“Brilliant. Brilliant. Bloody. Brilliant.” Such was the well refreshed, disbelieving verdict of a group of men in tight red tops as they surveyed the emptying stands deep in enemy territory at the end of a breathless, famous, almost unbelievable victory for Wales.
Down on the shimmering emerald surface beneath Dan Biggar, the Welsh man of the match who kicked 23 points including the winning penalty and remarkably made the absence of Leigh Halfpenny seem like an irrelevance, concurred: “This is the biggest day of our careers”. Biggar was brilliant, but he was far from the only one. Nerveless throughout, he kept pegging England back just as they threatened to pull away. Wales, ragged at times during the first half, pulled together and expanded in confidence and belief as the match went on.
Given the high stakes and an injury list that had looked potentially devastating before this clash and only lengthened during an attritional second half that left their dressing room looking like a field hospital, it was impossible to believe that Wales would pull this match round. With 11 minutes left, England led by seven points and the Welsh players – those of them that remained on the pitch – were wearing dazed expressions. Four minutes earlier Hallam Amos walked off the pitch cradling his arm, while Liam Williams departed on a stretcher.
Sam Warburton, heartbroken four years ago after being harshly sent off in a World Cup semi final, pulled his players together and gave one last pep talk. It was gut wrenching, soul stirring and horribly, horribly tense. As it had been ever since the anthems were played in a bear pit atmosphere. As the camera panned across the Welsh 15, lumps in throats were swallowed and tears choked back. Even experienced heads, of which there were plenty on the Welsh side, could have been turned to mush by an intense atmosphere inside Twickenham quite unlike any Six Nations encounter.
There were times during the opening hour when victory for the home side seemed inevitable. But the nerveless Biggar, his pre-kick routine of tics putting Rafael Nadal to shame, kept pegging England back. Every time his opposite number, Owen Farrell, increased the lead to 10, the Osprey pegged it back to seven. Wales kept hanging in there and indiscipline crept into England’s game at the breakdown. When Biggar slotted over again from wide on the right, 40 metres out, to reduce the gap to just four with 20 minutes to go, the red shirts dotted around the stands in a sea of white rose in volume.
All week Warren Gatland had emphasised the extent to which, despite the injuries that have hobbled their build up, Wales would be organised, compact, every player knowing exactly what they were supposed to be doing. Warrenball. Yet, with half an hour gone and the Welsh well aware they had to make the most of the opening hour given the comparative paucity of their bench, they appeared a little ragged. Lineout throws were going awry, they were losing their scrums and uncharacteristic errors were creeping in. But they refused to give in. Biggar – and sheer bloody minded will to win – kept them in it, kicking nervelessly to keep his side in touch.
Decimated by injuries, Wales entered the last 10 minutes looking dead on their feet. Few gave them much chance. Faces were racked with pain and exertion. Yet from nowhere a try poached underneath the posts by the scrum-half Gareth Davies from a brilliant kick by Lloyd Williams, followed four minutes later by that 49-metre penalty from Biggar, secured a famous victory.
England’s players had spent much of the build up obsessing about Gatland’s mind games. Gatland had been insisting all week that he wasn’t going to be deploying his usual mind games. Most of all, both camps harked back to 2013 and that 30-3. Despite the fact that was at the Millennium Stadium rather than Twickenham and that England have won twice since, that Six Nations thrashing has cut deep into the psyche of both sides.
All week, Chris Robshaw and others had spoken of revenge. And Warburton and his Welsh players had spoken of tapping into that spirit. Ultimately, none of that mattered. As England’s lead narrowed and Biggar kept his cool, all present were consumed only by the contest in front of them. The tension racked Stuart Lancaster’s side and it was their lack of discipline, and poor decision making, that ultimately told. “This game was about emotion. If you want it bad enough, for whatever reason it can happen for you,” said Gatland afterwards. “I think we wanted it more in the end.”
That passion that gripped the faces of the players during the anthems refused to dissipate throughout. There will be huge injury concerns now for Wales before Fiji. But for now, time to celebrate a famous victory.
Biggar, still disbelieving, said at the end: “Fancy coming here on England’s own ground in a World Cup and winning? No one gave us a chance.”
