:00:19. > :00:27.Super Saturday delivered a scintillating climax. The Scarlets
:00:28. > :00:32.served their best till last. Over four Aaron Shingler. A pump of the
:00:33. > :00:36.first. Comprehensive from the Scarlets. The Ospreys were humbled
:00:37. > :00:42.by their fiercest rivals for the first time ever. We have to make a
:00:43. > :00:47.Welsh teams in the semifinals. We are happy to be there, we are happy
:00:48. > :00:50.to be in former selves going into the semifinals. We will have a
:00:51. > :00:56.chance going to Munster. Probably the only ones who believe will be
:00:57. > :01:00.the ones going into a changing room. As the monkeys tour creeps closer,
:01:01. > :01:05.we hear from a legend in our hemisphere. Are they good enough,
:01:06. > :01:11.without a doubt. If you had as me 12 months ago if the monkeys had any
:01:12. > :01:17.chance, I would have said, do not be silly, of course they do not have a
:01:18. > :01:21.chance. -- the British Lions. The shareholders will have to turn up on
:01:22. > :01:25.the night and be fully informed as to why we are reaching this
:01:26. > :01:26.decision, and the consequences if it is not supported.
:01:27. > :01:32.The regular season is over and it's Ireland versus Wales
:01:33. > :01:36.Jonathan Davies and Nicky Robinson are here to look ahead
:01:37. > :01:41.But there's only one place to start, and that's yesterday's extraordinary
:01:42. > :02:12.The tackle from Rawlins. A little gap for Baldwin. He hits it and is
:02:13. > :02:19.halfway through. The Ospreys are therein numbers. The defence from
:02:20. > :02:24.Patchell. That is great from Giles. What pace from the winger. He shows
:02:25. > :02:30.his strength for the opening try. Watch the inside ball. Rob Evans
:02:31. > :02:45.does not get there. Ken Owens. He is just too quick. Owens, he switches
:02:46. > :02:54.play. Williams, the overlap. Jonathan Davies, sure and go. He
:02:55. > :03:02.backs his strength. He is over. Held up on the line. The video referee
:03:03. > :03:07.will be in again. Ospreys, desperate in defence. Owens tries to crawl his
:03:08. > :03:14.way over. Again, hammering away at the line, the Scarlets.
:03:15. > :03:25.Now there is space. They floated pass. Space on the first side for
:03:26. > :03:27.Boyde if he has the likes. At last, the Scarlets in the lead after that
:03:28. > :03:41.pressure. Davies sports a gap and breaks. That
:03:42. > :03:49.is a fantastic run. Has he got support? Are fantastic at them from
:03:50. > :03:54.Giles. It he cannot quite get there. The lead's top scorer in expense the
:03:55. > :04:03.lead for the Scarlets. That is a brilliant try.
:04:04. > :04:13.Rawlins, through quickly on his opposite number, Bradley Davies. No
:04:14. > :04:21.way through for the Ospreys. It is down field. Patchell will gather.
:04:22. > :04:31.Liam Williams get its way to Jonathan Davies. Evans and support.
:04:32. > :04:37.Scott Williams. Over the line for the Scarlets, Aaron Shingler, the
:04:38. > :04:39.pump of the fest. That about it. A great first half, carrying on in the
:04:40. > :04:47.second. The Scarlets are flying. That is turnover. The penalties
:04:48. > :05:03.coming the way of the Scarlets. Just happy to spread the ball and
:05:04. > :05:08.find a gap, the Scarlets. McNicholl, great. The New Zealander will cross
:05:09. > :05:19.for the fourth try in the bonus point. It was the Ospreys who needed
:05:20. > :05:22.one, but the Scarlets will get one. Scarlets changing things in
:05:23. > :05:29.midfield. Kruger is on, the tight head prop. He has got the gap. The
:05:30. > :05:38.bones is therefore Davies. Fantastic player and a great drive from the
:05:39. > :05:45.Scarlets. Try number five. That was a good pass by Webb. Fonotia is
:05:46. > :05:51.still going. Better from the Ospreys.
:05:52. > :05:59.They have got to keep going, the Ospreys. Scarlets standing. Only
:06:00. > :06:12.thing is the is the middle, inside ball. Webb fancies it. The try
:06:13. > :06:16.comes. It is Dan Baker, the replacement number eight who
:06:17. > :06:21.crosses. He brings the Ospreys up to 15, but well beaten.
