IT WAS TYPICAL of Shane Williams to go out with a bang. The diminutive winger was denied a try for 80 minutes by Australia during his final Wales match at the Millennium Stadium but there was still time for some magic.
He zipped by Berrick Barnes and evaded the covering Digby Ioane to deliver the coup-de-gras on a remarkable international career.
Generally lost in the emotion of Williams’ swan-song was the debut of Alex Cuthbert and the glimpse he gave of an imposing future for Welsh rugby.
Five starts later and the 22-year-old had scored three tries and crossed over for the score that confirmed Wales’ third Grand Slam in seven years.
Having previously been on an annual wage of £19,000, the winger was guaranteed an appearance and Six Nations winning bonus of almost five times that amount.
He remarked after his team’s 16-9 win over France that he might put the money towards a deposit on a house but added that it might be more useful paying off his student loans.
Grand Slam clincher
It was felt by many rugby writers that the Welsh backline would dearly miss the wizardry provided by a player, in Williams, that had scored 60 tries in the red of his country and the British & Irish Lions.
Cuthbert, coming in 11 inches taller than Williams, gives an altogether different threat.
The Cardiff star [with five tries from 13 caps] has no problem mixing it up at the breakdown and doing his fair share of defensive work but, as witnessed from scores against Australia and New Zealand, runs intelligent lines and has no problem in taking passengers over the tryline with him.
21 minutes into the Grand Slam decider, France were 3-0 and starting to gain confidence when Cuthbert made his mark.
“For my try,” he recalled, “we got quick ball and I just saw the space and stepped in. Luckily, their full-back Clement Poitrenaud slipped and I just ran through to the line. It was an indescribable moment, one I will never forget. I didn’t know what to do.”
Great from an early age
A player that could give Cuthbert advice on how to deal with match-winning elation is a player two years his junior. George North has made a habit of scoring crucial tries since recording a double on debut against South Africa in November 2010.
In his formative years, the Scarlets man did the damage on the right-wing but he switched flanks successfully following the retirement of Williams.
North [26 caps and 11 tries] stands at 6ft 3in today and early growth spurts, allied with fantastic speed, made him a fine prospect at flanker.
However, after a collarbone injury curtailed one junior season, the self-confessed mummy’s boy took up the option to try his luck on the wings. He took to the position quickly and Scarlets signed him up for their academy when he was 15.
A simple mention of his rugby heroes goes a long way to describing the type of player North has become. “I looked up to the likes of Shane Williams and Jonah Lomu was also a real inspiration for me,” he said.
“I didn’t get to see him play much but from watching clips on YouTube I’ve got a sense of the massive aura there was around him. I’ve always wanted to be the size of Jonah Lomu, with the speed and awareness of Shane.”
Jonah Lomu streaks clear of Tony Underwood in 1995. (Mike Egerton/EMPICS Sport)
North displays attributes of the two greats and he showcased them for the world to see on Wales’ enthralling passage to the World Cup semi-final in New Zealand.
Sam Warburton’s red card in that defeat to France meant the Welsh backline were forced to fight for scraps but North was immense throughout – tackling like a demon and covering the centre during Jamie Roberts’ infamous pack-downs with a depleted scrum.
His performance against Ireland in the opening game of Wales’ Grand Slam gambit was North’s most complete performance to date. With the Irish wresting control of an epic encounter, North received a Mike Phillips pass and flattened centre Fergus McFadden, before releasing Jonathan Davies to score with a stunning out-the-back flip pass.
He added to his burgeoning legend in the closing stages when he took a trio of Irish defenders over in the left-hand corner before Leigh Halfpenny’s late penalty sealed it.
Default rather than design
Simon Easterby, former Ireland flanker and head coach at Scarlets, has been thoroughly impressed by the influx of confident young guns, like North and Cuthbert, who have emerged in the past three years.
“It was by default rather than design,” he explained. “The finances [at Welsh clubs] don’t always allow you to pick big names so you have to play and accelerate the development of young players. However many of the players have come through quicker than most would have expected.”
“A lot has been asked of these young players,” Easterby told TheScore.ie. “They have spent a lot of time away from their own environment, at the World Cup and Six Nations, but all have come back from international duty looking for more work.”
North, in particular, is relishing another date with the Irish. He told the Welsh Rugby Union website, “The win in Ireland was great last year, particularly to win it at the end when we have so often come out the loser in those situations.
Winning is key and we need to get a good platform early doors again. I was pretty happy with my performance last year and I’ll be pretty happy if I can do that again this year.
“It is up there with the best and to win out in Ireland was a great experience.”
