04/09/2016 Scrum V

Pre-season is officially over. Everything from here on in is for

real. From the heartlands to the

Premiership, from the under 20s to the very top, Scrum V has it

covered. Hello and welcome to a brand-new of

Scrum V Sunday, the Pro12 has started with a bang. There have been

tries galore and some intriguing results already. Jonathan Davies and

Martyn Williams are both here to offer their thoughts. We will hear

from them in a few moments. First, let's start with a encounter at the

Arms Park between the and Edinburgh. -- between the Blues and Edinburgh.

Blues head coach Danny Wilson gave Nick Williams his first competitive

start. Ellis Jenkins was named as captain and a strong looking bench

included Wales' record cap holder Gethin Jenkins and Matthew Morgan.

Edinburgh, meanwhile, had five debutants in the backline.

Lovely, lovely dummy! Gifts unopposed under the post. This is

now within three yards of the Blues try line. They will not want to

concede at this stage. Now they go wide.

Edinburgh are back in front. Another Edinburgh player lying on the wrong

side. But Nick Williams has picked up from the base. The huge New

Zealander crashes through another tackle. Support from Tom James. You

said it before, Ritchie, he is a human wrecking ball. If you go high,

he bounces you off. If you go low, he will probably bounce you off as

well. It is almost impossible to bring him down with one tackle. Good

initial defence from Edinburgh, but the ball is inching closer to the

Edinburgh try line. The whistle has gone. It is a penalty try. Edinburgh

bring the ball to the ground illegally. There is the culprit,

Jamie Ritchie, the Edinburgh blindside, deliberately collapsing

the ball. Will the Blues now try and roll this maul towards the Edinburgh

trial and? That is what they are going to do, and in these

conditions, who can blame them? Stacy couldn't manage to get over.

-- Stacy. Thomas Williams, barking orders to his forwards. The Blues

must surely now score. They are over the line. Nick Williams has been a

nuisance all night. The big man has capped his competitive debut for the

Blues with a try. Fair play to Thomas Williams. --

Tomos Williams. Tomos Williams is over the line! He

has been a threat from the fringes all night. If one man deserved to

score, it is that man, Tomos Williams. Good to come away with a

home win. I'm more pleased with the way we did it, different to how we

normally do it, in tough conditions. Either we dominated in the areas

where we have strengths. It rained hard all night, but given

those conditions, a finite. Yes, a good start. Your focus in pre-season

is winning your first game, and they have done that convincingly. The go

forward was very good. Tomos Williams stood out. Just a

comfortable win. Maybe last year, it would not have been as comfortable.

And it is another win at Cardiff Arms Park. It is becoming a fortress

again. Yes, the pitch obviously suits them. They have loads of

talent when they have got the ball. The key for the Blues this year is

their defence. If they become solid defensively, they will be very

difficult to beat. They will have a feel-good factor. Their recruitment

is good as well. They have brought in a lot of players who will not be

leaving during the international window. One of whom is Nick

Williams. And on the evidence of last night, he is worth every penny.

Every Blues player will have breathed a sigh of relief that they

are not going to have to play him this year. He has been around the

block a bit. He is a brilliant signing, exactly what you need as a

team. You need a focal point. It is early days yet, but it was a great

start last night. You just need go forwards. It is a simple plan. The

rest will follow. Both partnerships looked sharp last night. Yes, the

nine and ten is so much easier if you are on the front foot. I thought

Tomos Williams have an exceptional game last night. Competition for

places, that is what you need in the squad system. Then he scores that

crucial try. But also on the back of that, we know what he can do. People

have questioned his defensive qualities, but that is attitude.

With Tomos Williams, he has great creativity. And with Dan Biggar

there, this year will be the axis for Wales. It is going to be

crucial. Everyone else has gone to footballers. Martyn, when you look

at the overall squad, Danny Wilson inherited the squad. He has shaved

it down to 45. Is it now quality over quantity? Absolutely. The

numbers they had were ridiculous. If you have that many players in your

squad throughout the week, you are using more physios and spending more

time on players. It is definitely quality over quantity. Those boys

were bit part players. You can call them up anyway from the Premiership

if needed. It is a good-looking squad for the Blues. He took a risk,

because it is a long season and people get injured. But he wants

that squad there and he has cut other players to get a solid squad.

