Grand Slam Man (2 page)

Chapter Three

BACK ON BOARD

The day after the Ireland game, I went up to Wales' base at the Vale Resort just outside Cardiff to do a running test with the physios. I came through OK and our medical manager Prav Mathema said he was happy for me to get back into training with the rest of the squad, which was great news. It made me feel that all the effort I had put in after picking up the injury was worthwhile. Even so, I iced my ankle every two hours for the next three days to bring the swelling down. This meant setting my alarm to go off every couple of hours during the night! (I'd done the same when I was injured during the group stage of the World Cup. I'd been close to being sent home then, but I had been determined to give myself every chance to stay on and remain involved. It paid off then and it was the same story now.)

I was really excited to be back in training because I knew there would be a good buzz with the boys after the result in Dublin. But I was also very nervous for my place, because Ryan Jones had been superb on the blindside flank in my absence. The amount of work he'd got through was unbelievable. He carried, tackled and hit so many rucks. He is a workaholic and did everything that was asked of him. He would have wanted to make his chance count, and he did. I thought he should have got the Man of the Match award.

His form had also been awesome for both club and country in the last season. Whatever position they put him in, he always played well and of course he's such a good guy to have in the squad. He's been Welsh captain, he's a leader, and when he speaks all the boys listen.

So I was very nervous about being selected for the next game against Scotland. You are never sure of your place in this Wales setup because there's so much competition. You've got to be on your toes the whole time. But that's a good thing. The strength and depth of the squad is great for the coaches. Whoever takes that jersey, they know they are going to perform because they are dying to wear it. And the guys know that if they don't perform there's someone else there that will!

There's just such strength in depth now in all the positions in the Welsh team. When someone gets injured, another guy comes in, takes his place and is more than likely to have a storming game. Ryan did just that.

Luckily, our head coach Warren Gatland gave me the nod when he read out the team to face Scotland in the second championship match. Ryan had been moved into the second row to replace Bradley Davies, who had been suspended, and I was back in at blindside flanker. I was relieved to say the least. I had my chance now, so I needed not just to have a good game, but a really good game. I was still carrying my ankle a bit. I had it all strapped up, and thankfully it lasted all right and I got a full game under my belt.

So it was really a case of getting back into the groove. There is a big difference between playing regional rugby and Test match rugby, and it's a matter of getting up to speed. Once you get your first tackle out of the way, it's better.

But it is tough when you have been out for a few weeks. I remember thinking at halftime, ‘God, I am feeling this already', but I managed to get through the rest of the game OK. The game was in the balance at halftime, but we pulled away after the break, with Leigh Halfpenny scoring two tries after the Scots had a couple of players sin-binned. Yellow cards are always crucial in the game. You've got to be squeakyclean these days and discipline is so important. We took advantage of those Scottish sinbins and really took control of the match.

It's not the only time in the last year when we've come on strong in the second half. But it's not really a case of us changing our game or stepping up. We simply play the same game for eighty minutes. Maybe other teams drop off in the last ten minutes, which we used to in the past. But because we are so much fitter now, we just carry on playing the same game. So it looks as though we are stepping up in the last ten but we are not, it's the opposition falling away. Having that fitness in the tank gives you real selfbelief.

We ended up winning 27–13, with Leigh having another game to remember, finishing with 22 points in front of a packed Millennium Stadium. And I was named Man of the Match!

We were delighted with the win and with two victories under our belt, we were building real confidence for our next game, against England. You train hard with Wales, but it makes a difference when you are winning because there are smiles on your faces. Even if you are getting exhausted in training, it makes it worthwhile.

Personally, I'd been happy enough with my performance, but you still end up hoping that you've done enough to get picked for the next game.

