A look at the current Six Nations tournament from a Wales perspective. How do they feel after putting in monstrous performances but coming away with nothing? And, how bright is the future of Welsh rugby?
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00:00 So, James, just talk about the Six Nations from a Wales perspective and let's just start
00:09 with your thoughts going into this major tournament, especially after that World Cup.
00:14 Well, obviously, we haven't really expected too much going into this. Some good performances
00:20 of the World Cup but fell very flat when we left against Argentina. We were, like I said,
00:27 not expecting much from the Six Nations, but we put on some good performances so far. Really
00:30 close games, only a three-point deficit or something like that with two losses. It's
00:37 not very common for rugby games to be that close, really, I would say. The Scotland game
00:41 was one of the best games anyone's going to watch in rugby. It was a game of two halves.
00:47 Scotland showed their class and Wales showed that that first half display wasn't Wales.
00:52 There's more to this team, this young team, that can go forward. We looked like maybe
00:59 should have beaten England at times. There was a couple of opportunities to properly
01:03 take it by the reins but didn't quite take it. But, like I said, some good performances
01:08 so far when we were really not expecting much at all.
01:12 Yes, the Six Nations that follows the Rugby World Cup, it always feels like it's a bit
01:18 of a start of a new cycle for all the teams. Do you feel as if there's something brewing?
01:23 Obviously, you mentioned it's a young Wales squad. Do you feel like the future could be
01:27 bright for this bunch of players?
01:30 Absolutely. I think having Warren Gatlin, part of the organisation, he's been Wales
01:37 for the last 10, 15 years in rugby. Losing him, we saw what we were without him. The
01:43 post-Gatlin plan didn't work. He's come back. We're talking about losses here, we're
01:51 not talking about wins. But we are talking about good performances in losses. The first
01:55 time we've lost against Scotland at home in over 20 years, something ridiculous like
02:00 that. But Scotland were the ones at the end who were looking like a loss. Wales were looking
02:06 like a win because the performances are there. The young players that are there, the whole
02:11 team really. There's a couple of the names that you'd remember from the last few years,
02:15 but overall, it's a completely fresh start.
02:18 And this Six Nations isn't our Six Nations. No-one was expecting it to be our Six Nations.
02:24 I'd happily admit that we've probably got a few more losses in us in these next three
02:27 games. Could easily go out and put on some good performances. France will beat a ball.
02:34 Even Ireland, I don't think, in a team they were like a few months ago. Like you said
02:38 about the fresh start. Ireland aren't on the crest of the World Cup, making it like they
02:44 thought they were going to going into the World Cup. So, you know, this one's not about
02:49 finishing first. This one's about showing what we can do and getting in a good position,
02:54 seeing how we do through the summer in some of the tests and then kicking on properly
02:58 with this young team that in a few years' time really could be special.
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