A great start for the Blues. The Scarlets began last season winning

six on the trot. Could they get this season off to a flyer? Their first

opponents were Munster. Ken Owens captained a strong side

with 11 capped players for the Scarlets. Wales internationals

Williams, Scott Williams Gareth Davies all started with Senator

Jonathan Davies on the bench. Let's have another look at that. I

think that is a straightforward decision. A good long pass for

Williams. The second time that Munster managed to sniff out the

threat. This is better from Munster. The Scarlets are under pressure for

the first time. The try line is within sight for the Irish province.

Good defence from the Scarlets. Lloyd Linton what's the video

referee to have a look. You may award the try. Free kick to Munster,

taken quickly. What a burst from Munster. Again, the Scarlets defence

is caught napping. From nowhere, the gap opens up. Totally against the

run of play for Munster. I think McLeod was taken out in the

air, maybe? The referee is not happy. It was a bit of a missed kick

from Patchell. Gareth Davies goes as well, takes the referee and everyone

by surprise. Has he got the legs? He has. Fantastic try.

There is a penalty coming the Scarlets' way. If they do get those

three points, the pressure should tell for the Scarlets and they will

bring themselves back to within a try. They have got the corner. This

line-out has to go to hand. Two attacking opportunities bomber gone

begging for the Scarlets. Great hands again from the Scarlets.

There might be a bit of trouble here. It is going to be a penalty.

There was no need for him to come in. I can't that. This to make it

23-13 to Munster. The time is starting to take out for the

Scarlets. And it has just squeaked over. Got edged by a good Munster

pack. And we will have to improve. There is no point having the best

backline in Europe if we are not providing enough ball to go forward.

Ken Owens was not happy. If there was once that, it is this. Scarlets

had 67% position. How can you have that much ball and not win?

Sometimes you see the stats after games flashing up on the screen.

Yesterday, they had lots of possession, but it is what they do

with it. They were deep as well. And they didn't vary their tactics. He

is in control throughout this clip. But they are not getting over the

gain line, not getting any impetus. They look a bit lost at times.

Really hitting this ball at pace. They had some time with a run going

straight into the heart of the Munster pack. A have managed to turn

really quick ball into slow ball. This was part of the game they will

be relieved disappointed with. The Munster pack really opened up around

the close contact areas. It's a crucial part of the game, to get

back into it. They go round the corner, driven by cover the gain

line. He goes off his feet under when the penalty. On the flip side,

this is what you want to do when you're on the front foot. It's the

first time they have gone, the Scarlets. It was a clean-up

yesterday by Munster. They knew what they were doing. They didn't have to

make a decision. They take over, they pick up. The scrum-half isn't

anywhere near. They had its labs, they're cleaning out. They are in

disarray, the Scarlets. Is a classic example, like we said at the start.

They were clinical, they knew what they were doing. It's going to be

tough for the Scarlets, particularly the pack. As a forward, the pressure

is on you. We have got to produce otherwise the blame is going to be

laid on them. It's the first games and you don't want to go too hard on

them but they're going to have to improve a lot against the battery

pack. Everyone likes the way they play. They try and play expansive,

bring the good backs into it. But when they did have overlaps, they

didn't run the inside shoulder, they didn't hold offenders. They didn't

really test the Munster defence. With Patchell, he missed a kick to

get the bonus point. A little bit of variety. The conditions were

dreadful when they played. The grubber kick sloping down. The

old-fashioned up and under. And they do have the likes of Rob Evans

Samsung coming back, not November, but they will make a difference up

front. They will do. A few new players in the back. It takes time

to gel. It will be really interesting to see how the Scarlets

react. They have quality and they will get better. Onto the Ospreys.

They began their campaign at home. They were up against a team in

zebra. A welcome return for Justin to break

in the Ospreys back. He was the voice of experience, and the absence

of Alan Wyn Jones and Dan Biggar. Some have revealed captain from

scrum-half while Ashley back was another welcome return in the

midfield. Buddy of strength on the bench with Rhys Webb and new boy

Bradley Davies among the heavy artillery. Kiwi import curb beggar

made his debut for Zebre as a full-back.

