The home book shows that the late David Duckham had less than three assists per game in his 36 appearances for England.
“It’s a testament to his skills that he even managed to score 10 tries,” suggests the writer.
The man is not wrong.
Not that statistics were needed to back up what Duckham brought to the table. He was one of rugby’s great wingers, a player who could outrun three men in a telephone booth, as Bill McLaren once remarked.
But reducing the numbers can say a lot.
‘In progress’ Wales international and Wales New Boys teammate impresses in England
Warren Gatland appears to be the type of man who initially trusts what his eyes tell him, but the performance figures provided by the Welsh Rugby Union analysis team will no doubt find their way to his desk in the coming days and Gatland will no doubt appreciate it. what’s going on he suggested.
So what will the details say?
We looked at the statistics ourselves.
THE LIDE BRIDGE
Ken Owens 21, Liam Williams 21, George North 21, Taulupe Faletau 20, Joe Hawkins 18
Ken Owens may have struggled with the occasional javelin but when it comes to attacking he leads at the front with Liam Williams and George North holding up the standard.
“Test rugby is a young men’s game now,” the 1980s Wales international said recently.
Maybe so, but when it comes to dribbling the ball, Wales’ old guard lead the way.
Note the efforts of Taulupe Faletau. He was on the pitch for just 28 minutes on Saturday but scored seven goals for an impressive stat.
Joe Hawkins waves the flag for the young brigade.
MORE METERS
Rio Dyer 198, Liam Williams 153, George North 109, Joe Hawkins 102, Alex Cuthbert 77
I nod to River Dyer. The odd glitch may have happened over the course of two games, but the Dragons wing is making progress. He was looking for work and challenging the opposition’s protection.
Of course, the numbers only tell part of the story.
The numbers do not take into account lost opportunities.
But no one can blame Dyer for the effort.
Anyone Alex Cuthbert? In just 40 minutes of play from the bench, he covered 77 meters with the ball in his hands. Louis Rees-Zammit could be back in action against England, but Cuthbert raised his hand.
The performances of Christ Tshiunza and Dafydd Jenkins propelled Wales through the pass, with the former hitting 50m against Scotland and his teammate 30m. You can read about Wales’ special young player here.
Collectively, however, Wales is not clearing enough space.
They had the shortest of either side’s lead in the first two rounds, with Ireland gaining 400 meters more than the Gatland side.
CLEAN INTERVALS
Rio Dyer 3, Liam Williams 2, Dan Biggar 1, Joe Hawkins 1
Wales was poor in this area.
In fact, they managed just one clean break at Murrayfield, while the Scottish trio of brigades made eight.
Dier tops the list again, followed by Liam Williams.
(Image: Huw Evans Photo Agency)
But the Gatland team must do better.
Much better.
BEAT THE DEFENDERS
Liam Williams 8, Rio Dyer 4, Rhys Carre 2, Alex Cuthbert 2, George North 2, Joe Hawkins 2
Having Liam Williams left defenseless was an advantage for Wales and player Wayne Pivac, referred to as “the man with the rubber band”, proved difficult to deal with. Catching the ball from deep, he can sometimes look like he’s enjoying a Sunday morning game with his teammates, but his style can be deceiving along with the strength that allows him to overcome the odds.
Dyer is also on the radar.
Once again, there is room for improvement for all involved, as Scotsman Dugan van der Merwe single-handedly beat as many defenders (20) as Wales’ top six players for that matter in this Six Nations.
DIFFICULT
Liam Williams1, Ken Owens1
Short and sweet, Wales is last of the bunch on this one.
It is not enough. It is not enough.
Liam Williams’s coming on against Ireland was well crafted and so was Ken Owens’s win against Scotland, but too many chances were wasted and players and officials will know it.
TASKS CARRIED OUT
Taulupe Faletau 29, Jack Morgan 28, Ken Owens 25, Adam Bird 22, Tommy Rebell 22
Although Faletau was on the bench last weekend, he was Wales’ most active top-flight player in the Six Nations.
