WALES MOVED TO the top of the world rankings for the first time in their history with a 13-6 win over England in Cardiff.
Eddie Jones’ side denied the Grand Slam winners that distinction with a 33-19 victory at Twickenham last weekend but that result was avenged during a largely uneventful pre-World Cup encounter.
George North scored the only try as Dan Biggar proved instrumental to Wales’ win – a timely answer to the criticism from former Wales and British and Irish Lions great JJ Williams this week, who said his country would not win the World Cup with the Northampton Saints man at fly-half in the wake of Gareth Anscombe’s cruciate knee ligament injury.
All the points acquired by an experimental England line-up came from George Ford’s boot, with Ireland awaiting Jones’ men next weekend.
An error-strewn opening from both sides contributed to there being no score until the 26th minute, with Biggar slotting over a close-range penalty after England crept offside at the end of a rumbling 13-phase move.
Wales’ number 10 was integral to the sole try of the match, stabbing a quick penalty out to Josh Adams following Anthony Watson’s yellow card for a deliberate knock-on.
England were unable to reset and another superb Biggar kick switched play to the left for North to touch down.
Watson returned from the sinbin at the start of the second half, as did scrum-half Willi Heinz after getting the all-clear from a head-injury assessment, and the visitors resumed on the front foot – a quickfire pair of Ford penalties trimming the deficit.
Leigh Halfpenny, who was a late inclusion at full-back after Liam Williams withdrew due to a tight hamstring in the warm-up, was off-target with an attempt from halfway.
Watson was hauled down six metres from the line as a blistering England attack own the right had Wales scrambling – Biggar’s huge hit on Maro Itoje preceding an offside call in the hosts’ favour.
Five minutes from time a successful Halfpenny long-ranger closed out victory and knocked New Zealand off the top of the World Rugby standings, despite the All Blacks’ 36-0 routing of Australia to seal the Bledisloe Cup at Eden Park earlier on Saturday.
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Rankings smankings.The ABs are still no.1 in my book and will remain no.1 till some other team win the World Cup.
@Eamonn Ó Maoldomhnaigh: and do the IRB regularly contact you about the contents of your book?
@Wheresmyjumper: All the time.
Ireland need to be laying down a marker against both these sides in the coming weeks. Time for Ireland and their key players to find a bit of form and show what they are capable of. A continuation of the game plan against Italy, less kicking from 9 and more heads up rugby, is what’s needed. There isn’t a side in the world that Ireland needs to fear if they put the right players on the pitch and play to their ability.
@Jim Demps: That won’t happen unless a balance is struck between playing in the way the situation demands and sticking to the game plan.
@Jim Demps: Ireland need to get through both games without further injuries in my opinion.
@Eamonn Ó Maoldomhnaigh: injuries will happen anyway, far more important to go full tilt at these games and get some form back than to be holding guys back. There’s enough quality in the back up guys now.
@Jim Demps: So if Johnny Sexton and Joey Carbury and VDF gets ruled out of the Scotland game or World Cup, we can still get to a semi final with the backup. Don’t think so.
@Oliver Cromwell: if my aunt had balls she’d be my uncle
@Jim Demps: why Jim? Would it not be better to use these games as training games and make sure we ramp it up v Scotland and take it from there. Sending key players out to lay down a marker v teams who are not on our side of the group so a few keyboard warriors might get behind the team is just daft.
@Jim Demps: we had all the form and confidence in the world starting the 6 nations, England were totally the opposite and yet all the form counted for nothing on the day. Winning a warm up game or even all 4 warm up games will make not one bit of difference when we get to the World Cup
@Oliver Cromwell: as long as we win the training games. I think joe should allow a few of these into the training camp just so they can get behind the team now rather than jumping on the band wagon next month.
@Jim Demps: Rubbish.
@Chris Mc: put simply for you, a bit of form and momentum going into the World Cup will give all involved a bit of confidence, especially when it’s against teams we’ve come off second best against in our previous encounters. Crossing your fingers and hoping we “ramp it up” v Scotland in our first WC game is a situation we’ve been in before. By all means use them as training games but they shouldn’t be dismissed as such. Performance both collectively and individually are very very important from here on in.
