Rugby / Six Nations

Six Nations Blog

A tale of two cities (Cardiff and Paris!)

We're not online in the new flat yet, so I'm posting this from a dodgy internet caff in the city – I won't be here longer than I have to be :s

It was a weekend for the players in the regions to remind the Wales coaching team that there is talent throughout the game in Wales. A fair few young players were given the chance to shine, as well as some more experienced players who are disappointed not to have been in the Six Nations so far.

I watched the Dragons beating Ulster on S4C – a pretty exciting game, I must say, with Jason Tovey scoring a hat-trick. I haven't heard a lot about him, to be honest, but he's obviously one to watch in future. Despite Tovey scoring most of the Dragons' points, Richard Fusel was definitely the outstanding player of the match. He was a big influence on the game, and I felt as if he was part of every move for the home team. Fusel has had a brilliant season, and he's been unlucky in my opinion not to be part of the Wales squad. I'm sure Gotland has his eye on him and is monitoring his development closely.

The Blues won on Friday night against Glasgow at the Arms Park. It was an interesting game, as Jamie Robinson scored two tries to seal the victory. I'm hearing rumours that the Robinson brothers are attracting the attention of Toulon in France and Sale in England. This could be a sign of trouble in the long term for Welsh rugby, I think. With teams in France offering three times what teams in the UK are paying, it's inevitable that some Welsh players will be temped to go to France. It'll be interesting to hear what Gatland's opinion is after he said that it was important for players who want to play for the national team to play their game in Wales.

The Scarlets lost at home to Leinster, which is a blow to their efforts to win the league. An injury to Regan King is a further blow to a key player in the Scarlets' success. It was a fairly flat game down at the Liberty, although it was a victory for the Ospreys against Connacht. But it was good to see the younger players get a run out in the absence of the big guns. Did Jonathan Thomas do enough to win a place on the bench against France? Maybe the fact that he can play in the second row and the back row will be enough. Gatland and the team will be glad to see him playing again.

I've definitely managed to get a ticket for the Wales game on Friday night in Paris – wooohooooooooo!!! It looks like we're driving down on Friday by the 9pm kick-off – a strange time to watch a rugby match, don't you think? I hope I'll be sober enough to remember it!!! I hear that Gatland's naming the team today, will Henson be in after last week's antics, d'you reckon? It'll be interesting to find out! Best be off – I'll be back before I head off to the city of lovers.

See you!

Rhys

This blog has been translated from Welsh.