I wasn't the only Wales player to have come back in against Scotland after injury. Our prop Gethin Jenkins had also missed the opening game out in Ireland, with Rhys Gill doing a good job on the loose head to provide more proof of our strength in depth. Gethin is the moaner in the camp, but I think that's what makes him who he is. If you make a mistake on the field, he's the first to run up to you and call you everything under the sun, just because he wants the best and he wants us to win. The first time I met him I thought, ‘Oh this guy really hates me.' But he's like that with everyone! And once you earn his respect, he's fine with you and now we get on really well.

Gethin has been a fixture in the Wales front row for a long time now, as has his fellow prop Adam Jones. The Bomb, as we know Adam, just gets on with his business and he is the best in the world at it, in my view. He's second to none when it comes to scrummaging. All I want from my tighthead is for him to lock out the scrum and hit rucks. When it comes to looking at the stats on a Monday morning, Adam is always up there with the rucks he hits and he's a rock in the scrum. In terms of a person doing their job to a T, he's probably the best on the field. That's all you can ask. He's such a lovely guy as well.

He and Gethin are like chalk and cheese in terms of personalities, but it just seems to work. Going into last season's Six Nations, they'd already got two Grand Slams under their belts and now another one was on its way.

Chapter Four

TRIPLE CROWN TIME

The build-up to the third game of the Six Nations championship against England was a weird time. Wales had only won once at Twickenham in twentyfour years, and yet as we prepared to head up to London we were being tipped as hot favourites. Some people were even suggesting it was a done deal and that we were certain to secure the victory that would win us the Triple Crown. We knew differently.

Going into the match, we were confident, but by no means did we think we would thump them, even if that's always what you want to do. This was England's first home game in the championship and we knew they would come out all guns blazing. It was going to be a massive test for us.

The English are big men and so physical. I think in the future they are going to be a real force. Like us, they are a young squad, and in the next couple of years they will really come into form.

We knew going up there it was going to be a battle, and it was. It was the toughest game of the championship for me. I was aching for days afterwards. All the boys were battered and bruised.

We always knew it would be close and it proved to be one hell of a Test match. I'd never played up in Twickenham before in the Six Nations, and it was an awesome experience to go in on the bus. There was a great atmosphere, with loads of Welsh fans around, and you knew this was going to be a special occasion.

The game was hard and physical from the outset. Our skipper Sam Warburton hurt his knee early on, but strapped it up and just dug in. He was desperate to stay on, especially after coming off at halftime in Ireland. You don't want to give anyone a chance to take your shirt and, in Sam's case, his understudy on the openside flank, Justin Tipuric, had been playing so well. ‘Tips' had had an awesome game when he came on against Ireland.

There's so much competition for places in the squad that the boys just dig in and play through the pain. That's why the team is so good to belong to. The guy next to you is going through the same pain as you are, and he's willing to put his body on the line, so you don't mind doing it either.

I always room with Sam when I am away with Wales. Numbers six and seven usually room together, so there's always a lot of banter between us. He's a quality player. He's been a bit unlucky with injuries this last year or so, but I think that's a knock-on effect from how he plays. He punches well above his weight for his size and he always puts his body on the line. Sooner or later it does catch up with you and you miss games. But when he's fit I think he's the best seven in the world. He's also a great skipper, because he leads by example. He may not say much but I don't think he has to. It's more a case of ‘Follow me, boys.' That's all I want from my captain.

Sam had a fantastic game that day at Twickenham, even though he was virtually playing on one leg. He led from the front and was quite rightly named Man of the Match. After about half an hour, he put in a crucial tackle on Manu Tuilagi when the powerful England centre looked certain to score a try. There was a stoppage of play after that and I remember watching a rerun on the big screen and thinking that was one hell of a tackle. He had no right to make it really, but he just dived head first at Tuilagi's legs and hauled him down. It was a fantastic effort and part of a great all-round performance from Sam on the day.

The other member of the back row through the Grand Slam campaign was my Dragons teammate Toby Faletau.