:06:22. > :06:24.So the Scarlets cemented their place in third, and the Ospreys snuck
:06:25. > :06:28.Who they would meet in the play-offs would be determined by the outcome
:06:29. > :06:35.of the other matches on Super Saturday.
:06:36. > :06:41.Ulster ended the season on a high but were unable to rack up the
:06:42. > :06:45.massive score needed to reach the play-offs. Michael Roger Wilson
:06:46. > :06:50.scored the home side's first try in his last appearance before
:06:51. > :06:55.retirement. It was a final hurrah for Montpelier boned Ruan Pienaar.
:06:56. > :07:01.Perfect tick from the South African setting up Andrew Trimble's
:07:02. > :07:05.second-half score despite a late Leinster penalty try, Ulster on.
:07:06. > :07:10.Leinster's loss gave Munster the chance to go top of the table. They
:07:11. > :07:14.ran in seven tries as they crushed Connacht. Keith Earls got the early
:07:15. > :07:19.score to set the tone, finishing off a simple but effective set play from
:07:20. > :07:23.the scrum. A second score followed as Jack O'Donoghue finished off a
:07:24. > :07:33.fine move involving Andrew Conway. The fullback secured a brace, his
:07:34. > :07:35.first, in the right corner after a clever all flowed from the fly-half.
:07:36. > :07:38.Despite direction from the visitors, Munster broke the 50 point barrier
:07:39. > :07:43.and finish top seeds. Confirmation of the top six. Munster's thrashing
:07:44. > :07:46.of Connacht at them ahead of Leinster the finishes top seeds.
:07:47. > :07:51.Leinster were seconds, Scarlets third, and Ospreys clung on to
:07:52. > :07:56.fourth place, despite the victory for Ulster over Leinster. Glasgow
:07:57. > :07:58.lost their final match to Edinburgh and remaining six. They qualify
:07:59. > :08:04.automatically for the Champions Cup next season. This is how the
:08:05. > :08:08.semifinals line up a week on Friday. The Scarlets travel to Dublin to
:08:09. > :08:14.take on Leinster. You can watch that live. The following day, it is
:08:15. > :08:16.Munster against the Ospreys. Details on the screen.
:08:17. > :08:20.So two mouth-watering semifinals in prospect.
:08:21. > :08:22.Let's hear the thoughts of both head coaches,
:08:23. > :08:35.It was not perfect. We left a few tries out there, a few final passes
:08:36. > :08:40.early in the game went down. As the game went on, we got stronger and we
:08:41. > :08:43.finished well. How -- how disappointing was the performance
:08:44. > :08:47.and the result? Disappointed with some of the performance and the
:08:48. > :08:52.result. It is what it is, we have got the semifinal, and in isolation,
:08:53. > :08:55.it is tough to take, particularly against the Scarlets away from home.
:08:56. > :09:00.They deserve the result but we have to reflect on it, and be ready to go
:09:01. > :09:04.to Limerick. It is Leinster rather than Munster. What are your
:09:05. > :09:08.thoughts? They are both different sides. Leinster has a great that on
:09:09. > :09:12.score lots of tries. They have weapons across the park. The hardest
:09:13. > :09:25.thing for us is making the play-offs.
:09:26. > :09:29.It is a season. If we can have all players available, we will find
:09:30. > :09:32.yourselves. We're happy to be there. You will not be favourites, will
:09:33. > :09:35.that act in your favourite -- in your favour? It does not make any
:09:36. > :09:37.difference. We know we have to be better. Hopefully we will have more
:09:38. > :09:40.backs available for selection which will help. Philosophical from Steve
:09:41. > :09:44.Tandy and Wayne Pivac fairly diplomatic in victory. It was a
:09:45. > :09:49.record victory for the Scarlets against their West Wales rivals, a
:09:50. > :09:53.big scoreline. As Wayne Pivac acknowledged, they left a few tries
:09:54. > :09:59.out there. Yes, and all those stats, they favour the Scarlets, the
:10:00. > :10:04.floods. They came with the intent to play. We know what their backs can
:10:05. > :10:09.do. Steffan Evans gets involved. Watch Rob Evans. Involved a couple
:10:10. > :10:16.of times. A lovely pass, stepped inside and takes the man out. The
:10:17. > :10:20.defender fails to get there. Watch this, he takes it one-handed, Rob
:10:21. > :10:28.Evans, back to Patchell. The defence is short. Steffan Evans gets easily
:10:29. > :10:33.outside. It shows their confidence. He goes into channel one. It is a
:10:34. > :10:39.foot race. He takes on for pace he is gone, he is away. Great support
:10:40. > :10:43.from Jonathan Davies. He gets to him but there is a try. They played with
:10:44. > :10:47.so much confidence through everything, Scarlets. They all look
:10:48. > :10:51.so comfortable with the ball in hand. The front five were solid.
