walters. Christian Wade he said has been terrorising

:28:57.:29:01.

for the Wasps and Madigan from Leinster. Anyone from outside the

:29:01.:29:05.

international arena that you think might squeeze into the reckoning?

:29:05.:29:13.

would take anti-poll again. He made the 2009 trip. It is key you have a

:29:13.:29:18.

few personalities -- anti-poll. They will be speaking to the Irish

:29:18.:29:24.

coaches on the field and off the field. Nathan Hines is another one.

:29:24.:29:30.

He is a brilliant player. He was great in 2009. I know warren has

:29:30.:29:34.

got a lot of time for him. Something could potentially come

:29:34.:29:44.
:29:44.:29:52.

It is very difficult. There has been a problem with those players

:29:52.:30:00.

and it may be has come down to personality. The Australian sides

:30:00.:30:07.

are not going too well. I think having been down there playing

:30:07.:30:12.

rugby league and rugby union, he will have the best players because

:30:12.:30:16.

I think this time it is maybe the strongest Lions side that will go

:30:16.:30:22.

there and maybe the firmest favourites. But without a shadow of

:30:23.:30:27.

the doubt because they need to win because they are the third or 4th

:30:28.:30:30.

best sport, they need to win because economically for the game

:30:31.:30:36.

to survive, rugby league has plenty of money, the pressure is on

:30:37.:30:43.

Australia as well. It is time now for the Premiership. Three fixtures

:30:43.:30:53.
:30:53.:31:01.

over the weekend. But we start with against Carmarthen Quins. Could

:31:01.:31:11.
:31:11.:31:15.

they cook up a tasty performance metres line. James again. The

:31:15.:31:20.

hooker is through the gap. It is Godfrey. Godfry storming away for

:31:20.:31:30.
:31:30.:31:32.

the first try for Pontypridd and we scrum-half and nobody in particular

:31:32.:31:42.
:31:42.:32:04.

that interested in it. Pontypridd Pontypridd. They are off the line.

:32:04.:32:13.

It is given. I think it is the ochre. The last player of the game

:32:13.:32:23.
:32:23.:32:25.

for Carmarthen Quins. -- play. He has got there. An amazing end to

:32:25.:32:32.

this match. The conversion to come. Dixon is down injured and he is the

:32:32.:32:36.

goalkicker. You have to fear for this man, Jack Maynard. His first

:32:36.:32:42.

kick of the ball for extra time. He has missed it and Pontypridd have

:32:42.:32:46.

prevailed. We did our own work and we knew they would be difficult

:32:46.:32:50.

opposition. They have proved that over the last couple of years. Very

:32:50.:33:00.
:33:00.:33:05.

lucky to get the win. We knew it Neath edging closer to the line.

:33:05.:33:09.

Aberavon dragging down the maul. They are over the line. Has it been

:33:09.:33:16.

awarded? The referee stops his watch. I think it was the captain

:33:16.:33:25.

emerging with the ball. He consults the touch judge. Yes, try given.

:33:25.:33:30.

14-3, Neath. Good attacking position for Aberavon. That is a

:33:30.:33:34.

lovely weighted ball from Davies to Matthew Jenkins. How many times

:33:34.:33:39.

have we seen him run back line this season? He is over the line. A try

:33:39.:33:44.

for Aberavon on the stroke of half- time. Five minutes gone in the

:33:44.:33:54.
:33:54.:34:04.

has got support. Morgan, tries the chip once again. Look at that.

:34:04.:34:09.

Straight into his hands and he is over for the third. Neath join

:34:09.:34:19.

Pontypridd in the Swalec Cup final. All three games to be played at the

:34:19.:34:29.
:34:29.:34:40.

y Scarlets. The only try when to Llanelli. -- went to Llanelli. And

:34:40.:34:44.

it was a slugfest at the Brewery Field. Llandovery kept their play-

:34:44.:34:54.
:34:54.:35:04.

here in their difficult season with a comfortable win over Newport. --

:35:04.:35:14.
:35:14.:35:18.

Pontypridd cannot be caught at the top. Llanelli close the gap. It

:35:18.:35:23.

looks to be between Llanelli and Llandovery for the play-offs. But

:35:23.:35:33.
:35:33.:35:39.

Back to the RaboDirect Pro12. The Cardiff Blues played their last

:35:39.:35:44.

home game of the season against Zebre. It was the end of an Era for

:35:44.:35:50.

Jamie Roberts. I will feel quite emotional come Saturday. I would

:35:51.:35:54.

like to think I would come back to clarify some points. But whether

:35:54.:36:00.

that is in three years or further down the line, it is a special

:36:00.:36:07.

place, a special region and a lot of people that I have made a lot of

:36:07.:36:15.

good friends with. Saturday will be pretty emotional. Is that it for

:36:15.:36:19.

your medical studies for the time being? I have my results on Monday.

:36:19.:36:26.