Toby is a law unto himself. It takes a while to get chatting to him because he's not only the politest guy you'd ever want to meet, he's also really shy. He does his talking by the way he plays. He is a world-class No 8 and he's only going to develop more. I don't know what he's made of, but the way he copes with the physical demands of the game is incredible. I'll say to him the day after a game, ‘How's your body feeling?' and he'll say, ‘Oh, I'm all right,' while I'm thinking, ‘I'm in bits here!'

Toby prefers to stay out of the limelight. When he played for the Dragons last season, he was getting Man of the Match week after week. But I think he'd rather not have had it, because it meant he had to do a TV interview after each game!

He's just a really humble guy. The more time you spend with him, the more you realise he's a good boy. It's great to have people like him in the squad.

I really like playing with Sam and Toby. We seem to complement each other. The back row is such a big part of the game. If you can get on top of your opponents in that area it goes a fair way to winning the match. So you need balance. You need a six who does a lot of tackling and hits quite a few rucks, a seven who scavenges for the ball, and a No 8 who is the main ball carrier. That's a good back row and I like to think we've got that with myself, Sam and Toby.

Those two guys were fantastic at Twickenham, where our victory was based on digging deep and taking our chances when they came. We looked in a bit of trouble when our flyhalf Rhys Priestland was sin-binned just after halftime. In the past, when we have gone down to fourteen men we have been punished, so this time we really tried to tighten things up. We looked to keep hold of the ball and it was the pickandgo area that was key. That period was crucial and it meant we were still in the game going into the closing stages.

Then it was ‘super sub' Scott Williams who took the chance that mattered, producing the individual moment of the match, four minutes from time. Scott ripped the ball off Courtney Lawes, chipped ahead and won the race to touch the ball down. When he scored the try, I was still on the 22 just waving him on! It was a great effort.

That key contribution from Scott again shows the strength in depth we have. He had come off the bench to replace the injured Jamie Roberts in the centre and he ended up winning the game for us. In our team you just know whoever comes on in a game is going to do a good job, and that keeps you on your toes for your place!

Scott's try put us in front 19–12, but there was still work to do and a dramatic finish to come.

We had managed to shut England out in terms of tries, but it was touch and go at the end.

In the last minute of the game, the England winger David Strettle went over in the corner.

I was running across the field and I didn't think it was a try. But the decision went up to the video referee and it was an agonising wait. We were desperate to know, but because the video screens are so high up you can't really see from the pitch. I couldn't make it out either way and I was just praying for the ref to signal ‘no try' and blow his whistle for the end of the game.

When he eventually did, I was so happy. I'd never won any silverware and to win the Triple Crown at Twickenham was just brilliant. It was an awesome feeling for all of us. And walking around the field afterwards with the trophy was a really good feeling. That day will stay as a massive highlight of my career. It's why you play the game: to be at the highest level and win the top prizes.

After the match, we had to go for ice treatment in our mobile cryotherapy unit, which was in the parking lot. We got out there OK, but on the way back the fans spotted us, so everybody wanted a picture. I remember walking back in as Sam was walking out. I said, ‘I wouldn't bother if I was you. You'll never get out of there.' I think he just had an ice pack!

That whole day was a great experience. We had won the Triple Crown. But there was still a bigger prize to go for.

Chapter Five

ITALIAN JOB DONE

After the victory over England, we had two games left, against Italy and France, and both of them were at home. I think nearly everybody in Wales was talking Grand Slam.

But I don't think the players were, because we are all pretty grounded. We take each game as it comes. We are not stupid and we treat each match on its own merits. We knew that we might have lost out in Ireland and indeed against England.

So we were keeping our feet on the ground and not getting carried away. However, there was still a buzz in the camp and a good feeling going into the next game against Italy.

But we knew we were in for a battle. In Rome, Italy had given England a really tough match. You always have to contain their massive pack and that is never easy. It was a game which, if we'd just won by just a point, we would have been happy.