:10:52. > :10:57.We're used to seeing Scarlets playing on the back foot, but the
:10:58. > :11:02.front five were immense yesterday. It gave them a launching pad to show
:11:03. > :11:07.their skills. The counterattack was good. Defence was solid. It was a
:11:08. > :11:15.comprehensive victory for them. It was. I am not sure at the front row
:11:16. > :11:19.will be too happy. Missed passes and the like. The other thing that
:11:20. > :11:22.struck as watching the game, the Scarlets coaches had clearly done
:11:23. > :11:25.their homework. They know the Ospreys like the kick and they
:11:26. > :11:33.figured out a way of not only dealing with that, but counting.
:11:34. > :11:37.Yes, with Webb, Biggar and Dan Evans, they tend to do that.
:11:38. > :11:43.Scarlets worked hard in making sure the centres got back. They use that.
:11:44. > :11:47.This is a good example of Webb going along. Ospreys always had the ball
:11:48. > :11:52.in their own 22, so this was a problem. The centres were working
:11:53. > :11:56.hard to get wide and deep. When they got the ball they were running on
:11:57. > :12:02.Tidser they were making yards all the time. This is the three we have
:12:03. > :12:08.highlighted. Shingler, Scott Davis. They were linking up for the try.
:12:09. > :12:12.Liam Williams, we know he's going to run. Jonathan Davies is highlighted.
:12:13. > :12:18.He gets the ball under three we have highlighted before, the inside pass
:12:19. > :12:22.to Williams. Shingler is inside. It is the work rate to support each
:12:23. > :12:29.other. It is not the case of waiting. They get back and they can
:12:30. > :12:34.attack the Ospreys. The. So many times we have criticised the skills,
:12:35. > :12:37.the skill level of the Northern Hemisphere. Yesterday they scored
:12:38. > :12:41.some beautiful tries with great distribution, the ball in hand. The
:12:42. > :12:46.difference was the intent they went out with, but also how clinical they
:12:47. > :12:52.were with their passing. In terms of intent, no players with more intense
:12:53. > :12:56.than Liam Williams who was saying farewell to the Scarlets faithful
:12:57. > :13:02.yesterday. It was an all action display and an emotional farewell.
:13:03. > :13:08.It was perfect. Will Boyde does that all the time. He gets great angles.
:13:09. > :13:12.They took him off before the end and they gave him a standing ovation.
:13:13. > :13:15.They will miss him next year. I know that Jonny McNicholl has come in and
:13:16. > :13:19.made an impact and Steffan Evans has come on leaps and bounds but the
:13:20. > :13:24.three of them work well. When Liam Williams comes back, he really adds
:13:25. > :13:28.something. He can create things. They will miss him. One man who the
:13:29. > :13:33.Ospreys did miss for much of the second half was Dan Biggar. The
:13:34. > :13:36.Ospreys say there will be a scan on the injured right ankle in the next
:13:37. > :13:43.48 hours to find out the extent of the damage, if there is damage. He
:13:44. > :13:50.went off in discomfort. Would you have taken him of earlier?
:13:51. > :14:02.We are thinking the Lions and the semifinals. Sam Davies wasn't on the
:14:03. > :14:05.bench. But if it was a bad one or something that could have got worse,
:14:06. > :14:11.I would have thought as a player you would have said straightaway. He was
:14:12. > :14:16.not on for long. Sometimes you try and run them off. He was only on for
:14:17. > :14:25.a few minutes and did not get involved. Briefly, semifinals coming
:14:26. > :14:30.up. How much difference can Alun Wyn Jones make? There is a clear
:14:31. > :14:37.indication that when he has not been there, the standard has dropped. He
:14:38. > :14:43.is a talismanic player. This year he has been incredible for Wales and
:14:44. > :14:46.the Ospreys. They have missed him. The opposition will love it when he
:14:47. > :14:52.is not there. There seems to be something lacking there because on
:14:53. > :14:54.paper, you would have said that pack would have been dominant against the
:14:55. > :15:03.Scarlets but they were definitely second best. And no away side has
:15:04. > :15:09.ever won a semifinal there, can the Scarlets change that? Hopefully. I
:15:10. > :15:17.thought Steve Tandy 's post match assessment was good. They will go
:15:18. > :15:25.there and they would prefer to go to Munster. They have the mental
:15:26. > :15:29.strength to compete with them. The Scarlets, if you go to Leinster,
:15:30. > :15:34.they play a brand of rugby that gives you opportunities. They can
:15:35. > :15:38.spread it about and the confidence the Scarlets are playing with at the
:15:39. > :15:47.moment, you can't write them off. It will be one hell of a game. Why
:15:48. > :15:53.can't both sides win? It'll be an absolute cracker. There was another
:15:54. > :15:55.Welsh derby yesterday. The Dragons took on the Blues in the unfamiliar
:15:56. > :16:10.surroundings of Caerphilly. COMMENTATOR:
:16:11. > :16:22.Nice continuity from Thomas. In various Davies. A bit messy.