Sam Parry in control from the line-out. The Ospreys are turning

round. It came from the resulting line-out. Sam Parry gets the Ospreys

first of the season. A move back ten metres. Ashley straight through!

Straight over. You cannot go ahead of a bowl any

more, you got a driving behind. Just a liberty defence. Ashley backed

rolls out. It's trying a bit three. -- it is try number three. That's a

much better drive, initially. They got the momentum going. Far better.

Looking good for the Zebre this time. He can't quite see Fisher. It

could well be sung McDowell's decision. Try is confirmed. To break

up the tail. Getting a warning to get out of the way. They try and get

the drive on. The try has come. So has the bonus points.

Sam Parry looking for a hat-trick. He has kept control. It of a

hat-trick for Sam Parry! Was an evening it is turning out to be.

Sorensen, web. A lovely ball from Sam Davies. He finishes in style.

But it has opened up the Dan Evans. It has gone the other way. Was he in

front, Rhys Webb? Try -- try River Severn.

There is another one coming. It's another for the Ospreys. Eight

tries. There are a couple of things we still need to tidy up but it's a

good start. It was the start of the season last year that under due? How

important It is a decent start, that we got to

get ready for Steve Tandy is a happy man. We were

all there on the night ended a difficult one to critique. On the

one hand, separate were dreadful but the Ospreys, to their credit, they

kept playing and looks good. Zebre were terrible. I think they were

just eating red wine and drinking -- drinking red wine and eating pizza.

They have some new signs. Ashley back. If you get a full season under

him, look at the squad now on the whole. They're very strong. You can

only beat what is in front of you. They were very clinical. They didn't

just throw the ball about the sake of it. Really impressive start. I

have a big game coming up with Connacht who were hurt after this we

can's results. If they can keep everybody said, they will go very

close. Tickets when they needed to. They didn't just throw the ball

around willy-nilly, even when the game was won. Sam Davies the fulcrum

of that. I think Zebre were absolutely dreadful. In every part

of the game. They were slick, they were clinical, the Ospreys. I do

like Sam Davies because he is an old-fashioned stand-off. He just

kicks slow ball away. He finds the grass. It's good for competition. A

condiment each other when they play together sometimes. Just watch. Even

when he were up 30 points, just buying it. You could have great left

peg. Finds the grass. They have a good kick chase and they're up

there. Take the ball to the line well. One thing I noticed, that this

block there. I think it is Rhys Webb. He just stands there and he is

away. I saw previously on a kick return as well, Dan Evans get the

ball. Just watch it, goes to the right, there is back to the left.

There you go, a lovely channel between the two Ospreys players. He

is true. It is not obstruction because you haven't got it out of

the way. It's just good play. It's just something that they have looked

at in pre-season and Sundays of the things we to do. We're going to do

an inside ball. You drove him as a support player. Referee can't blow

it because you don't have to step out of the way. It's up to the

defenders who get on the other side of you. I thought I was very good

coaching and very well executed by the players. A conference of when.

It will get tougher, but they didn't have any points after six games last

year and now they have five. On the night, we were urging caution

because there were challenges to come. Not least the trip to Galway

next week. After what happened last -- yesterday, an incredible result

in Galway. The defending champions were beaten 41-5 by Glasgow. Talk

about being brought back down-to-earth. Seymour scored a

brace among six tries. Revenge from the semifinals of beat this time

must year. That is an astonishing results. Yes, they played brilliant.

I just felt that yesterday, Glasgow showed intense. I think they will be

up there with Ulster. The Ospreys next week, I want to put things

right. It will be a tough game. The Ospreys will have to raise their

game. Connacht offensively were poor. I think on a struggle this

year. They lost Henshaw. They haven't got their strength in the

Delta squad. They will be hurting after yesterday. I'm fully confident

the Ospreys well... One thing we mentioned that Zebre in the

Champions Cup. Top six. That's the end of the story. We will come back

to that. Talking of the Ospreys and Zebre, two former Ospreys have begun

a coaching career. They're not doing it for the money because they aren't

being paid. They are doing it for the love of the job. 20 years ago,

they were being called the best thing to come out since coal.

