After being forced to sit through a video nasty of their defeat in Dublin, Wales have been told to become exactly that if they are to stand any chance of defending their Six Nations title.
On Monday, head coach Wayne Pivac and his fellow backroom team went through – step-by-step – where Wales went wrong at the Aviva Stadium. It didn’t take long to find the answers.
Welsh rugby, at all levels, has many problems right now. But what was abundantly clear against Ireland was that Pivac’s team lacked the physical, abrasive edge which coursed through those wearing green shirts. Wales have been outpowered in Dublin before and may well be again.
Ireland secured a 29-7 victory on Saturday to down Wales in their Six Nations opener in Dublin
But there remains a real and significant worry that Pivac’s Six Nations class of 2022 don’t have the power up front to compete with the best around.
‘It wasn’t a long review. It was pretty evident what we needed to work on and you don’t want to labour that too much,’ said Wales forwards coach Jonathan Humphreys on Tuesday. ‘As you can imagine, the mood was disappointment. It’s always tough when you have a review like that.
‘One of the big points for us is we need to be more physical on both sides of the ball – we came second best there. Ireland is a really tough place to go in terms of the physicality they bring.
‘It’s a big work-on for us we need to improve before we play Scotland. Ireland were certainly on the front foot carrying ball and it’s a lot easier to get momentum.
‘That comes around to physicality and we’re working hard this week trying to create momentum to allow us to move forward on to the ball.’
On Monday, head coach Wayne Pivac and his fellow backroom team went through – step-by-step – where Wales went wrong at the Aviva Stadium. It didn’t take long to find the answers
Pivac’s team lacked the physical, abrasive edge which coursed through those wearing green
Humphreys acknowledged comments from his former Wales coaching colleague and ex-British & Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton that Pivac’s side were outgunned by Ireland’s tight five forwards.
‘As Sam said, you want to be more physical, but it’s a question of how we do that,’ Humphreys said. Here, in a nutshell, lies Wales’ and Pivac’s biggest and most immediate problem.
They can’t make the players available to them bigger, stronger and faster overnight. They can try to instil in them a harder, more competitive edge, but there is not much Pivac can do on genetics.
Simply put, Wales’ forwards are not the biggest, certainly not compared to the behemoths seen in other sides. This was an issue exemplified against Ireland.
It is here that the likes of the injured Alun Wyn Jones and Ken Owens become huge misses.
Wales’ scrum was a positive, but Ireland’s pack was dominant around the field and it allowed their ball-playing props Andrew Porter and Tadhg Furlong to enjoy themselves around the park.
Coach Jonathan Humphreys said they needed to more physical on both sides of the ball
Humphreys agreed with Sam Warburton (right) that Pivac’s (left) side were outgunned
From there, Andy Farrell’s back-line cut loose leaving Wales to chase shadows. In truth, the final scoreline of 29-7 should have been fare more in Ireland’s favour given their dominance.
And so now to Scotland.
Wales are set to restore the tough-as-teak Ross Moriarty to their side for what will be a clash played in front of a sold-out Principality Stadium.
Pivac will hope home comforts can bring about a turnaround. The availability of powerful centre Uilisi Halaholo who is back in training after a hamstring injury should also add to Welsh options.
Scotland will bring a different challenge to Ireland – their pack is not as big – but Gregor Townsend’s side is firing on all cylinders after a Calcutta Cup win over England.
‘I see a determination and a group that is looking forward to playing in front of 74,000 Welsh supporters, said Humphreys. ‘Every game is a must-win in this tournament – it’s about momentum. ‘We understand what is coming round the corner – Scotland will be pretty confident. They seem to be making big strides forward and they’ve got a lot of Lions with a lot of experience.
Now Wales must turn their attention to Scotland – who overcame England on the same day
Pivac hopes home comforts can bring about a turnaround. The availability of powerful centre Uilisi Halaholo who is back in training after a hamstring injury should also add to Welsh options
‘We’re expecting them to come at us physically and that’s where our improvement has to be.’ Louis Rees-Zammit and Seb Davies, like Halaholo, are training fully this week and Pivac has a clean bill of health to select from. Wales will have to improve significantly to return to winning ways.
‘Every player here wants to prove that (physicality) point this week,’ said hooker Dewi Lake, who won his first cap in Dublin. ‘It’s said a lot in sport that the character of a team is in how you bounce back from defeat.
‘Things are never going to go perfect, but that physicality, that edge, is something we’re looking to bring this weekend. I’m sure everybody will be ready to bring it.’ Scotland beat Wales in Llanelli in the delayed Six Nations clash of 2020. That game was played in west Wales while Cardiff’s Principality Stadium was still being used as an emergency field hospital.
You have to go back to 2002 for the last Scottish win in the Welsh capital, but the chances of Townsend’s side ending that hoodoo this week are high.
They are a team full of beans while Wales are trying to drag themselves, punch-drunk by Ireland, off the floor. Scotland will never have a better opportunity to stake their Championship credentials on Welsh soil.