:16:23. > :16:28.Creating problems for the Blues. They could carry by Ollie Griffiths.
:16:29. > :16:33.That is the Blues' try line. This is not what they were expecting. This
:16:34. > :16:40.is not what anyone was expecting. He has kept it right across field and
:16:41. > :16:46.there is absolutely no one at home. That'll be the simplest try he has
:16:47. > :16:50.scored this season. This is genuinely the first time the Blues
:16:51. > :16:58.have been in possession in this fixture so far. Inside the Dragons'
:16:59. > :17:03.half. Morgan kicks it off the outside of the right foot. That is
:17:04. > :17:19.the easiest of tries. Another good pass around the back
:17:20. > :17:31.from Gareth Anscombe. Halaholo. Steps off too. That made it look so
:17:32. > :17:39.very simple for the Blues. Again, Dixon. Somehow manages to get away.
:17:40. > :17:46.Over the top, a beautiful inside pass. The objective was to come to
:17:47. > :17:50.Caerphilly, a different venue, against a gritty Dragons team and
:17:51. > :17:58.achieve a win and we achieve that objective. It has been a
:17:59. > :18:03.disappointing season. Lots of different things have gone on this
:18:04. > :18:10.season. Plenty of effort but the same old really. Not enough wins and
:18:11. > :18:16.lots of promise. People tell us, we love watching the Dragons, that is
:18:17. > :18:21.good. But we need to win. This is how the bottom half of the table
:18:22. > :18:25.finished up. The Blues finished seventh, they are in a semifinal
:18:26. > :18:39.play-off with Stade Francais for a place in the Champions Cup. Treviso
:18:40. > :18:50.qualify automatically as the highest placed Italian side. You were there
:18:51. > :18:58.for S4C yesterday and it was an ugly win for the Blues. Some good
:18:59. > :19:03.individual performances. Yes, a really well worked try by the Blues
:19:04. > :19:08.but the Dragons should have been further ahead. The Blues' defence
:19:09. > :19:11.was not too good. In the second half, they should have pulled away
:19:12. > :19:16.with the amount of possession and territory they had. It was good for
:19:17. > :19:22.them to get that win, leading into the play-offs. That sums up the
:19:23. > :19:30.Dragons' season. The Blues now face Stade Francais. A semifinal
:19:31. > :19:43.play-off. Will they fancy their chances as you mark it is good to be
:19:44. > :19:50.harder there. But it is an opportunity to get into Europe. It
:19:51. > :19:55.has been a long season but from everyone, it is a big effort now to
:19:56. > :20:00.put ourselves in a position. To away games will be hard but it is an
:20:01. > :20:02.opportunity. Danny Wilson was set to tour with Wales as one of the
:20:03. > :20:12.assistant coaches has announced he has pulled out due to increasing
:20:13. > :20:19.commitments at the region. The right decision by what he has said. It'll
:20:20. > :20:23.be a shame for him not to go with Wales that his priority are the
:20:24. > :20:30.Blues. If he thinks he's needed there then that is what he has to
:20:31. > :20:34.do. We have spoken about the Blues. The Dragons finished 11. A miserable
:20:35. > :20:39.season for them. But off the pitch on Tuesday they face questions over
:20:40. > :20:45.their very existence. There will be a vote on the proposed takeover of
:20:46. > :20:50.the region by the WRU. Stuart Davies told scrum five this week it is of
:20:51. > :20:54.monumental significance. I think we have done all we can to make sure
:20:55. > :20:57.that no matter how difficult the message was, it's being clearly
:20:58. > :21:03.relayed through a number of channels. We made sure that as best
:21:04. > :21:06.as we are able, all shareholders are turning up on the night fully
:21:07. > :21:11.informed as to why we have reached this decision, what is being
:21:12. > :21:16.proposed and what the consequences are if it is not supported. I am
:21:17. > :21:21.certain it is the right thing to do. But I cannot call it one way or
:21:22. > :21:27.another. It is such a difficult process, I suppose, and an unusual
:21:28. > :21:32.one insomuch as the vote is sitting with the shareholders. The
:21:33. > :21:36.shareholders of Newport from some 20 years ago. And on the night, it will
:21:37. > :21:40.be day that determine the future of the club and the region. As far as
:21:41. > :21:47.you are concerned, what are the scenarios? It is very clear. We are
:21:48. > :21:52.actually on stand-by to deal with a no vote the next morning because the
:21:53. > :21:57.directors are aware of the obligations they carry on that
:21:58. > :22:00.situation. In that event, the Dragons as we know it will no longer
:22:01. > :22:05.continue to trade, such is the financial position of the region and
:22:06. > :22:10.because of the relationship between the Dragons and the rest of the
:22:11. > :22:14.group companies, in rural Newport Rugby club, the rest quickly
:22:15. > :22:20.follows. There is no blood, no rumour-mongering, no scaremongering.