He returned an 8-0 tackle in 28 minutes against Scotland, followed by his seven turnovers, three assists and two transfers.
That’s influence.
Gatland must have noticed the effort.
Jack Morgan used to be in charge, along with Captain Owens and the much-maligned Adam Bird, as well as Tommy Raffel.
TOP TIPS
Ken Owens 4, Josh Adams 4, Thomas Francis 3, Jack Morgan 3, Justin Tipuric 3
Doubts were raised about Wales’ physique, but they produced a commanding 30 shots in the opening two rounds, more than any other team.
Owens and Josh Adams lead the way.
Adams may have been quiet in attack, but he was a force to be reckoned with in defence, with three commanding shots in the first game against Ireland.
Thomas Francis and Justin Tipuric also scored points in that game.
LOST HANDS
Joe Hawkins 8, Jack Morgan 6, George North 5, Adam Bird 4, Ken Owens 4
New Wales defensive coach Mike Forshaw will not be happy here as Wales boast the most dropped tackles in the league with 67 opponents taking the ball away from Welsh halfbacks.
In contrast, Steve Tandy’s Scotland side failed to make just 33 tackles, one less than Wales did last Saturday.
Hawkins made his mark with his creativity, but there is room for improvement on defense. He’s in good company with Harry Ringrose, Owen Farrell and Anthony Jelonch, who also dropped eight tackles apiece, but the young Welshman will be eager to step up.
Those yet to hit include Tipuric (14-0), Gareth Thomas (14-0) and Rhys Webb (5-0). Tipuric and Thomas, of course, were dropped from the Murrayfield match, while Webb remained on the bench.
LOST
Jack Morgan 3, Ken Owens 1, Dan Biggar 1, Josh Adams 1, George North 1, Rhys Carre 1, Liam Williams 1, Christ Tshiunza 1, Dillon Lewis 1
Jack Morgan leads the overall championship, sharing first place with Jamie Ritchie and Alex Dombrandt.
Remember he has also covered more yards than any Welsh forward and has shown good tackling and physicality and has a strong case for the national team.
But others need to up their game when it comes to intercepting the ball.
LOST REVOLUTIONS
Rio Dyer 4, George North 4, Taulupe Faletau 2, Joe Hawkins 2, Tomos Williams 2
This is not a chart anyone wants to be on top of.
Teams that do not value the ball, as a rule, disband.
Wales have committed 23 fouls on the ball in just two games. Gatland wants to improve England’s game.
LINEOUT EXPIRES
Christ Tshiunza 5, Taulupe Faletau 4, Justin Tipuric 4, Adam Bird 4, Dafydd Jenkins 3
The Wales line-up needs attention.
They interspersed six standard units with some promising ones.
For years Tipuric was seen as the go-to man with ease and power in the passing game, but was dropped for the Scotland match.
But Tshiunza was the main target at Murrayfield and overall he did a great job.
LINEOUT TRANSITIONS
Christ Tsuunza 1
The 6ft 6in Exeter Chief marked his first Welsh start with an excellent display.
But Wales are missing Will Rowlands, a player who has mastered the art of stealing the ball.
FAIL PENALTY
Liam Williams 4, George North 3, Adam Bird 3, Taulupe Faletau 3, Rhys Webb 3
Wales have conceded 32 penalties in two games and that’s just too much.
England, on the other hand, was pinged only 17 times.
Gatland highlighted his team’s indiscipline after the Ireland game, but conceded two more penalties against Scotland.
Repeat offenders will lose their seats.
YELLOW CARDS
Liam Williams 2, Rhys Webb 1
That’s a problem for Liam Williams. He is an instinctive player who operates on the edge and sometimes his dedication irritates the referees.
But it goes without saying that he must break the habit of receiving yellow cards in the Six Nations.
Source: Wales Online
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