However, I always like playing against Italy because of their back row. I think Sergio Parisse, their No 8, is class. You always want to play against people like that. He's a real power player who is very dangerous. That is why you play the game, to play against the best players in the world.

So we knew it would be another massive physical battle against Italy, particularly up front, and it certainly was that, especially in the first half. They had a young seven by the name of Simone Favaro playing and he was really good at the tackle area. He won quite a few turnovers and he was very strong too. I remember when, from a shortened lineup, he took it up and I hit him as hard as I could. As I was getting up off the floor, I was thinking ‘My shoulder is hanging off here!'

You always know you are going to have a lot of bruises after games, but that's good. Every bump and bruise is worth it when you win. In the back row, we like to pride ourselves on being physical and destructive. When you come up against teams with a similar nature you lift your game to your best. It's a macho thing, you want to give as good as you get.

This was another game that was pretty tight at halftime. There hadn't been a try and we were only 9–3 up. But then, after the break, Jamie Roberts ran in from a long way out. I didn't think he was going to get there because he started to slow up, but he made it. Jamie is a big character and a big player for us. He was struggling with his knee during the Six Nations and had to have an operation at the end of the season. But he managed to get through the championship and he did a great job for us.

He and Jonathan Davies have got a great partnership going in the centre. They have got the skills to give you that allimportant goforward. They are big men, bigger than a lot of the forwards. Real battering rams.

Jonathan Davies had a hell of a season last year. He's a quality player. A lot of the time his work goes unseen. He's a worldclass defender and such a strong guy. When he tackles, he really hits people. But he's also got the speed and the hands. He scored some quality tries last season, including two in the championship opener against Ireland, and it was good to see him get the recognition he deserves.

It's an awesome experience to be involved with our squad. We work hard, but we always have a good laugh. Everyone enjoys good company and to have a good bunch of mates around you all the time is important. If we didn't like each other I think that would show on the pitch. It would become hard work. It's odd – because the squad is so young it doesn't feel like a proper international team. It feels more as if we're an agegroup side, where everyone's working for each other. Putting on the jersey means so much to all of us and because we spend so much time with each other

– not just players but the coaches and everyone else – we all become good mates, on and off the field. I think that is why we gel so well as a team. It's almost a family environment.

Things just seemed to click for us last season. Even if there were holes in our game, because everyone was working hard it gelled together so that it looked as though we were impenetrable. If someone had a weakness, someone else would be covering it. That's a sign of a good team. If I miss a tackle, I know my opponent's not going to get far, because there is always someone else coming across.

We were pretty rock solid again versus Italy. We managed another clean sheet in terms of tries. And although we had to work hard for our own tries, they came in the end. Jamie's touchdown gave us breathing space and then Alex Cuthbert sprinted home to seal the win late on.

Alex came from pretty much nowhere to be one of the stars of the Six Nations, scoring three tries in all. I remember the first time I saw him was about two years earlier, when I was out having a meal and one of the boys said hello to him. He knew him because he was on the Sevens circuit. I didn't know a lot about him. I just remember thinking what a big guy he was, especially for a wing. He only started playing for the Blues last season, but he soon caught the eye with his try-scoring and forced his way into the Wales squad. He loved being in that environment, playing with that calibre of players, and he went from strength to strength.

I think he's only going to get better. I thought he was a lot older than me when I first saw him, but in fact he's more than two years younger! I just can't believe how quick he is. I would back him one on one against anyone. And powerful. When we work in the gym, the forwards are usually renowned for being a lot stronger, but some of the backs are lifting bigger weights than us. They are so young coming through, as well. It's very good for Welsh rugby.

With Alex scoring late on, we ended up winning 24–3 and we were happy with the result. It was ‘job done' in terms of moving a step closer to the Grand Slam. But we knew the performance hadn't been up to scratch. There were a lot of errors in the game. It was something we had to put right because we knew we would need a far more clinical performance against France if we were to complete the Slam.