:22:21. > :22:26.If we wake up on Wednesday morning with a No vote, business as we know
:22:27. > :22:30.it discontinuous and it is likely that the enforced Sale of Rodney
:22:31. > :22:34.Parade will follow quickly thereafter. Because of the need to
:22:35. > :22:38.meet the demands of the creditors. We are very clear on that and we
:22:39. > :22:41.have had to be explicit so we cannot be charged with not spelling that
:22:42. > :22:47.out, such is the importance at the magnitude of the vote. If it is a
:22:48. > :22:50.yes vote, we will quickly tie the legals and we will proceed as has
:22:51. > :22:55.been shaped by the heads of terms and those documents and we quickly
:22:56. > :22:59.ready ourselves for a fresh and exciting new start, I suppose. Both
:23:00. > :23:04.for the Dragons and it must not be forgotten for new board as well
:23:05. > :23:07.because the current arrangement is not serving the Dragons well and it
:23:08. > :23:12.is not serving Newport well. Both will benefit from a fresh start.
:23:13. > :23:18.Stuart Davies has laid that out there in black and white. It is
:23:19. > :23:22.pretty bleak if it is a No vote. You can understand the passion. It is
:23:23. > :23:27.unpalatable as it seems, the alternative is it oblivion. It must
:23:28. > :23:32.be terrible to be a Dragons or a new board supporter, player, manager,
:23:33. > :23:40.management, whatever it is. -- Newport. The sad truth of it is that
:23:41. > :23:44.if they don't do it, the future ends on Wednesday mornings. It has been
:23:45. > :23:48.tough but hopefully they will make the right decision. We shall wait
:23:49. > :23:52.and see what happens on Tuesday night. But talking about this in
:23:53. > :23:57.business terms and the Sale of land, it all sounds removed from the
:23:58. > :24:00.emotions of the players. We saw what happened with London Welsh. These
:24:01. > :24:06.guys could be losing their livelihoods come Wednesday morning.
:24:07. > :24:09.It is everyone, the backroom staff, the office, everyone that is
:24:10. > :24:14.associated with the club. But from speaking to the players, obviously
:24:15. > :24:17.whether you are in or out of contract, it makes no difference
:24:18. > :24:22.because Wednesday morning you could be a completely free agent. For some
:24:23. > :24:26.young and talented players, that is fine but other players don't know
:24:27. > :24:31.what is happening with their mortgage payments at the end of the
:24:32. > :24:36.month. It is not nice. Hopefully the correct decision is made on Tuesday
:24:37. > :24:40.night. A significant moment for the Dragons but if one thing puts all of
:24:41. > :24:45.this into perspective, it was the news we heard this week that Ed
:24:46. > :24:48.Jackson has suffered a serious spinal injury and is currently
:24:49. > :24:57.recovering in hospital. All the very best from everyone here. Moving on
:24:58. > :25:00.to the Premiership, and it was the final round of the regular fixtures
:25:01. > :25:01.for the Premiership as well and there were still play-off places up
:25:02. > :25:17.for grabs. RGC secured a place in the play-offs
:25:18. > :25:20.at the expense of Pontypridd. Despite a second-half comeback, the
:25:21. > :25:26.visitors held on. Tom Hughes with his second of the afternoon. RGC
:25:27. > :25:33.will now face top seed is Merthyr. They ended Ebbw Vale 's Saint
:25:34. > :25:37.answers of reaching the semifinals. Despite a consolation try out the
:25:38. > :25:42.death, Ebbw Vale 's reign as champions is over. Aberavon
:25:43. > :25:53.guaranteed themselves a home semifinal with a win over Bedwas.
