Final score was 22-10, but not in the way we would have wished!
I don’t think that anyone would deny that the better team (on the day) won.
They were very well organised, very strong and determined, and they took their chances.
The pattern of the game seemed to be, from the Welsh perspective:
- Defend; defend; defend; defend; defend; defend; defend; defend; defend; defend; opportunity; score
- Defend; defend; defend; defend; defend; defend; defend; defend; defend; defend; opportunity; score
I was also disappointed for Tommy Bowe. He didn’t get a chance to shine in this game as he had in previous ones.
It is important to remember, as our World Cup adventure comes to a close, that the lads did us proud. They won all 4 games at the pool stages, including that historic victory over Australia. And that particular win will live on in our memories for a long time to come.
Sometimes when a team knocks you out of a competition, you do not want them to go on to do well. A great example of this for us is France in the 2010 soccer World Cup after the disgraceful cheating by Thierry Henry. No so in this case. I think that lots of Irish people will now be behind our Celtic neighbours.