shane williams got the prediction to play them in the quarter-finals and on what will happen a year away from
right, but the timing wrong, when it was springbok wing bryan habana now.
he said before the world Cup that who went on to be the player of that
he wanted to prove he was one tournament. “it will be at the back of the boys’
of the world’s best players. minds because they want to play well
Just to add extra spice to the mix, out there, but they want to play well
although he scored one of the great the lions will be in south africa next for wales - if you do that then you have
individual tries against fiji, wales’s year and coach ian mcgeechan will a chance to carry on and play for the
misfortunes in france meant there was be watching wales this summer. wales lions.
no great scope for the twinkle-toed defence coach shaun edwards is also
wing to shine on the game’s top stage. likely to be part of the set up and wales “that is the way i am looking at it. if i
coach warren gatland could also have do play well and mcgeechan and co
so he had to wait for the second-top a role are happy then i will have a smirk on my
stage in the six nations and, boy, did face coming back, but you cannot look
he make up for lost time. player of the “there is maybe a little bit more riding too far ahead.”
tournament, the highest ever welsh try on this tour, people have bigged these
scorer, joint record try scorer ever for games up because we are the northern Of course Williams has unfinished
the six nations and a new welsh record hemisphere champions and they business with the lions. he went on the
for the six nations which equalled the are the world champions,” admitted 2005 tour as a grand slam winner and
old five nations mark. williams. was overlooked for the first test before
getting selected for the second on the
not bad for someone who was written “it is going to be tough out there back of a five try performance against
off by a succession of coaches as being certainly, we have to go out to south manawatu.
too small to make it and only got his africa with our heads on because they
big break in the 2003 world cup after are the best team in the world at the however opportunities were limited as
being selected in the squad as a third moment. the all blacks ran away with the series.
choice scrum half who could also play
on the wing. “the lions will be a factor, but we will
have to concentrate on the game. i
those skills as a former amman united am sure that mcgeechan will be
no 9 came in useful during wales’s out there and paying attention to
grand slam when mike phillips was sin- the way the lads perform, but
binned in dublin, but it was in next year is a long way off.
his favoured wing position that
williams dazzled and took the “i am sure it will be
world rugby by storm. discussed among
the team, but we
41 tries in 56 internationals cannot dwell
is a fantastic strike too much
rate, eighth in the
international try scoring
lists.
there are those that
argue the welsh grand
slam this year was built on
defence and shane williams. it
is hard to argue as the only game where
he did not make the decisive try-scoring
contribution was away to england.
two tries each against italy and
scotland, then the match-breaking
moments against ireland and france and
the welsh celebrations could begin.
next up, the world champions at
home in south africa and maybe a bit
of unfinished business from the World
cup when wales missed their chance
sportingwales
junetwothousand&eight
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