The zebras were living the dream and competing amongst the elite of Welsh

and European rugby. Since then, the club have enjoyed varying fortunes

and are currently playing in division one East Central. This

season, they have recruited two familiar faces from the professional

ranks to help coach this latest group of Zebre. Ian Evans over the

try line! I should be getting a phone call asking if I want to get

my -- got a phone call asking if I wanted to get my hands back into

grassroots rugby, to see the game from a different perspective. He did

bring to mind. I know he is enjoying his coaching. I know we get on and

he is a good character. The new season gets under way.

That's what makes it entertaining. It's really exciting at the minute.

You've got a younger of players here, local boys. I just want to

help the club get back to where they want to be. Do they treat you with

reverence and respect? Not at all. Everything is very game. You get

ripped into straightaway which is what I like. There is no hierarchy.

I am one of them. Work is never one, family. It all comes above rugby.

They aren't ambitious bunch. They are a valleys team. At the end of

last season, they turned the game around a bend. They said it was no

money in it any more. Those days are long gone. My two grandsons are

playing. Number nine is not relevant. Lloyd and Alan. It's a

really special place. It's got something, hasn't it? It's a great

day. The first time we've been in division one. We are looking forward

to the season. I think they are after a good battle. It is valleys

rugby. And it's a beautiful valley. It's a fantastic setting. You got to

Welsh internationals. How important is it? Andrew is a local boy. It's

great for the youngsters to learn from to professionals. The attitude,

the professional attitude they bring. Pretty happy with that. I'll

take that. One from one. Are you currently injured? Understacker my

feet. Unfortunately it was difficult this weekend I'm fully fit. There's

a lot less than your tank. You're not for a fast -- for Pastoral best.

Fingers crossed I have Great stuff. Congratulations. Off to

a winning start. We're going to have a look at the revamped Premiership

in a moment. Have a look at that. That is the new Pontypridd heard

strip. We've had some fairly unflattering reviews and social

media for dog some have been less than kind. You like fashion. What

are you make about? They look like three packs over a freshers suites.

I'm a bit of the traditionalist on kits so why not a big fan of that

one. Is that a thumbs down? We contacted the club and they said

Pontypridd loves the new alternative kit. Apparently, the designers had

three highlighter pens left when they were designing it. They hope

the boys in the studio love it. Do not adjust your set, is the message!

We will leave it there and get on to what happened on the pitch. Here is

the round-up. There were a few new faces in the

principality Premiership this year, four as the league goes from 12

teams to ringfenced 16 for the next three seasons. It was a wet weekend

for the first round of fixtures and Bargoed, one of the new kids on the

block, where playing. That is an enormous shove from Bargoed, a

monstrous effort and they deserved penalty. The flags are up, 3-0 to

Bargoed. A bit sloppy. It is an intercept. Is anyone going to stop

Jenkins? No. That is the opening try for Neath, easy as you like. Neath

have been on the back foot for much of this game, but Bargoed are no

great attacking position. The referee has seen enough. He has

awarded a penalty try. Under the post. A chance to steal this one.

The flags are up and that is going to be a last-minute victory for

Neath. If you're going to play against a side like Neath, with

their heritage and reputation, they managed the conditions better than

us. We need to learn quickly. Lots of positives to take out of it. The

scrum worked extremely well, as we hoped it would. But we need to

manage the game and the conditions better, because the margins are so

much smaller at this level that when we were in the championship. The

other games featuring the teams promoted from the championship

delivered a couple of shocks. Merthyr went to Crosskeys. Cymru

were at Bridgend. Quick thinking and quick hands by Schwartz and

Williams. Swansea were back in the Premiership, but couldn't match the

feats of Merthyr. Pontypridd brought a bit of colour and it was a flash

of brilliance from Sweeney that broke the 13-13 deadlock. Aberavon

were good enough to beat Llandudno. -- Llandovery. Cardiff hosted

Newport on Friday night, and Young stole the show. And in today's

match, Ebbw Vale coach Nigel Davies took his side to Scarlets country.