@Jim Demps: again we grand slam winners and had a great summer tour and an even better November ranked 2nd in the world and the alblacks coach said we were the side to beat, our two top clubs were both in the last 4 of the champions cup for 2 years in a row and yet with all that form and confidence we lost our opening game in the 6 nations.
Warm up v teams not in our side of the group mean nothing.
@Chris Mc: I’ll point you in the direction of Scotland tonight. Do you think a hammering like that means nothing or does it put pressure on the players, coaches for their next game? It certainly doesn’t give them confidence going into the WC.
@Jim Demps: Carberry is already a doubt, suppose Sexton gets crocked trying to “lay down a marker” where would that leave us? With Byrne & Carty ?
Get real.
@Eamonn Ó Maoldomhnaigh: so you don’t play sexton between now and the Scottish game? I’d say there’s only one of us who needs to get real.
@Jim Demps: I’m afraid Ireland are in trouble for the WC. Best is over the hill, sexton isn’t fit and carberry now isnt going to be fully fit. We will be lucky to make the 1/4 final.
@Jim Demps: by your confidence chart Scotland might as well not turn up for our game. So why not get our confidence from that game and the other group games before we play either of the big two from the other group.
Spot on :: but do you not agree that looking at Wales V England the box kick looks like it is back in business:: I cannot remember that many kicks in a game in a long time ::And it worked :: do you think we will be heading in that direction in our games ???
@Paul Hogan:
Would disagree with your view point there Paul ………….
Best is doing well and a very good Captain and middle man in our scrum ::
And J Sexton is fit unless you have been told something we don’t know and hopefully Joey will get right and if not Byrne or Carty will do well .IMO
COYBIG
Fair to Wales. They’ve been the most consistent team since last March and are deserving of the top spot.
Looking forward to seeing how we fare against them in the warm-ups.
@EK: *Fair play to Wales.
Oh what a joke the world ranking actually is…wales are not the best team in the world…rwc quater finalists but beyond that i really doubt it
@jay bernard: Like Irish fans are one to sneer at Wales after getting smashed in March en route to a 2019 Grand Slam. and having two WelshWorld Cup Semi Final appearances to zip for Ireland. Jealousy galore, I think.
@jay bernard: you were properly making a big deal about Ireland being the 2nd best team in the world back in November?
@Danny O’Riordan: no…but beating the all blacks is a good start to getting to the top…and the welsh havenr done that
@Oliver Cromwell:
” SMASHED” in March one try and the rest penalty’s :: Beaten yes and I do think your “Like Irish fans are one to sneer at Wales ” where did you see that unless it is in your head !!! We were 2nd for a long time it was nice and it felt good but you knew you had to win your next game as is the case in all Rugby games ::get to the Q/F then get to the S/F then get to the Finial :::
PS ::: did you pick the name just for the 2019 W C as you just joined this month :: the most hated name in Irish history
So if we were to beat England and win one of our games against wales, I think that puts up top of the world rankings?
@Aaron Tighe: beat England next week and we go #1
Weren’t Wales also near the top of the FIFA rankings too a few yrs back! Wales are obviously top 4 or 5 but #1? Hardly.
@Ado Smith: Well done Wales small country population wise but it produces some great talent and they gobble up grand slam titles. Wales have also preformed very well in recent world cups being robbed in a semi final.
Wales top of the World fair play ,,,, Alun Wyn Jones was immense ,what an engine such a skilful clever player loved the way he held Vunipola up in the tackle
Wales beat England and NZ beat Australia so how did positions change?? These warm up games shouldn’t count for ranking points. They’re not test matches
@BMJF: Um… yeah they are. There are no friendlies in Rugby. These might be as close to friendlies as it gets in rugby, but they still are full Tests.
@Oliver Cromwell:
Spot on !!!!