Yesterday’s clash between Wales and England saw both sets of players grow frustrated, when moves failed to go to plan and penalties were awarded in Cardiff. Snippets of audio made their way out of the Principality Stadium, and onto the airwaves for millions to hear across the UK.
Here are the best of what was heard from the pitch. That was picked up by the referee’s mic.
An opening Welsh shout of “Let’s f*****g bring it,” was clearly picked up as the two packs set-up for the opening scrum. The set-piece was a vocal point of the match, and with referee Mathieu Raynal so close to the forwards, multiple phrases were overheard at scrum-time.
“Let’s go Gengey boy” saw England’s prop Ellis Genge receive a last-minute burst of motivation. The ‘Baby Rhino’ was impressive up-front, which his teammates recognised. “Let’s f*** ’em” was anything far from subtle, as an English voice presented the depth of the rivalry against Wales.
Growing Welsh impatience at the scrum led to a call of “F*****g hell, come on” from the pitch. England were criticised for taking overly long to set-up for the set-piece, and seemed to have gotten under the skin of the opposition forwards.
Wales prop Tomas Francis called out to referee Raynal, in an attempt to win a scrum penalty. “They’re hinging,” he protested. “They’re absolutely hinging”. The referee disagreed with the 30-year-old, and instructed Francis to keep his back straight in the scrum.
“An easy decision for me,” added the French official, only berated Francis once again. The Osprey’s prop intruded on the referee, querying a scrum penalty decision. Raynal sent Francis away, with a sharp “I told you already”, being his only provided feedback.
Francis again questioned the referee as the sides prepared for a scrum. “So, what’s the message this time?”, was asked in a less-then genuine manner. The sarcasm continued when Wales were awarded a penalty. The famous rugby celebration of abruptly shouting “thank you!” reared it’s head at England’s expense.
The last overheard audio was Wales centre Nick Tompkins protesting against the referee. Tompkins was penalised, as he carried into contact yet was unable to recycle the ball. England were awarded a penalty, with Tompkins in uproar at the official “My knees were on the floor!”
“Poor, poor, poor” 4 players who flopped in the third round: 2023 Six Nations
We take a look at four players who failed to perform in today’s 2023 Six Nations round three action.
#1. Bundee Aki (Ireland)
Balls 5/10: “The Italians took advantage of a defensive weakness in the 13 channel (5 missed tackles).”
Rugby pass 6/10: “As pointed out by Jerry Flannery in RTE’s analysis, the Italians successfully targeted and exploited the 13 channel between the Connachtman and Lowe on the left wing. Fumbled a try that may well have settled the contest with 20 or so minutes to go. A truly mixed bag of a performance.”
Planet Rugby 6/10: “Great with the ball, not so without.”