58 Wednesday February 16 2022 | the timesSportRugby union
5Where Smith stands out
In first two rounds of the Six Nations
Most defenders beaten9 7 7 7 5 5Darcy Graham (Scot)Marcus Smith (Eng)Gabin Villiere (Fra)Damian Penaud (Fra)Matt Fagerson (Scot)Johnny Sexton (Ire)D
an Biggar knows a fierce
competitor when he sees one,
so he cannot wait to face
England’s Marcus Smith at
Twickenham for Wales a week
on Saturday.
While many are marvelling at
Smith’s flicks, tricks, hitch-kicks and
attacking flair, Biggar knows that he
will be in for a fight when the pair
meet in the next round of the
Guinness Six Nations.
Smith, 23, was a late call-up to the
British & Irish Lions tour to South
Africa last summer, where Biggar, 32,
played all three Test matches. On
tour the Wales captain was impressed
with his young team-mate.
“I saw Tom Curry’s interview after
[England] beat Italy and he summed
it up really well,” Biggar says.
“He said everyone is
aware of Marcus’s talents,
skills, but he mentioned
how motivated and
driven he is. That was
so clear in the summer
— he’s got a desire to
get better, is not afraid
to make mistakes and
has got that real fight and
scrap in him.
“He’s probably the form
player in the northern hemisphere
barring Antoine Dupont. It’ll be a
great challenge.
“He’s a really good lad and is not
just a talented player, he works his
socks off, is driven and motivated.
“All the boys really bought into
him. He certainly ran the show when
we played. I got on really well with
him — he’s a really good bloke, so
it’ll be great to play him.”
Biggar and Wales produced a
resolute display in Cardiff on
Saturday to beat Scotland 20-17,
having lost to Ireland badly
29-7, in the opening round.
After his win Biggar watched
Smith and England pull Italy apart in
their 33-0 victory in Rome, and he
thinks the key to Welsh success in
London on February 26 will be‘Dupont the only
player in better
form than Smith’
After silencing critics as
Wales beat Scotland,
Dan Biggar is relishing
facing England’s fly half,
he tells Will Kelleher
off the back of a tough week. It felt a
real character performance. I can’t say
that we played brilliant, fluid rugby
for 80 minutes, as that wasn’t the
case, but what we did do was tough
it out in big moments, rolled our
sleeves up.”
Biggar now knows Wales must back
up that victory again to challenge for
another Six Nations title.
“We’re aware we haven’t cracked
it,” he says. “Looking at the next two
games — England and France — if
we don’t improve we’re not going to
get the results.
“We’ve traditionally worked hard
in the rest weeks rather than putting
our feet up and resting on our laurels.
It’s about mucking in, rolling the
sleeves up again and hopefully the
confidence of a win will do wonders
for the camp.”“We played a good Scotland team,
coming with plenty of confidence,
and the conditions probably helped
us, turning it into a scrap. Off the
back of us being pretty hurt and
wounded last week it suited us to
have a scrap, rather than an end-to-
end, free-flowing game.
“Gethin Jenkins [the defence coach]
made a really good point at half-time.
He didn’t speak too much technically
about the defence, but said, ‘How do
we want to feel coming back into the
changing rooms afterwards? Do we
want to feel like last week, or can we
enjoy some milestones, [such as] Jac
Morgan’s first cap, with a beer?’ That
hit home, as you know how tough it
felt last week.
“It might not have been one of the
best victories, but it was certainly one
of my most important in a red shirtup against Scotland. “We’ve
been in tough positions before,
have had tough away defeats to
England and Ireland, and not that it
was unjust — as you have to take the
criticism — but we felt it was a bit
overboard. We said we’ve got history
of bouncing back, performing well
and getting it right.
“Our pride was hurt a bit. We didn’t
fire any shots last week and the big
thing in the week was, ‘Let’s take our
frustrations of the Ireland game out
on Scotland.’
“We’ve a good record in Cardiff
in general. And in the Six Nations.
That was a bit disappointing for us,
as our record in the Six Nations is
as good as anybody’s over the last
decade. Albeit we had a really poor
performance, things went a bit OTT
in that regard.shutting out England’s fly half.
“We’re fully aware that going to
Twickenham is probably the most
difficult game in the Six Nations,”
Biggar says. “You’re running out of
words to describe Marcus with the
form he’s showed over the last year.
“We have to make sure we take
time and space away from him, as he’s
a world-class operator who can play
at a really high level.
“Wales-England is always really
tight early doors. That is what set the
tone for us in the Scotland game —
we settled in early on, got amongst it
and we’ll have to do the same again a
week on Saturday.
