So Close, But Yet So Far

It may not always be the happiest camp in terms of results, but fans do get their money’s worth from a Wales game. The final test in South Africa was no different. Although Wales held the lead from the 13^th minute to the 79^th, the momentum of the game swung from side to side throughout. Comfortably the most entertaining contest of the summer series’ this year, Wales weren’t just out to entertain they wanted the elusive win against a Southern Hemisphere nation.

   Until the ‘incident’ involving Liam Williams, it looked as if Wales might be about to secure an historic first win on South African soil. However, as Wales collectively held its breath whilst Steve Walsh looked over all the possible camera angles from Liam Williams' challenge on Cornell Hendricks, the game was slipping away from Wales once more. Another game lost by a single point, these are becoming all too regular for Wales. It has happened against Australia and South Africa multiple times in the last three years. When will Wales break down the door and get the elusive win that has been so hard to come by?!

   There are many positives to take from Saturday’s game, even if Wales were once again on the wrong end of the score line. In the immediate aftermath there has to be recognition of the players’ performances, many of which were outstanding. Gethin Jenkins continues to be a powerhouse of a player and his work at the breakdown was excellent. This is even more impressive when you consider that he was up against Francois Louw, one of the best players at the breakdown in the world. Not bad for a man who will be 34 this November!

   There were several other good performances; Alex Cuthbert did well coming inside and looking for work. In recent weeks his performances have outshone his wing partner George North who has not impacted games in the way he can or would have liked. Dan Biggar also had another good game in the red jersey and has to be first choice going into the World Cup.

 In terms of style, there did seem to be a small evolution as Wales looked to play the ball more. It was far better to watch from Wales and worked well against South Africa. Wales should have continued this until the final whistle. However, after the Springboks had taken that late lead the wide play disappeared. Wales are still not confident to play after the clock has gone; in the way that we saw New Zealand plunder their final try against England. In the dying moments Wales were moving backwards rather than forwards and lacked the creativity that had seen them have such success earlier in the game. This forced Dan Biggar into two unsuccessful long range drop goals, which were always too far out to be successful.

   If Wales continue to play in this manner then the Southern Hemisphere scalp is bound to come. However, it is important that the players back up this performance in the autumn and prove that this wasn't just a flash in the pan. There is a chance that the players upped their performance after being so poor a week previously. However, this performance should be the benchmark that Wales continually aspire to and the level that they aim to play at. If the team can achieve this goal then an elusive Southern Hemisphere scalp is bound to follow. It is time for Wales to have confidence in their own ability and play with the same verve that they did in Nelspruit. Roll on Cardiff this autumn.....