They lost out to a late Billy McBride penalty kick.

So a new season, a new structure and a few bloodied noses on the opening

weekend. I am delighted to say the head coach of Merthyr joins us, Mr

Lee Jarvis. Congratulations, what an opening weekend for you. Yes, our

first game of the Premiership, so we were chuffed to bits with the wind.

The conditions were horrendous, but I thought we managed well. For those

who don't know, the league split into two conferences after 15 rounds

and you have a top eight in the bottom eight. Many would have

thought Merthyr would be happy with the bottom eight, but you are going

for the top. We are an ambitious club, as you can see from the

signings we have made. It is important to be in the top eight by

Christmas time. Because with the top eight comes the bigger clubs. One

criticism of this new structure is that those who do go in the bottom

eight don't have an incentive. There is no relegation, so they are

marooned. It is difficult. We have talked about this as a group. We

know we have pressure from above as well. But we are quietly confident.

We had a great result yesterday and we are looking forward to next week.

There is a tasty fixture coming up. In three weeks' time, Pontypridd and

Merthyr, that will be quite a derby. You are going to relish going back.

We currently play on our pitch and it is superb, so it will be a great

occasion. Before you go, my Scrum V sources have told me there was an

incident preseason with your car, some quiche and Andy Powell. Can you

elaborate? It was the middle of the night and he thought it would be a

good idea to open my car and rub quiche all over my dashboard. Three

weeks later, I am still driving a Ford focus that is cheese and onion

flavour. You would think they would have more respect! Great to see you.

Hopefully, we will catch up with you throughout the season. Back to the

Pro12 now, and the dragon started their campaign with a tough away

fixture at Ulster. It was a case of life after volatile

for the Dragons as Kingsley Jones named his first squad since the

talisman's departure. The Dragons looked to play with tempo. Nick

Macleod made his first competitive start for the region and Pat Howard

made his debut in the midfield. Ulster named a strong side.

A bit sloppy by Ulster's new outside-half. Paddy Jackson expected

to come back for Round 3. This could be interesting. Has he got that

down? He skidded in. I think they are going to have a look at that.

Howard may well have got that try. What a break by Pienaar. Here comes

Rod Liddle. He couldn't get it. The youngster thought he had got his

first senior try. It is a try. Looking more encouraging now for

Ulster. Blood pressure now from Ash -- good pressure from the home side.

He scores! The two babies of the Ulster side, Rob Liddle.

Try number three for Ulster. And guess who, the poacher supreme, Ruan

Pienaar. Terrific stuff by Stockdale. And

Stockdale is just oozing class. Good work by the Springbok. Two tries for

the youngster! Is herring going to get another try?

He has done! It is really frustrating for us. You are in

control, and then one error and they scored and they have the momentum

into the second half. Until half-time, we felt we were in

control. Thomas summed up what we were

feeling on the night. The Dragons have a really promising first half,

but it unravelled in the second half. Yes, five tries to one. It is

about playing to your strengths. If they can't win in confrontation,

they have to play a different style. I think Ulster will be up there.

With the situation with Pienaar, there will be end of emotion over

his last season. I think they will be up there with Glasgow at the end

of the season. Kingsley Jones has spoken publicly about their desire

to play more up-tempo games because they haven't got the forwards to mix

it with the big guys. Do you think that is the way forward for the

Dragons this season? It has to be for the Dragons. They do struggle at

said peacetime. They do not have a big, driving line-out. But they have

good talent. They were showing good signs. They played from their 22 and

it is a good result. It is the way forward for them. The difficulty

will be when it starts to rain and pitches become heavier and the ball

becomes greasy. But of all the regions who wanted a home start to

the season to get momentum, the Dragons did that. They have to take

the positives from that. If they are going to play that style, they have

to be more clinical. They have to appraise the opportunities they get

and finish them quickly. It is going to be tough, but it is a bit like

the Japan side. Their weakness is their size. They keep the ball in

hand and keep it going, and they have developed a lot in the last few

years. If they are to persevere with that style, fitness and conditioning

will be key. We did take a glimpse behind the scenes to see exactly

what the Dragons got up to in preseason. The game is just getting

more physical. You have got to be a rugby athlete these days. The size

of some of these blokes, you have to prepare yourself as best you can. We

started training nine weeks ago. All the Dragons squad are given

individual goals to achieve in the weights room and on the training

field. There is more focus on strength and acceleration for the

forwards, while the emphasis for the backs is on power and speed.