:25:54. > :26:05.Local pride was the only thing riding on the Church bag Derby. It
:26:06. > :26:09.was a winner takes all clash on Friday night. The Welsh All Blacks
:26:10. > :26:17.rallied to secure a win and a home semifinal. Next week, Crosskeys
:26:18. > :26:28.travel to Neath and Newport welcome Llanelli.
:26:29. > :26:33.Congratulations to all those who have made the play-offs. The
:26:34. > :26:37.domestic season may be about to draw to a close but the mother of all
:26:38. > :26:42.tours is about to get underway. On May the Lions set off for New
:26:43. > :26:46.Zealand. We caught up with a couple of legends of the game to find out
:26:47. > :26:59.what they thought the tourists chances were.
:27:00. > :27:05.I was quite impressed with the selection, I have to say. I think it
:27:06. > :27:09.is a well-balanced squad. And I think it reflects how many good
:27:10. > :27:13.players we have got over the four countries at the moment. I genuinely
:27:14. > :27:16.believe we have some very good rugby players and it will be one of the
:27:17. > :27:22.strongest Lions squads that has gone to New Zealand. He has always said
:27:23. > :27:27.he wants a very good set piece team and he definitely has that in terms
:27:28. > :27:36.of the calibre of the players. But he has also got some very, very good
:27:37. > :27:42.ball-carriers. I have been on radio in New Zealand that they are asking
:27:43. > :27:45.me that question. It is biased towards the Welsh? I say to them
:27:46. > :27:50.quite openly, who would you replace them with? Warren Gatland has said,
:27:51. > :27:54.we are not going to have coaches from each of the home nations, we
:27:55. > :27:58.are going to pick the best that are available on and off the field and
:27:59. > :28:02.that is key. Warren Gatland has shown that he picks on form and he
:28:03. > :28:07.picks on attitude and approach and training. There will be no gimme is,
:28:08. > :28:12.I don't think, for any of the Welsh players and the other thing from a
:28:13. > :28:18.culture 's perspective is if you know the players well, you need that
:28:19. > :28:22.accelerated start on the Lions tour. Back in 1997, I got five Northampton
:28:23. > :28:31.players but I knew them so well, I knew what would come out of them and
:28:32. > :28:37.what they were capable of. They will need to have clever players and I
:28:38. > :28:43.think be able to vary the attacking options that they have, as well as
:28:44. > :28:46.being hugely strong in defence. He has got alternatives in the
:28:47. > :28:51.different positions and I think you have got to take into account the
:28:52. > :28:56.weather in New Zealand. The pitch is now are much better than they used
:28:57. > :29:01.to be but there is no doubt on a wet day in Wellington, you have got to
:29:02. > :29:03.be able to control the ball and then be able to choose the options at the
:29:04. > :29:11.right time. glass you need players that can play
:29:12. > :29:15.under pressure and take their opportunities. The key thing is not
:29:16. > :29:19.to make mistakes and make sure you're prepared. That is what the
:29:20. > :29:24.All-Blacks do better than most. They prepare well and make a massive
:29:25. > :29:29.amount of sacrifice. In doing that, being so prepared, they do not make
:29:30. > :29:35.lots of mistakes, whether it be in defence or attack, they put teams
:29:36. > :29:39.under pressure. I think in the loose forward trio is very important. They
:29:40. > :29:43.have a very strong loose forward trio in terms of the players that
:29:44. > :29:47.have been selected, good ball-carriers. Players that do not
:29:48. > :29:51.make mistakes. You cannot get away from the fact that you're set piece
:29:52. > :29:56.has to be good. If you play on the front of it, it is an easy game, on
:29:57. > :30:07.the back foot, it is a difficult game. The teams that win world cups
:30:08. > :30:12.have a good 9-10. They have arguably two the best halfbacks in world
:30:13. > :30:17.rugby. I said a year ago, basically, when we knew he was a coach, he
:30:18. > :30:23.needed to go away and develop a game plan. With the help of Joe Schmidt,
:30:24. > :30:26.Eddie Carter, and then go about finding players that can play that
:30:27. > :30:32.game plan, put the All-Blacks under pressure. I think he has done that.
