Still On Track

Wales are still on track for the Six Nations Championship. I'm a little more optimistic after today's 30-15 defeat of Scotland at the Millennium Stadium - but still not wildly confident. Wales were much the better side, and most of our complaints were that they did not take their chances. OK, so the Shane Williams try should not have been allowed, but we dominated for most of the game. Martyn Williams plays in the same position as I did so I always watch him rather more than the others. He was terrific - yet again. I thought that the Scots were poor throughout, and did not try to play any rugby. It was largely as a result of the Scots negative approach that it wasn't a good game. Gatland has got B**** though, big ones - taking Hook off half way through the second half. I suppose he wanted to play club mates, Dwayne Peel and Stephen Jones together. He's very keen on these club 'units'. But what can you say when Wales totally dominated the play for every minute after the Jones/Peel partnership came on. And everyone's going to like us as well, with the extremely personable, articulate Ryan Jones as captain. He's going to be a media star when his playing career is over.

In Paris the French were stunning for the first half. I hope that they don't play like that against us because they would stuff us. And the Irish were terrific in the second half. I watched the game on TV in Cork, so there was much celtic sympathy flowing. Now this was a terrific game of rugby, between two sides who wanted to play. Wales will have to continue their improvement over the next few weeks because I dont think we would have been good enough to have beaten either of them today. But I am hopeful, if not confident.