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'I was actually planning that night out with Alex Cuthbert with ten minutes left of the game'

(Photo by David Rogers/The RFU Collection via Getty Imagesges)

March 2013 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff has already long gone down in history as one of the best professional era days that Wales have ever enjoyed, the Gethin Jenkins skippered team hammering England 30-3 to snatch the Six Nations title away from Stuart Lancaster’s charges.

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The victory sparked unbridled joy on the streets of Cardiff and throughout Wales as the team had started the championship with a home loss to Ireland and were not expected to successfully defend the title they had won with a Grand Slam the previous year.

England were massively hyped up as favourites, coming into the finale in Cardiff with the Grand Slam up for grabs after they had beaten Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy.

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Mike Brown guests with Jamie Roberts on RugbyPass Offload

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Mike Brown guests with Jamie Roberts on RugbyPass Offload

However, while they only trailed 9-3 at the break, they were eventually blown away by an unstoppable Welsh ferocity that left Jamie Roberts devilishly planning his team’s night out with Alex Cuthbert, their two-try hero, with ten minutes of the round five match still to play.

Appearing on the latest RugbyPass Offload show, the 97-cap Wales and Lions midfielder was asked to select his favourite rugby night out during a career that has also seen the 34-year-old play club rugby in Wales, England, France and South Africa.

“There is a few,” said Roberts, warming to the theme. “The best ones I can’t remember much. First cap is a big one (vs Scotland, 2008). I can’t remember the night out after my first cap for Wales in Cardiff. Got carried home by my mates.

“Like Wales-England 2013 was big. Big, big night. I was actually planning that night out with Alex Cuthbert with ten minutes left of the game. That was awesome. We were having a chat about where we were going to go as England were kicking off after he scored the second try, which was quite good fun.

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“That night was just immense, the whole of Cardiff was open to the lads. I ended up on the DJ decks in Revolution playing some songs.

Sydney was pretty cool, that (2013) Lions tour. We ended up at a rooftop pool and bar, The Ivy. We had that whole area to ourselves. A few of the lads jumped into the pool in their suits and stuff, which was pretty good fun.

“There are so many good memories. Away games are brilliant. Playing European away games, they are some of the best weekends when you go over to France or Ireland, fly back the day after the game. You know as soon as the fixtures come out you always look for which ones have the potential to have a good trip away and capitalise on wherever you are going to be in the world.”

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Nickers 18 minutes ago
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I thought we made a lot of progress against that type of defence by the WC last year. Lots of direct running and punching holes rather than using width. Against that type of defence I think you have to be looking to kick on first phase when you have front foot ball which we did relatively successfully. We are playing a lot of rugby behind the gain line at the moment. They are looking for those little interchanges for soft shoulders and fast ball or off loads but it regularly turns into them battering away with slow ball and going backwards, then putting in a very rushed kick under huge pressure.


JB brought that dimension when he first moved into 12 a couple of years ago but he's definitely not been at his best this year. I don't know if it is because he is being asked to play a narrow role, or carrying a niggle or two, but he does not look confident to me. He had that clean break on the weekend and stood there like he was a prop who found himself in open space and didn't know what to do with the ball. He is still a good first phase ball carrier though, they use him a lot off the line out to set up fast clean ball, but I don't think anyone is particularly clear on what they are supposed to do at that point. He was used really successfully as a second playmaker last year but I don't think he's been at that role once this year. He is a triple threat player but playing a very 1 dimensional role at the moment. He and Reiko have been absolutely rock solid on defence which is why I don't think there will be too much experimentation or changes there.

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