:30:33. > :30:36.Warren Gatland is going back to an environment that he understands
:30:37. > :30:39.better than any day. The Lions tours that have been successful having
:30:40. > :30:43.compassed the culture of those countries. If you understand the
:30:44. > :30:47.culture and where your opponents are coming from, you understand how to
:30:48. > :30:55.beat them. The coaches of New Zealand will know what is coming,
:30:56. > :31:04.and knowing Warren Gatland, how well prepared the Lions will be. If the
:31:05. > :31:12.Lions win the first test, this time around, then all the pressure shifts
:31:13. > :31:16.to the other side. I think the Lions will struggle to win the first test
:31:17. > :31:20.that Eden Park. I think their chances to win the second one in
:31:21. > :31:24.Wellington. It does not matter to me if they lose the odd provincial game
:31:25. > :31:29.as long as internally you can see the Lions team tactically
:31:30. > :31:32.developing, being ready for the first test. If they are, I'll be
:31:33. > :31:37.good enough to put a game in front of New Zealand to challenge them,
:31:38. > :31:45.without a doubt. If you had asked me 12 months ago is the Lions had any
:31:46. > :31:48.chance, I would have said, do not be stupid, but I think they have a
:31:49. > :31:51.chance. As a fan, I think it makes it exciting. There you go, Sean
:31:52. > :31:55.Fitzpatrick has said it, the Lions have a chance. Ian McGeechan talking
:31:56. > :32:00.about having to pick other players if they are to win the series. What
:32:01. > :32:06.does he mean? It is six provincial game. That is key. We will see the
:32:07. > :32:10.combinations, but also, we will see what kind of game Gatland will want
:32:11. > :32:16.to play and that will determine what players he would play in those
:32:17. > :32:21.combinations. If he sees that they are smashing everyone, with the big
:32:22. > :32:28.game that he usually plays, then he might say, forget the clever players
:32:29. > :32:33.and play the big boys. It depends. I think the Lions have a massive pack
:32:34. > :32:38.and massive squad. If that works, he might stick with that. If it does
:32:39. > :32:44.not work, he has the players to cause them problems technically. The
:32:45. > :32:47.10-12 axis is key. You have to keep the ball against New Zealand. Being
:32:48. > :32:52.able to have those ballplayers, to manoeuvre and get the ball wide,
:32:53. > :32:55.that is the big thing. We saw how well Scarlets kept the ball against
:32:56. > :33:01.Ospreys. New Zealand do that. Their kicking game is good. But you cannot
:33:02. > :33:06.kick the ball, you have got to trust your defence and keep the ball. You
:33:07. > :33:09.have players that are physical and too can get over the gain-line, but
:33:10. > :33:14.the players have to do something when the defence is good and create.
:33:15. > :33:18.Add international level, that is why they are better than anyone else.
:33:19. > :33:21.You do not have as many try scoring opportunities. You have to take them
:33:22. > :33:25.when they come along. That is why New Zealand have been the best for
:33:26. > :33:31.the majority of world rugby, because when they have opportunities, they
:33:32. > :33:35.are clinical and the score. If he picks a big side to bash them, they
:33:36. > :33:40.have played against South Africa in the year. They know how to match
:33:41. > :33:44.them and play in the last 20. Some sad news on the Lions front, Ben
:33:45. > :33:48.Youngs, one of the three scrum-halves selected has pulled
:33:49. > :33:53.out. His brother, Tom Youngs, got the news that his wife has been
:33:54. > :33:58.diagnosed with terminal cancer. Ben Youngs has decided to withdraw to
:33:59. > :34:02.spend time with his brother and his family. Greig Laidlaw has been
:34:03. > :34:05.called up to take his place. All the best from everyone at Scrum V to Ben
:34:06. > :34:07.Youngs, Tom Youngs and their families.
:34:08. > :34:09.And ahead of the Lions tour, we have two superb
:34:10. > :34:14.Gareth Thomas has taken a trip down under to find out how
:34:15. > :34:23.And we explore the enigma that is Warren Gatland.
:34:24. > :34:30.Warren Gatland is a winner. I find them very good company, a very dry
:34:31. > :34:36.sense of humour. Famously he was described as a menopausal warthog.
:34:37. > :34:40.Come on, years the poll Hollywood of rugby, he is a good-looking guy.
