It's a familiar tale for any Welshman this weekend, losing to a Southern Hemisphere side but less than a score. You would have thought with all the practice they get at it they'd have figured out how to score at 80+ minutes by now. Instead once again a lead with less than ten minutes to go was let slip. Certainly some suspect refereeing decisions didn't help, Joubert's interpretation of the advantage rule a confusing one for many people watching the game, but in reality when you look at the game individual mistakes are what cost the men in red. 21 points, almost two-thirds of Australia's points, came from players making mistakes. Firstly was Dan Biggar - usually a dependable operator in defence - was flattened by a hard running Hooper who delivered a delightful offload to the ever present Israel Folau. Not all the blame can be placed on the fly-half as winger-come-centre George North made a motion to tackle Hooper too but held off. The second Rhys Webb gifted Folau a second, after excellent work by Wales, a simple pass would have almost certainly resulted in a try, instead Webb pushed the envelope and went for a miss-pass, and delivering it straight into Folau's hands. The very definition of a 14 point score. Australia's third and final try also included the loss of talismanic fullback Halfpenny, as Kuridrani broke a double tackle to slid in underneath the posts.
However ignoring the mistakes, if you can do such a thing in international rugby, Wales were by far the better team, more in control, more confident and certainly threatened the Aussie line a lot more than their opponents. Coming away with four tries against a SANZAR team is a serious achievement and it's a testament to the coaching team that they all came from different methods. A snipe from Webb, a wonderful attack from their own half, powerful forward carrying on the line and a penalty try from the scrum. When Gatland (and Shaun Edwards) turned up in Wales it was evident that defence was all important for them, it's exciting to see a Welsh team willing to attack and play with heads up rugby. While one on one tackles lead to two tries for the Wallabies, in general the defence displayed was superb, much improved on that which was so expertly unlocked by Quade Cooper last year. Lydiate was the fore once again, back to his best, despite worries about his fitness, lasting 75 minutes and topping the tackle charts with numerous "leg-chops". In fact the entire Welsh backrow had one of their best games ever, Warburton essentially nullified the feared Hooper at the breakdown, Australia's only turnovers seeming to come from heavy ruck commitment rather than "jackling". Another player worth mentioning for his effort in the game is Jamie Roberts, in recent years his worth to the team offensively has been questioned. In defence he is almost unbeatable, the solid rock upon which Edwards has formed his defensive system. Yet with the ball in hand some people have questioned whether his ability to get over the gainline is enough to not select faster, more expansive inside centres. Well yesterday he certainly shut those people up, picking some fantastic lines off 10 both of first phase and open play ball. Willing to put his body on the line and take on the Australia defenders, and more often than not breaking the gainline by a considerable distance for someone who lacks a lot of pace.
The experiment of George North at centre didn't last long, but for the 30 minutes where he presided in that channel there is a lot you can take. Offensively certainly he is a weapon, the problem Wales have always had is getting the ball into his hands, with him that much closer to the breakdown it is much easier to get him involved in the game. And if George North is going to become the "new" Shane Williams, he has to both look for the ball, and other players have got to be willing to give it to him. When North was attacking he was undoubtedly a threat, setting up a try for Cuthbert and keeping the Australians on their toes. Defensively there are fragilities, especially in the blitz system, but at least he is good enough one on one. Personally looking in the future, North should only be considered at outside centre for Wales in times of need, the talent of Jonathan Davies is undeniable (speak to Brian O'Driscoll about the final Lion's Test) and his deputy Cory Allen is shaping up to be a very clever operator. What Wales need to take from this experiment is that they must get the ball into North's hands as much as possible, but from wing. It isn't hard, Shane Williams used to turn up at first receiver and just behind the inside centre all the time, looking to get the ball and have an impact. North has to do the same, he's shown what he can do on the wing, what he needs to do now is play where the ball is. Leave the touchline for the likes of Cuthbert and Halfpenny to touch down in the corner.
Looking ahead to next week, we know for certain that Dan Biggar is unavailable possibly for the rest of the series. This means that Priestland is likely to reclaim the fly-half shirt that he so excellently filled three years ago in New Zealand. Hopefully for the coaches also, Jonathan Davies should return for next weekend's game. Traditionally the Fiji game (or Tonga, Canada and others) has always been a development game set up by the WRU, however due to the importance of the game it might be worth fielding a strong side with a few minor changes, alongside the enforced ones, to ensure a victory. Wales need to be certain of their credentials against Fiji before the RWC Pools next year, not to mention the fact that the All Blacks arrive in Cardiff the week after, and keeping players momentum and form going will be crucial.
Suggested team for Wales vs Fiji
Backs: Liam Williams, Alex Cuthbert, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, George North, Rhys Priestland, Rhys Webb
Forwards: Gethin Jenkins, Scott Baldwin, Samson Lee, Jake Ball, Luke Charteris, Dan Lydiate, Sam Warburton, Dan Baker
Substitutes: Richard Hibbard, Nicky Smith, Rhodri Jones, Bradley Davies, Justin Tipuric, Mike Phillips, James Hook, Cory Allen
The team above brings in players who hopefully should be returning from injury, and giving them game time ahead of the world champions, with Davies and Charteris starting. At the same time it attempts to keep the vast majority of those who faced Australia starting. Resting Halfpenny after being taken off due to concussion protocol allows him plenty of time to recover before the real test. Also it keeps Rhys Webb in attempting to give him more experience and confidence at international level, doing the same for Samson Lee. Finally are two players starting to give them some much needed game time at test level, Baker who has played fantastically all season, and Baldwin who is almost certain to be playing South Africa with the England based players being unavailable for the game.
Looking at Wales' opponents for Saturday realistically they shouldn't provide much difficulty in over coming. Last time the teams faced was at the World Cup where a "second-string" Wales team beat the islanders quite convincingly. However it has happened way to often that Wales have slipped up against the "weaker" nation by fielding a weaker side. Fiji went up against France in their warm up and were comprehensively beaten by a free scoring French team. Wales should be able to reproduce a similar score line, but should too many changes been enacted then it could be come a struggle. All that is certain is that is it a much win game for Wales - no questions.
Prediction: Wales win, by two scores.
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