Strength underpins a lot of things because the stronger you are, the

more robust you are through injuries. You play the game at high

pace with high condition. So it is not just the weights room, you have

to have good strength and integrate it into rugby. As well as hard work,

how you recover is important. It is important to stretch it out and open

up a bit. That will help prevent muscle injuries. We have to stay on

top of recovery. I certainly do a lot more stretching now than when I

was 21. But ultimately, all of this can only be judged on the field of

play, and this season the Dragons known exactly what they want to

achieve. We want to play with tempo. We have a lot of chats with the

coaches and the rest of the staff. Everyone has the same approach,

which is great for us. We know what to achieve. There is no hiding place

in training these days, a satellite technology tracks the players' every

move, giving valuable data back to the coaching staff. This is the GPS

unit. It goes in a bra -like thing and it shows how far we go. Some of

the forwards don't like wearing them, the fat boys! But they are

quite good overall. It gives you something to work on and you can

look at how fast you are running. You can see if what you are doing in

the gym is coming through to the game scenarios. The GPS gives is

pure feedback in terms of total distance run in metres of the

velocity in metres per second or metres per minute, and then we have

a discussion of whether that a session achieved what we wanted. Put

simply, that is how fast and for how long all players can maintain the

required levels. It is a mark of fitness across the squad.

Those numbers do get really competitive. We try to come --

create back competitiveness. It just brings a little bit more out fringe

player. Wing in this environment, it's good to have competitive

nature. We are always trying to get behind each other. If someone is

quick on the day, there is competitive element to it.

It is so incredibly scientific these days with the GPS. You can't hide

from anything. We were monitored with everything. Or you happy that

there is a good balance between that level of scrutiny and just working

on basic skills? I think that is key. With New Zealand's and how they

play, I think they've got the balance right. Wales in particular

want to be involved. For perhaps the first ten years, we weren't fit

enough to compete with the top. In the last ten years, I think we might

have gone too far in the other way. Not to professional, that's a stupid

thing to say, that you forget it is a game of rugby and not a track and

field event. It is finding the right balance. The head coach with his

conditioning staff, maybe the conditioning staff don't have too

much influence over the rugby side of things. The gym is the same in

Auckland as it is in London and Cardiff. It's just the core skills

are as important. But also, the game management and understanding what to

do a different times in the game, that may be as important, if not

more important than the skills. I understand they are getting bigger

and stronger and faster. They got everything now, the facilities they

have are brilliant. To be a professional sportsman now, you're

given all the help you want to make it the top. It's a privilege

lifestyle, being a sportsman. They got to enjoy it. One man who puts

faith in strength and conditioning as Warren gallon. He will be

revealed as the new Lions coach, if the rumours are true. Probably the

worst kept secret in rugby. Let's assume he will be unveiled on

Wednesday in Edinburgh. The right call? I think so. I think he is an

outstanding candidate. He has been on two of the last jurors. Head

coach when they won four years ago. As of the other contenders, there

wouldn't have been on the tourists. It's going to be a tough ask but I

think it's deathly the right choice. Yeah, New Zealand away is daunting

but I think the calibre playing out, got a sneaky that it might be an

opportunity to shock the blacks. Exciting times. We will talk about

this in more depth next week when we know exactly who is God that my

inscape. Wednesday is being announced. We will be across the

bats. Stay tuned on the BBC website for news of exactly what has

happened and to find out who will be taking over the helm. That's all we

have time for this week. Munster versus Blues is our fixture next

Friday. Banks to Jonathan, to Morrison, Lee Jarvis and you at

home. See you next week. The Pro12 season's kicking off, so

it's game on for our Welsh regions. And you can feed your need

for Welsh rugby like never before.