Dragons struggle past Canucks
14 Nov 2008
Wales were unconvincing in their 34-13 win over Canada at the Millennium Stadium.
The Welsh had openly lamented their loss to the Springboks the entire week and their minds seemed stuck on last Saturday. They had also made 12 changes from that Test, while the Canadians were tigerish in defence.
The visitors were meant to take a hiding in front of Welsh 60 000 fans, but in the first half the Dragons’ second stringers struggled to a 10-6 lead.
A worry for the Welsh will be James Hook’s injury, who hobbled off with a knee injury after 18 minutes, but at the same time this afforded 19-year-old Ospreys flyhalf Dan Biggar the chance to win his debut.
In the second half the Welsh produced another ordinary effort, only able to produce points from two penalty tries (after Canada collapsed a couple of scrums) and a second Leigh Halfpenny score.
The Welsh first side will have to produce a much better performance to topple the All Blacks next week.
Wales - Tries: Morgan Stoddart, Leigh Halfpenny (2), Penalty try (2). Conversions: Daniel Biggar (3). Penalty: Biggar.
Canada -Try: Ryan Smith. Conversion: James Pritchard. Penalties: Pritchard (2)
8 Comments
14 Nov 2008, 23:39 pm
“The Welsh had openly lamented their loss to the Springboks the entire week and their minds seemed stuck on last Saturday”
It would not have been close had it not been for a certain individual….
14 Nov 2008, 23:42 pm
# julz: James Hook?
15 Nov 2008, 00:56 am
F* ck me, can the Welsh stop whinging now please? You lost fair and square to the Boks, again.
15 Nov 2008, 05:38 am
34-13 looks to me like a right royal towelling.
15 Nov 2008, 06:34 am
Makes Ireland look pretty good … or did the Boks break Wales ?
15 Nov 2008, 07:30 am
And the welsh rugby union would not even give the canadian rugby union 25000 pounds from gate attendance.
Wales have sold more than 50,000 tickets for tonight’s rugby friendly against Canada at the Millennium Stadium but have refused to give their hard-up visitors a tiny percentage of the gate receipts. Canada asked for 50p from every ticket sold, which would have amounted to little more than £25,000.
The plea has been turned down by the Welsh Rugby Union, which will gross £17m from the four internationals played in Cardiff this month. The WRU, meanwhile, has been granted £70,000 from a special International Rugby Board fund set up to help developing rugby nations such as Canada.
Wales, who announced a record turnover earlier this year, will tour Canada next summer when their hotel and food bills will be picked up by the Canadian union. The WRU also asked for the hosts to pay for their flights and when the CRU said it lacked the cash, the Welsh union applied to the IRB to tap into a contingency fund set up for tier-two nations. It usually holds some £300,000 for transport, accommodation and the like but is now £70,000 lighter after the WRU’s request was granted.
The Wallabies will receive £500,000 for their fixture in Cardiff on November 29, while the All Blacks will bank even more for playing England at Twickenham on the same day. At the end of a week when the top 10 rugby nations in the world met in London to discuss what the international calendar should look like when the current tour schedule ends in 2010, the plight of Canada is a stark reminder that in rugby the wealth divide is growing despite the IRB’s efforts to use the World Cup as a means of wealth redistribution.
It was New Zealand who this week raised the prospect of countries organising their own tours in future, rather than adhering to an IRB schedule, to maximise revenue. That would leave countries such as Canada, who finish their visit to Europe in Scotland next week having also played Portugal and Ireland, struggling for meaningful fixtures outside World Cups. When the Pacific Islanders played England at Twickenham last week, their pleas for financial aid also went unanswered.
The Canada coach, Kieran Crowley, said: “It is very hard. We are trying to increase the standard of our domestic competition, but we only have eight professionals in our current squad and only one of them is with a top-division side. Kids in Canada do not start playing rugby until they are at least 14 and our big problem is that we cannot get together as a squad anywhere near frequently enough.”
15 Nov 2008, 07:34 am
#2 Big Hit: yes…by Hook and crook and sculldugery…..on the part of a certain individual…..Getting any warmer or should I start calling you Big Twit?
15 Nov 2008, 11:23 am
#6 Sonito: Thanks for reproducing this Sonito. You don’t name your source? But if this is indeed factual it is an absolute shame on the Welsh Rugby Union. Talk about helping developing rugby nations and improving the international game is made cheap by such indefensible rubbish!
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