As Ireland arrived in Cardiff, there was a degree of dread in the Welsh capital, after a less than fruitful 2020 in which Wales had only won three games, against Italy (2) and Georgia (1). This set the background for a clash where Wales were considered the slight underdogs. However, as the game progressed Wales became more confident, and although they were rarely the dominant side, they were able to put together effective chains of attack, and began to show the strengths of Pivac’s 1-3-2-2 structure.
To study this new attack shape we can look at the sequence of play which delivered Wales’ first 3 points. Starting from a charged down Sexton kick on the 15m line, Wales immediately arranged to get a pod of 3 forwards, followed by a second pod of 2. This itself is not particularly revolutionary, but the arrival of Halfpenny as a second distributor is something that is a relatively new addition to the Wales game plan. Halfpenny could often be found as a linking player last season but is now beginning to take on a more prominent role in the attack from 1st or second receiver.
As we see Halfpenny arrives slightly late, having raced forward from covering the backfield. While Wyn Jones and the front pod provide a screen role and draw the focus of the initial Irish defenders, Halfpenny can receive the deep ball, and spread Wales to the edge of the first pod, attacking the Irish corner. This gives Wales an overlap, as Ireland’s initial press is directly opposite the pod, leaving them exposed in the wider channels. When Tipuric receives the ball he is carrying with a 4 on 2 overlap. James Lowe has raced up to provide Josh van der Flier with some support, but over runs, and becomes disjointed. Tipuric waits for James Lowe to commit to an attacker. Lowe makes a step in, turning his shoulders. Tipuric’s dummy is well timed as Lowe bites in, and then the welsh openside passes behind the Irish winger to Louis Rees Zammit.
The second phase of Wales’ ball is on the front foot. Tomos Williams throws a pass to Ken Owens who is the centre of a pod of 3 forwards, who have shifted across the field. This pod of 3 forwards targets a 15m ruck. The importance of the 15m, is that it provides a significant blindside for defence to cover, this prevents a more aggressive defence. This 15m pod play also allows time for Dan Biggar to organise the forwards outside him. Leigh Halfpenny also begins his migration to a second distributor role.
This 3rd phase provides a great way to view Wales pod structure and Leigh Halfpenny’s option as a second distributor. Dan Biggar receives the ball and has positioned himself at the centre of the forwards pod of 3. This gives Biggar the choice of all 3 players, with Adam Beard operating an inside run. Meanwhile, Halfpenny begins behind the centre forward, a perfect position which allows him to drift off the pod late and hit the disjoint in the Irish defence developing at the widest defender on screen steps in. Ringrose does well to step in and get a ball and all tackle on Alun Wyn Jones. However the Welsh carry is dominant and gives Halfpenny an easy chance to grab 3 points from in front. While these 3 points were crucial, this 3 phase passage also gives a good insight into how Halfpenny is becoming more involved in the Welsh attack.
As this graph shows the shift has come almost directly because of Wayne Pivac’s arrival. The square and the cross indicate the Full Back’s averages across 2020 and 2021 Six Nations games, while the circle is the 2019 World Cup. As you can see Halfpenny is becoming a more involved full back especially on attack. His use as a second distributor was probably influenced due to the selection of Jonny Williams at centre. When Wayne Pivac had the reliable Hadleigh Parkes, Halfpenny would often ply his trade as a wider link player. Such as in the example below against Italy.
This image from the Italy game last year also helps shed light on another small change in the Wales attack. This slight change concerns the positions and organisation of the forward pods. Tipuric becomes quite easily isolated in this passage of play, and with the Openside out wide, he doesn’t offer a real threat in the attack. The splitting of Faletau and Tipuric is also something that Wales have changed, bringing both the 7 and 8 in closer to the midfield. This offers a combination of handling and physicality close to the 15m and allows Wales to really exploit the wide channels. These two phases on Wales 18th attack against Ireland really show the impact of this slight system tweak.
From the wider first ruck Wales play using Alun Wyn-Jones as the first receiver. Alun Wyn-Jones has split the close 3 man pod, and allows Biggar additional space, effectively at second receiver. This is a great use of Alun Wyn-Jones’ skills , with Ireland having to worry about a carry from the lock or his passing and offloading game. The presence of Alun Wyn Jones also shifts Tomas Francis, the prop, slightly wider and allows an additional running threat for Dan Biggar to use. The presence of Francis forces the Irish corner to bite in, a hole then exposed by Johnny Williams when he receives the ball on his hard line.
On the second phase we see the influence of Tipuric and Taulupe Faletau on the 15m line. Faletau runs a slight angle drawing the attention of Earls and allowing the Irish defence to lateral. Finally as Irish support arrives Earls pushes on but this means the Faletau forces Jonny Sexton into a 1 on 1 tackle, a collision the number 8 wins easily. Tipuric then clears the ruck well and Wales win quick ball.
This is a perfect example of Wales’ new attacking framework and how it’s developed since the disappointment of 2020. The first major change is the use of Halfpenny as a second playmaker and distributor, particularly on turnover ball. This allows Wales to have more distribution in the centre of the field. The first Welsh penalty was driven by this, and Halfpenny continued this throughout the game. The second change was a more consistent and organised pod system which paired Faletau and TIpuric. The Welsh number 8 is incredibly gifted with the ball, and offers a strong carrying threat out wide, while the openside can open holes and use wonderful passes to free the surrounding welsh players.
While the Welsh performance in Cardiff on Saturday was by no means perfect, or even dominant against an irish side with 14 men. They can take pride in the new structures which are beginning to run more consistently, a really meaningful step in their new development.
The Analysis Guy 