Nervous times. I will find out if I pass those finals. And whether I

:36:26.:36:36.
:36:36.:36:43.

have graduated in July. Or resits I suppose every professional rugby

:36:43.:36:46.

player in the UK will be very nervous over the next three weeks.

:36:46.:36:51.

And rightly so. No one really knows what sort of squad Warren Gatland

:36:51.:36:58.

will pick. There are two massively important things happening. My

:36:58.:37:04.

results on Monday and the Lions selection on April 30th. It will

:37:04.:37:09.

easily -- either be a fantastic three weeks for me or disappointing.

:37:09.:37:13.

Those are the biggest cause that I have and I find out about them over

:37:13.:37:23.
:37:23.:37:41.

nerves as he ran out for the final Cardiff Blues looking to put

:37:41.:37:51.
:37:51.:37:53.

pressure on them. Atrocious conditions at the Arms Park. Rhys

:37:53.:37:57.

Patchell, half a break from Rhys Patchell. Can he get there? Yes, he

:37:57.:38:05.

can. A great try by the youngster. Quick ball for Jones again. Rhys

:38:05.:38:10.

Patchell. He opts for the long kick again. You can see the elements

:38:10.:38:19.

really playing a part. Kick and chase by Zebre's winger. Jamie

:38:19.:38:26.

Roberts, they could be a chance. Evans shows a clean pair of heels

:38:26.:38:36.
:38:36.:38:49.

shove on. And Zebre's scrum in all sorts of problems. Roberts, has he

:38:49.:38:55.

got the strength to go all over? Yes, he has! And that, a fitting

:38:55.:39:05.
:39:05.:39:11.

end before he is off to France next consolation score. They have an

:39:11.:39:21.
:39:21.:39:30.

himself but there is no way through. over. And it is a score for Zebre.

:39:31.:39:35.

But too little too late for the Italians. It is sad for me to be

:39:35.:39:40.

leaving but there they are a lot of young players that need to take the

:39:40.:39:43.

region forward and the likes of Rhys Patchell and Williams, Luke

:39:44.:39:47.

Hamilton, these Young's -- young boys that have come through the

:39:47.:39:50.

system, they have an opportunity next season to shine and to see

:39:50.:39:57.

them play as well as they did today, it is great. It is great for a guy

:39:57.:40:02.

that has been here for a while now. I cannot thank the people at the

:40:02.:40:06.

Blues, the fans, the administration staff, everyone, they have played a

:40:06.:40:12.

huge part in my career and I owe them a lot. One other result to

:40:12.:40:18.

bring you from the weekend. Connacht with the victory over

:40:18.:40:21.

Edinburgh in Murrayfield. The only changes in the table came in the

:40:22.:40:31.
:40:32.:40:34.

A very emotional Jamie Roberts bidding farewell to the Arms Park.

:40:34.:40:40.

He will be missed but he has 50 caps, been on a Lions tour. It is

:40:40.:40:49.

understandable his motivation for leaving. As a kid growing up, you

:40:49.:40:56.

want to see the Welsh stars playing for the regions. That is not going

:40:56.:41:00.

to be attracting the young kids to the game and then with youngsters

:41:00.:41:06.

leaving, that is worse. I think everyone is just basically fed up

:41:06.:41:10.

with the situation in the game and saddened because at the back of the

:41:10.:41:15.

great result in the Six Nations now it is about the politics again and

:41:15.:41:21.

I think everyone wants Wales and Welsh rugby to pull together to the

:41:21.:41:25.

betterment of the players and the regions and the Union. And the

:41:25.:41:30.

national side. If they cannot do that, the union has to make a

:41:30.:41:35.

decision, they have to look at why it cannot work with the regions and

:41:35.:41:40.

vice versa. Everyone is totally fed up with it. The more that people

:41:40.:41:44.

get fed up, the less people that take interest in it and walk away

:41:44.:41:52.

from it and where does that leave the game? We do understand that the

:41:52.:41:56.

regions will now be accepting an invitation to address the board of

:41:56.:42:00.

the Welsh Rugby Union a week on Thursday. It looks as if both sides

:42:00.:42:03.

are willing to talk. Fingers crossed that would lead to

:42:03.:42:06.

something a bit more constructive. We talked about Welsh players

:42:06.:42:10.

leaving, something we have not touched upon so much as five fact

:42:10.:42:14.

that because of the salary cap, the regions are no longer in the

:42:14.:42:19.

marketplace for the top stars that we see in the Irish side? I think

:42:19.:42:26.

that is a huge issue. Losing the likes of Dan Lydiate, George North,

:42:26.:42:33.

we signed players for the Cardiff Blues, Xavier Rush, they had a huge

:42:33.:42:39.

influence over the squad. The sides left in Europe all have overseas

:42:39.:42:46.

players. We are not attracting that quality. If you what to be

:42:46.:42:52.

successful in Europe, you need to attract the big names. As well as

:42:52.:42:56.

keeping the Welsh players. It is a balance. Thank you. That is all for

:42:56.:43:01.

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