:34:41. > :34:48.Good to see you. You're like the fresh Prince. My God. How do you
:34:49. > :34:53.beat the All-Blacks? That is a very bad way of asking the question? Have
:34:54. > :34:58.you had any education on doing this job? You have got something to
:34:59. > :35:03.learn. I have got something to learn. How do you beat the
:35:04. > :35:09.All-Blacks? Score more points. I knew you would say that. I knew it.
:35:10. > :35:14.Essential viewing, I think we all agree. We will let you know as and
:35:15. > :35:18.when those appearing the schedules, two documentaries to cherish ahead
:35:19. > :35:22.of the Lions tour. We will talk about the Wales tour for a bit. The
:35:23. > :35:28.squad to tour Samoa and Tonga will be announced on Tuesday at midday.
:35:29. > :35:33.Talking points, the first question, is this a development tour to check
:35:34. > :35:36.out new talent, or is it Wales minus the Lions? The best that Wales can
:35:37. > :35:42.offer? I would not chucking the youngsters. Speaking from
:35:43. > :35:47.experience. Been there, done that, and got battered. We won the test,
:35:48. > :35:53.but it is such a physical tour, it will be tough. It will take them out
:35:54. > :35:59.of the comfort zone. A mixture of youth and experience. Give lots of
:36:00. > :36:03.players an opportunity. Talking about the Blues, we have heard the
:36:04. > :36:07.likes of Thomas Williams being kept, he is obvious competing with Lloyd
:36:08. > :36:12.Williams at scrum-half. They are all called Williams. If it was a
:36:13. > :36:17.development tour, perhaps you would take Thomas Williams because you
:36:18. > :36:20.know what Lloyd Williams can do. If you want to go and win and have
:36:21. > :36:24.experience, you would have liked. Where do you draw the line?
:36:25. > :36:30.Hopefully Warren Gatland and Rob Howley will have had this
:36:31. > :36:33.discussion, where they see players. If the selectors would like to see
:36:34. > :36:37.Lloyd play at a higher level than we have seen them regionally, you take
:36:38. > :36:44.someone like him. If you think, he's not going to play in the future, we
:36:45. > :36:48.need to see something else. Rhun Williams. Is the next in the pecking
:36:49. > :36:53.order? He played really well. We need to see him at a higher level.
:36:54. > :36:58.There is a good opportunity for other banks to be seen in different
:36:59. > :37:04.positions, Rhys Patchell, Owen Williams. Two flyhalves, is it an
:37:05. > :37:08.opportunity to see them playing at centre or 15? You have control. You
:37:09. > :37:13.do not have any control when they are playing club rugby. We'll is
:37:14. > :37:16.possibly do not have the strength in depth is where we need talented
:37:17. > :37:21.players. This is an opportunity. On these trips, players will come
:37:22. > :37:25.through who you do not expect. You need the opportunity to play at this
:37:26. > :37:29.level in tough physical conditions. Gethin Jenkins will not be going, he
:37:30. > :37:37.had surgery for any injury on Friday. He has been ruled out. He
:37:38. > :37:39.was perhaps a contender for captain. In his absence, who is captain? I
:37:40. > :37:45.think we all know what Gethin Jenkins can do, 1 million camps.
:37:46. > :37:50.Captain, that is tough. Scott Williams, if you're looking. He has
:37:51. > :37:54.done it before. Will Jamie Roberts Skosan experience player? Maybe, a
:37:55. > :38:00.view need someone to go over the gain-line, he will do a job. If
:38:01. > :38:03.Scott Williams is there, you have two experience centres. We are
:38:04. > :38:07.lacking in that position. Steffan Evans has to go. He has been
:38:08. > :38:13.brilliant. He deserves a couple of cabs. It will be very interesting.
:38:14. > :38:19.Thanks, we will find out on Tuesday at midday. One man who has staked a
:38:20. > :38:22.claim is Tom Young, the son of Dai Young. He scored a hat-trick for
:38:23. > :38:28.Wasps against Saracens yesterday. He will be one of the number of number
:38:29. > :38:31.seven is vying for a column. That is all we have time for a Scrum V this
:38:32. > :38:35.evening. Thanks for watching. We will bring you news of the team
:38:36. > :38:42.announcement on the website, and do not forget to tune in in a fortnight
:38:43. > :38:47.for those two massive Ireland against Wales PRO12 semifinals. If
:38:48. > :38:49.this lives up to the hype, it should be a cracker.