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12 Mar, 2025
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Jiffy column: This could be my last BBC Six Nations match - Wales beating England would be perfect
@Source: walesonline.co.uk
Speaking to people in the know, there was always the sense that the game against Scotland in Murrayfield was going to be the hardest one to get up for. Sandwiched between the Ireland game, when Matt Sherratt took charge for the first time, and the clash with England in Cardiff, the trip to Edinburgh was probably the one that didn't quite get pulses racing as easily as the others. Still, having pushed Ireland so close and shown some real glimpses of improvement in attack - what they put out on the field with ball in hand against Ireland was better than anything Wales managed in Gatland's final year - they'd have hoped to make a real fist of the clash with Gregor Townsend's side. Unfortunately, it was done as a contest by half-time. In the end, it was a lack of physicality and a poor kicking game that proved their downfall. Frustratingly, the latter is something we've mentioned before in this tournament. Two of Scotland's four tries came from poor kicks. You either kick it long and off the park, or you put it in the air to compete. Wales did neither on Saturday. I spoke to Wales' kicking coach, Neil Jenkins, after the game and he admitted the plan was to either get it off the park or give our wingers something to get off the ground and try win in the air. For all the talk of coaching, things like that are down to the players on the pitch. They're the ones who have to realise when it isn't working and make the adjustments as the game goes on. Scotland have a world-class back-three and are fairly good at getting the ball to them as it is, so you don't want to help them with loose kicks. For what it's worth, Wales still did show some signs of promise with their attack, although nowhere near as much as they did against Ireland. Ultimately, Scotland had taken Finn Russell off after an hour - thinking they were home and hosed. Given the way Wales chased the game late on, it could be tempting to make changes - but how much of that came because Scotland took their foot off the gas? Dewi Lake, having waited three years for a Six Nations appearance, will start against England. Teddy Williams and Aaron Wainwright could also come in. Tommy Reffell has been good at times in this tournament, but he didn't make much of an impact as Scotland won the contact area comfortably. In the backs, with Josh Adams and Tom Rogers out, there's a wing spot up for grabs. Given the way he performed off the bench, Joe Roberts seems a good bet to start out wide - even though he's a natural centre. Fly-half will be interesting. Even though Jarrod Evans showed plenty of nice touches and took the ball to the line well, I'd still be tempted to keep him where he is - bringing him on for the final half-hour to really attack England's defence. Gareth Anscombe, even though the kicking game didn't go as planned on Saturday, is probably still the best option to execute it. Hopefully, whether it's Anscombe or Evans starting, that's an area we'll see an improvement in this weekend. With Ben Thomas at 12, Blair Murray at full-back and the left-footed Roberts likely to be on the wing, there's kicking options there. Hopefully, we see more from Wales there, because the kicking game could be crucial. In all honesty, whether England pick a team suited to the aerial game - as they have done previously with Freddie Steward a thorn in Wales' side recently - or look to continue their attacking progression after the Italy win on Sunday, the reality is that if they come to Cardiff and produce their best, they should win. That's where the two teams are. There's a lot of talk around this England team in their media, but Wales have lost 16 Tests in a row. They're still the favourites, plus they even have a slim chance of winning the title. I don't think they will, though. Not after the way France played on the weekend. Do that again and Scotland won't live with them - that'll be the title sealed in style. Of course, given Scotland's own attacking game, they'll likely head to Paris quietly fancying their chance. But if France turn on the power as they did in Dublin, then oh my God. They were just brilliant last week - even after losing Antoine Dupont early on. Maxime Lucu was really good, getting involved everywhere and looking dangerous. But it was the power of their pack that caused the demolition. Their power was just ridiculous - some of the statistics were off the charts. It's funny to think that England beat this France side, otherwise we could have been looking at one of the most dominant Grand Slams we've ever seen. They've averaged over 45 points a game so far. Regardless of all that, England will head to Cardiff simply looking to keep their title hopes alive. For Wales to win, they'll have to be better than they were against Scotland, obviously. They'll have to be better than they were against Ireland, too. But, if you're going to end this lengthy losing run anywhere, why not England in Cardiff? That's the challenge facing England. It's up to them how they face it. They know what is coming, but Cardiff can do funny things to teams. We've seen it before. A card here, an incident there - suddenly the crowd is up for it and Wales have their tails up. Whatever happens, it promises to be a cracker. And, you never know, it might just be my last Six Nations match on the BBC. The rights haven't been sorted out yet, so if it is to be no more BBC, then who knows where I'll be after that. There's just no guessing what comes next in the ever-changing landscape of rugby. We'll just have to wait and see. Whatever happens, I've enjoyed it massively. 27 years of doing it, it's been one hell of a ride. Whether there's another chapter or not, a long-awaited Wales win on Saturday would just be perfect. Jonathan Davies hosts Jonathan at 9pm on Thursdays on S4C. You can watch every Wales game live on S4C throughout the tournament.
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