Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Shane Williams: 'I am fully confident that Wales can beat Scotland at Murrayfield'

By PA
Wales get to grips with Scotland in 2019

Shane Williams believes Wales have the strength in depth to cope with their current injury crisis and challenge at the top end of the Guinness Six Nations table this year.

ADVERTISEMENT

George North, Hallam Amos, Johnny Williams, Tomos Williams and Dan Lydiate are all missing for the trip to Scotland on Saturday having started against Ireland last weekend.

Further injuries to Josh Macleod and Josh Navidi, as well as the ongoing recovery of Jonathan Davies and the suspension of Josh Adams, only add to the headache for head coach Wayne Pivac, with Nick Tompkins, Owen Watkin, Liam Williams, Gareth Davies and Aaron Wainwright coming into the side.

Video Spacer

Calcutta Cup and George North v Jamie Ritchi‪e | RugbyPass Offload

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected
      Video Spacer

      Calcutta Cup and George North v Jamie Ritchi‪e | RugbyPass Offload

      Former wing Williams, his country’s record tryscorer with 58 from 87 caps, is confident Wales still have enough quality in their ranks to overcome Gregor Townsend’s men, but he expressed particular sympathy for Lydiate, who suffered a knee injury early on in the victory over Ireland – his first international appearance in more than two years.

      “It’s tough,” Williams told the PA news agency. “These players are key, of course, but you do have someone like Liam Williams coming back into the fold, you have Nick Tompkins as well, and we’ve an abundance of scrum-halves in Wales at the moment, and back-rowers.

      “I’m personally gutted for these boys because there’s some big injuries there as well. For Dan, that could be the last time he plays for Wales and he’s worked really hard to get back there.

      “So personally I feel for them, but I have no concerns about the players that we bring in. I think they’ll do a job, they’ll be hungry and they know exactly what they have to do to beat Scotland on the weekend.”

      ADVERTISEMENT

      Pivac was under pressure coming into the championship after winning just three of 10 Tests last year – two against Italy and one against Georgia – but former world player of the year Williams saw some signs of improvement against Ireland, who had Peter O’Mahony sent off after 14 minutes.

      “Defensively they were far better,” he said. “They were very strong and aggressive in the tackle, there were double hits, there wasn’t that many missed tackles. I know there were a number of tackles missed leading up to the Tadhg Beirne try, but apart from that I thought they looked very organised.

      “Ball in hand, even though they made a couple of mistakes in the breakdown and a couple of handling errors, I think that came because they were trying to play a bit more rugby.

      “They were offloading in the tackle, they were offloading before the tackle and there were some lovely passages of play during the game.

      ADVERTISEMENT

      “There’s definitely improvement. You’ve got to play particularly well to beat Ireland anyway, whether it’s a 15-man Ireland or a 14-man Ireland. It was a big victory for Wales.”

      Wales finished fifth in both the Six Nations and the Autumn Nations Cup in 2020 and now face a Scotland side who are fresh from claiming their first win at Twickenham since 1983.

      But Williams believes Pivac will challenge his players to go on and win the championship, with the minimum ambition of achieving a top-two finish.

      “I think his mindset would be the top two,” added Williams. “Of course he wants to win the Six Nations, but France are playing particularly well at the moment, England are going to bounce back and be very tough and of course you’ve got Scotland in form at the moment and Ireland that you know are going to up their performance.

      “I am fully confident that Wales can beat Scotland at Murrayfield. We’ve got our first game out of the way, hopefully the players are more relaxed and have got confidence. They can do a job, I’ve no doubt.

      “It’s a big ask to get in the top two, but I think that’s something Wayne Pivac will try and attempt, and he’s on the way. That will be their mindset moving on now, that they’ve beaten a very good Irish team and that they can win this championship.”

      Shane Williams is one of Premier Sports’ leading commentators for its live coverage of Guinness PRO14 games throughout the season and works alongside an experienced Premier Sports talent team in Wales including Ross Harries, Sean Holley, Tom Shanklin, Philippa Tuttiett, Eddie Butler, Wyn Gruffydd and Lauren Jenkins. Premier Sports covers every PRO14 game live. To watch just visit www.premiersports.com.

      ADVERTISEMENT

      Boks Office | Episode 42 | Investec Champions Cup Final Review

      Saitama Wildknights vs Kubota Spears | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Semi Final Replay

      Spain's Incredible Rugby Sevens Journey to the World Championship Final | HSBC SVNS Embedded | Episode 14

      Australia vs USA | Pacific Four Series 2025 | Full Match Replay

      New Zealand vs Canada | Pacific Four Series 2025 | Full Match Replay

      South Africa vs New Zealand | The Rugby Championship U20's | Full Match Replay

      The Game that Made Jonah Lomu

      The gruelling reality behind one of the fastest sports in the world | The Report

      Trending on RugbyPass

      Comments

      0 Comments
      Be the first to comment...

      Join free and tell us what you really think!

      Sign up for free
      ADVERTISEMENT

      Latest Features

      Comments on RugbyPass

      S
      Solenn Bonnet 15 days ago
      Leinster cleanse palette with record URC scoreline against Zebre

      My name is Solenn Bonnet, and I am a single mother navigating the challenges of raising my two-year-old child while trying to make ends meet. I came across a trading platform that promised astonishing daily profits of 18%. The allure of such a high return on investment was too tempting to resist, and I found myself drawn into cryptocurrency trading. Excited by the prospect of financial freedom, I invested a significant amount of my savings, totaling over 5.7 BTC. However, what started as a hopeful venture quickly turned into a nightmare. The platform was a scam, and I lost everything I had invested. The emotional toll of this loss was immense; I felt devastated and helpless, struggling to provide for my child and keep up with my bills. In my desperate attempt to recover my funds, I sought help from various recovery experts. Unfortunately, I encountered numerous fraudulent individuals who claimed they could help me retrieve my lost money. Each time I reached out, I was met with disappointment and further scams, which only deepened my despair. Last year was one of the most challenging periods of my life, filled with anxiety and uncertainty about my financial future. Feeling overwhelmed and at a loss, I confided in a close friend from church about my situation. She listened compassionately and shared her own experiences with financial difficulties. Understanding my plight, she introduced me to Tech Cyber Force Recovery, a group of skilled hackers known for their expertise in recovering lost funds. Skeptical yet hopeful, I decided to reach out to them as a last resort. Their services came at a higher cost, but my friend generously offered to help me with a partial payment. I was amazed by how quickly they responded and began the recovery process. Their team was professional, efficient, and incredibly supportive throughout the entire ordeal. To my relief, they successfully recovered more than I had lost to those heartless scammers. This was truly transformative, and I felt a sense of relief and gratitude that I hadn’t felt in a long time. I strongly encourage anyone who has faced similar challenges or fallen victim to scams to reach out to Tech Cyber Force Recovery. If you’ve invested in a fraudulent platform like I did, they are highly capable of helping you reclaim your hard-earned money. Don’t lose hope; there is a way to recover what you’ve lost.

      CONSULT TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY

      EMAIL.. support@techyforcecyberretrieval.com

      WhatsApp.. +15617263697

      website.. https://techyforcecyberretrieval.com

      Telegram.. +15617263697

      0 Go to comments
      LONG READ
      LONG READ Putting for birdie, saving par, or rounds to forget? How have Aussie sides fared in SRP? Putting for birdie, saving par, or rounds to forget? How have Aussie sides fared in SRP?
      Search