"Show the crowd some emotion and ambition"- Matt Sherratt and Jac Morgan react to Irish defeat
Yesterday at 04:54 PM
Wales made Ireland work for their Triple crown as Simon Easterby's men had to come from 13-10 behind to win at Principality Stadium.
Interim boss Matt Sherratt, in four sessions that he has had with Wales, has vastly improved them defensively and in attack. This performance in their first home game of the Championship was by far their best yet. Tries from Jac Morgan and Tom Rogers gave Wales a lifeline but after crosses from Jack Conan and Jamie Osborne and the boot of Sam Prendergast being on point saw Ireland take the spoils and claim their 14th Triple Crown.
Find your local Greene King and settle in for the 2025 Six Nations!
Best Wales performance since the 2023 Rugby World Cup?
The last time Wales tasted a victory at Test level was against Georgia during the 2023 Rugby World Cup, and since then, they have been on the run of 14 straight Test defeats. However, they came into this encounter on the back of defeats to France (43-0) and Italy (22-15) but under interim head coach, Sherratt Wales looked a completely different team. After being left out, the Cardiff boss brought Max Llewellyn and Gareth Anscombe straight into the XV and numerous other players looked to be back to their best.
"I thought if there were 50/50s, they went for it," stated Sherratt.
"If there was an offload to be thrown, it was thrown. We tried to attack space as much as we could. I was really pleased with the forwards with their ball movement late. We had a shape which is difficult to run, but they did well with it.
"I think we got more of the training week on the field than I expected. I was very pleased. It shows a good group, very engaged. I asked for two things, show the crowd some emotion and ambition. We did that in the structure."
Between the Italy clash and Ireland, former Wales head coach Warren Gatland left his role by mutual consent with the Welsh Rugby Union announcing that Sherratt would be the head coach for the remainder of the Six Nations.
On the change of coach, Wales captain Jac Morgan said:
"It's been a good week with a lot of learning. I thought the boys in the squad have been brilliant. They wanted to learn this week. There's more out there that we have shown than maybe we expected.
"It's a big step forward. It was close against this Ireland team. They're one of the best in the world. We take a lot of positives from that. We take that into the next couple of weeks. There's always pride in that jersey. The boys always give 100%."
Wales now head to Scotland in the next round of the Six Nations before concluding against England in the Welsh capital. However, the interim head coach will be without some players due to it being a fallow week, where English and France base players return to their clubs for the week.
On this, Sherratt stated: "I'd love to have more players available in a fallow week. But we can do little bits and pieces.
"Today has whet people's appetites. I've been coaching for a long time. There's always going to be a bounce. It's about building on that bounce.
On the Scotland game, Skipper Morgan added:
"We look forward to the Scotland game.
"We're looking forward to building on what we've learnt this week. We'll review the game and get back on the training field.
"It felt a bit different. It felt good to have a clear plan in attack. The message he (Sherratt) has been driving in attack is about enjoyment. We went out to play in a way and enjoy it."
Editors Picks:
- Six players who flopped in the Six Nations today, one player 'cost his team'
- Five players Borthwick must drop despite Scotland win – who should replace them
- Scotland fans in disbelief at referee decision after new angle emerges
Fan creates insanely tough quiz about Six Nations and says ‘you won’t get all five’
A die-hard rugby fan has put together an insanely tough Six Nations quiz—and they're convinced you won't get all five questions right!
Find your local Greene King and settle in for the 2025 Six Nations!
Since its origins as the Home Nations Championship in 1883, the Six Nations has grown into one of the most iconic tournaments in rugby, filled with legendary moments, unforgettable upsets, and record-breaking performances.
Think you know your Six Nations history? Test your knowledge and see if you can prove them wrong!
MORE QUIZZES
- QUIZ: Can you name all 26 teams to have played at the Men's Rugby World Cups?
- Name the top 10 scorers in Six Nations history
- You'll have to be red-hot to get 15/15 in this 2010s Six Nations quiz
- Can you name the Six Nations players with the most appearances in the tournament?
The post "Show the crowd some emotion and ambition"- Matt Sherratt and Jac Morgan react to Irish defeat appeared first on Ruck.
