Leg of Lamb on the menu after starters in Dublin and London.

England strettle for second best…(sorry...)

Whisper it, think it, but don’t say it out loud. It rhymes with “leg of lamb”, and Wales could be grabbing it at Cardiff on the 17th of this month. The players and coaching staff refuse to mention the magic words, but things are getting feverish on St Mary’s St. If it all comes together, it’s going to be one heck of a party. And after the gut wrenching disappointment of the WC semi final, few rugby fans would be churlish enough to say that this Welsh side don’t deserve it. The display at Twickenham was, by common consent, pretty ordinary, apart from that explosive (but point free) opening, the awesome discipline displayed when they went down to 14 men, and the boyish fearlessness of Scotty Williams’ try.

England played pretty well, particularly in defence. They exchanged some huge hits with the Welsh pack, and the midfield trio of Farrell, Tuilagi and Barrit refused to allow the Welsh three quarters to get up a head of steam. There were also glimpses of the English attacking threat, so sadly lacking against Scotland and Italy. Tuilagi made all the difference here.

Having said that, the overwhelming feeling at Twickers was one of relief – that the home side had put up a fight, that they were competitive. As a Welsh fan who lived through the dark days of the early 90’s, I can but sympathise…