LONG READ Beaten but unbowed, Welsh rugby shows a defiance that suggest brighter times lie ahead

The barren landscape of Welsh rugby changed over a balmy afternoon in Cardiff. Gone was the stultifying, joyless atmosphere that had gripped the nation since Wales were turfed out of a World Cup quarter-final in Marseille 16 months ago, and in came hope, ambition and an identity.

Twenty years ago, after Wales sashayed their way to a glorious first Grand Slam in 27 years, Sir Gerald Davies, opined, in his lilting West-Walian accent, about a ‘Welsh way’, a romantic ideology about the powers of evasion; seeking space, not contact, and playing on instinct.

Two decades on Matt Sherratt, a likeable former primary school teacher from Gloucester, struck a similar tone. He spoke effusively about creating an identity, changing their mindset and taking risks – within a clear structure. He had four training sessions to translate his vision to a squad bereft of confidence and belief. Indeed, Wales had been held up as a laughing stock and ripe for relegation and into the Six Nations wilderness. Latching on to the general ribaldry denigrating the Welsh game, Irish ‘pundits’ had a field day, pondering whether their side could stumble out of a local hostelry, shorn of a few worse for wear players and still beat this forlorn bunch of losers.

Well after 60 minutes, with the scores tied at 18-all, those naysayers could be forgiven for feeling a tad peaky. Wales had restored pride in the shirt. They had put smiles on faces and they had rocked Ireland to their foundations, with Garry Ringrose red-carded, before Bundee Aki was parachuted onto the field to tidy up and extinguish Welsh dreams. Aki out Alpha-male’d every other player on the pitch with a ferocious, snarling cameo as he swaggered around, geeing up the Irish fans to fever pitch. He was the epitome of a warrior.

A penny for Warren Gatland’s thoughts. No doubt watching in a darkened room, his obvious folly in leaving out Gareth Anscombe and Max Llewellyn was immediately apparent as the Gloucester pivot brought structure, composure and leadership to a callow backline. Ben Thomas, selected in his favoured 12 position, mixed up his distribution to leave Irish defenders guessing and Llewellyn, all 6ft 5ins of him, powered through heavy traffic on 11 occasions to give the likes of Ellis Mee and Tom Rogers space to get on the front foot and attack the edge.

Gone was the indecision from Rome, playing 20m behind the defensive line and treating the ball as if it was a grenade with the pin pulled out, and in were clear, defined roles, structure, painting patterns and standing for something which resembled a Test team.

It was Lenin who said, ‘there are decades when nothing happens, and there are weeks when decades happen’ and it felt like an epoch change was occurring in the bowels of the Principality Stadium, as Jac Morgan, wide-eyed after emptying himself on the field of play, muttered in the post-match press conference. “It felt different. It felt good to have a clear plan in attack. It felt exciting.” This after being asked about what had changed post-Gatland.

Gone was the indecision from Rome, playing 20m behind the defensive line and treating the ball as if it was a grenade with the pin pulled out, and in were clear, defined roles, structure, painting intricate patterns and standing for something which resembled a Test team. It was life-affirming for downtrodden Welsh fans, who left beaming into the beer-stained streets of the capital on a Test day with a spring in their step.

Sherratt more than played his part in an upturn in mood. He has an amiable manner. A smile is rarely far from his face and he spoke eloquently about the emotion that welled up inside of him on the bus, as the Welsh team passed the Gatland Gates. He reaffirmed his duty to Cardiff Rugby, and played down his own input by saying that all teams enjoy a bounce when a new voice and new ideas replace what was clearly a stale, dated philosophy. With a visit to Edinburgh in mind, he said the challenge was to propel the team forwards and maintain momentum and you’d imagine for a proud Englishman, the tears will be flowing as he leads his Welsh team against Steve Borthwick’s side in a matter of weeks.

In handing out plaudits, a nod must be given to Adam Jones. Ireland’s highly-rated pack gave away four scrum penalties in the first half. Wales’ scrum is improving game by game, even with new personnel, and for tighthead Will Griff John it must have been hugely satisfying to put in a tub-thumping performance against Andrew Porter at the age of 32, after being overlooked for so many Welsh squads. The lineout functioned at 95%, with a doff of the cap to Elliot Dee, while Will Rowlands ran with more purpose, Nicky Smith caused havoc and Dafydd Jenkins tackled and carried with venom as he played himself to a standstill.

The decision to play Tommy Reffell and Morgan together also proved adroit. Both on the ‘small’ side internationally, nevertheless they banged in 31 tackles between them, harried and spoilt Irish ball and arguably outplayed Josh van der Flier and the ageing Peter O’Mahony for 60 minutes, doing their Lions claims no harm.

A word should also go to Blair Murray. In stature, he is similar to Leigh Halfpenny in his early years, with explosive acceleration in broken field, a siege-gun boot and soft skills hewn on the playing fields of New Plymouth High School on New Zealand’s North Island rather than Newport.

Sandwiched between them, Taulupe Faletau rolled back the years with a majestic shift, playing the full 80 minutes, using his trademark footwork to evade contact, deftly tipping balls on and mopping up when required.

Out wide, a word should also go to Blair Murray. In stature, he is similar to Leigh Halfpenny in his early years, with explosive acceleration in broken field and a siege-gun boot. He may have honed his soft skills on the playing fields of New Plymouth High School on New Zealand’s North Island rather than Newport, but he dovetailed intelligently with his regional team-mates, Mee and Rogers, who are all adept in the air and add interest kicking from hand. Josh Adams, handing a debut cap to Mee, will be feeling the heat and his return to the starting line-up against Scotland is no longer assured.

Ireland’s senior players and management were all effusive in their praise of the Welsh performance. Dan Sheehan and Simon Easterby, safe in the knowledge they had taken one step further towards a Grand Slam, said it was no surprise they had been tested. To a neutral, they put up sterner resistance than Scotland, which should unnerve Gregor Townsend.

With the talk of missteps by the WRU in cultivating their pathway of talent, the Wales U20s also brought unexpected cheer by showing an indomitable spirit, posting a 20-12 win against their Irish counterparts and making 222 tackles. It set the tone for a weekend of defiance.

Nearly an hour after the game had finished, the roof was pulled back and light beamed onto the turf. Wales’ replacements went through their shuttle runs on the pitch, Will Griff John took in the cathedral-like majesty of the Principality Stadium with his young children, and a beaming Gareth Anscombe hung around signing shirts before disappearing down the tunnel. It was a day and performance which showed that rumours of Wales’ demise were greatly exaggerated.

Of course, it’s early days and there is much to do, but the promise of brighter times lie ahead. Wales lost the game, but won hearts and minds.