“If you allow England to have time
and space, the power they’ve got in
the team, the depth they’ve got, we’re
going to be in for a difficult afternoon.
“It’s about starting well and
hopefully getting in amongst their
world-class players, taking their time
and space away.”
England may unleash Manu Tuilagi
on Wales, with the Sale Sharks centre
primed for his latest comeback having
played twice for his club as he returns
from a hamstring injury suffered
against South Africa in
November. Biggar is aware
of how much the English
dynamic changes with
Tuilagi involved.
“It’ll mean a bit more
tackling practice in the
week for us backs if he
is playing,” he says.
“Everyone is well
aware of Manu’s
strengths, and when he
plays, England tend to play
better whatever position he plays,
12 or 13.
“He’s physical, will give any team he
plays for go-forward, and as soon as
you get on the front foot in
international rugby, life gets a lot
easier. He’s obviously going to
strengthen England if he can get
some minutes and is back in the fold.”
Wales produced a fine, dogged win
against the fancied Scots in round
two, defying their critics after the
poor Dublin display. Biggar reveals
that those who had written off Wales
had only fired them up.
“When you don’t play well as a
team you’re going to have criticism,
which is part and parcel of the job,”
says Biggar, who is unlikely to play
for Northampton this weekend as
he recovers from a dead leg he pickedEngland v
Wales
Guinness Six Nations
Twickenham
February 26, 4.45pm
TV: ITVdnesday February 16 2022| thDan Biggar
Age: 32
Wales caps: 97
Points: 547
Height: 5ft 11in
Weight: 14st 2lbMarcus
Smith
Age: 23
England caps: 7
Points: 93
Height: 5ft 7in
Weight: 12st 13lbThe three-year search for a host for the
2026 Commonwealth Games finally
appears to be over, with the Australian
state of Victoria nearing an agreement
with the event’s governing body.
Concerns about the future of the
Games escalated with a failure to find a
successor to Birmingham 2022, forcing
Commonwealth Games Federation
(CGF) officials to make drastic changes
to the format in October.
In an effort to reduce costs, a new
strategic roadmap stated that only tworetained ahead of Marler while Joe
Launchbury, the Wasps lock, is back for
his second training stint of the
championship after recovering from a
knee problem.
Three additional players will under-
go rehabilitation under the England
medics. Courtney Lawes is still working
through concussion protocols that kept
him out of England’s opening games,
Sam Simmonds has a hip issue and
Jonny Hill has a stress fracture.England’s 25-man squad: Forwards A Barbeary,
O Chessum, L Cowan-Dickie, T Curry, A Dombrandt,
C Ewels, E Genge, J George, M Itoje, J Launchbury,
T Pearson, B Rodd, K Sinckler, W Stuart. Backs E Daly,
G Ford, M Malins, J Marchant, J Nowell, H Randall,
H Slade, M Smith, F Steward, M Tuilagi, B Youngs.Victoria to follow Birmingham as hosts
sports — athletics and swimming —
would remain compulsory, with future
hosts given flexibility to choose no
more than 13 others in line with
recommendations. There will be 19
sports in Birmingham when the Games
are staged from July 28 to August 8.
That brought a number of potential
hosts back to the table, but Victoria has
now entered an exclusive dialogue
period with the CGF.
While many of the events will take
place in Melbourne, the state-wide
approach will enable Victoria to reduce
costs by using existing facilities.
The modernisation of the Games
appeared to place some sports injeopardy, including netball, not least
because it is played by women only and
is therefore considered to lack diversity.
But netball has strong foundations in
Australia and is expected to be among
those chosen by Victoria. Boxing
should also make the cut, sources have
said.
The search for a 2026 host began at
the 2019 Commonwealth Games
general assembly in Rwanda, with the
CGF then announcing that the matter
should be resolved by the end of 2020.
Only now, however, has a break-
through come, to the credit of the new
CGF chief executive, Katie Sadleir, who
was appointed in August.Commonwealth Games
Matt Lawton
Chief Sports Correspondent Joe Marler and Nick Isiekwe have been
omitted from England’s Six Nations
squad for their training camp in
London — but Manu Tuilagi is back.
Eddie Jones has called up 25 players,
including the uncapped pair of Alfie
Barbeary, the Wasps flanker, and Tom
Pearson, the London Irish back-row.
Marler, the Harlequins prop, and
Isiekwe, the Saracens lock/flanker, are
the only members of the squad who
beat Italy last Sunday to be released
back to their clubs. Bevan Rodd, the
Sale Sharks loose head who is yet to
play in the Six Nations, has beenMarler and Isiekwe dropped
Alex Lowe Rugby Correspondent