Interviewing Maurice Richards, the Wales wing who scored four tries against England in 1969, was a warming return to days long gone, when matches that were clotted with set-pieces and punch-ups were invariably interrupted by moments of brilliance that endure in the memory.
Richards kick-started the golden era for Wales when they won the triple crown 50 years ago, but left for rugby league six months later. Others at that time went on to become world renowned while Richards was breaking records at Salford, but the game has seen few more accomplished wings: he had everything and more.
Gareth Anscombe preferred at fly half for Wales’s clash with England
Wales followed their Five Nations triumph in 1969 by touring New Zealand. They were well beaten in the two Tests and their host, together with the media there, were largely dismissive of them. “Dragons without a cause,” was how the New Zealand second row Colin Meads described them. “The humblest club side would have held together better.”
Richards was the one Wales player who inspired awe, and not just because of the try he scored in the second Test when he turned the All Blacks full-back Fergie McCormick inside out and left him gaping at the sky before accelerating away from a clutch of defenders. In between the two Tests, he scored a hat-trick against Otago of such brilliance that even the New Zealand journalist TP McLean, who spent much of his time trading insults with his Wales rival JBG Thomas, was moved.
For his first try, Richards “chopped out Hunter (his opposite number), approached Mains (the full-back) and with a violently efficient sidestep beat him cold for a try. Three minutes later Richards was in the clear with 60 yards to go. He went. His third began with a loose kick into midfield and Richards with sizzling acceleration sped 25 yards for a try. He was sublime.”
It was easy to become hooked on rugby then. The Cardiff team of 1967‑68 had a new half-back pairing, the indomitable Gareth Edwards and a recruit from Llanelli, Barry John, the magician’s magician. Outside them were the likes of Frank Wilson, who laced his boots with mischief, Gerald Davies, then a centre, who needed so little space he could have thrown a party in a telephone box, Keri Jones, an Empire Games sprinter, and Richards, a ruthless finisher who remained detached in the midst of mayhem, a professional in an amateur game.
For variation, Cardiff could call on PL Jones on the wing. He had the build of a prop but was somewhat quicker. “He ran like a rampaging elephant,” recalled Richards. “Defenders knew where he was going but could not do much about it: you would give him a wide berth on the stairs. There was so much talent in a club that was set apart from the rest and its demise in the regional era saddens me.”
England pick Jack Nowell and Ben Moon to start against Wales
Richards was a reluctant interviewee, not keen to disturb the past. There was a time when Jonah Lomu took the game by storm when wings of Richards’s type were in danger of becoming an endangered species as contact, rather than space, was targeted. Now it is the likes of Jonny May who have illuminated the Six Nations, all pace and deceit. Half the 32 tries (ignoring England’s penalty try against France) this year have been scored by wings who have been in no danger of succumbing to exposure.
“I have a bias towards slippery, elusive runners,” said Richards. “I prefer the ones who avoid tackles rather than the bulldozers. There has been an emphasis on physicality rather than subtlety and finesse, but I suppose you utilise your assets to achieve the most effective results. If you are lucky enough to have a David Watkins, Barry John, Phil Bennett or Shane Williams you don’t want them to be taking crash-balls all over the field.
“I have felt sympathy for modern wings as they have seemed to only get a pass as a last resort: work rate in support, kick-chasing and cover defence are the bread and butter, and only occasionally rewarded. Jonny May has impressed me: he is in a team that has been dominating, but he took all his opportunities against France and was looking for more. I like watching George North but wish he received the ball more often, and while the game has changed in so many ways, someone with the football skills and vision of Gerald Davies would still be outstanding and have me on the edge of my seat.”
Richards made the point that, at a time when coaching was in its infancy, it was not just talent that marked out a player but strategic awareness. What has been notable about England this month is they have developed a gameplan that requires players to keep their heads up and use them. If teams rush up to counter their physical threat and defend the gainline, they kick the ball into space; if they hold back they put the ball through hands.
It was not that long ago that England were playing Mike Brown on the wing, but now they have May, Jack Nowell and Joe Cokanasiga vying to start against Wales with Chris Ashton and Anthony Watson injured. Also in the squad is Gloucester’s Ollie Thorley, a player in the mould of Richards, pace, strength and trickery, who has been ripping apart the tightest defences and may tempt Jones into trying him out before the World Cup while Elliot Daly has been capped on the wing.
The likes of Semesa Rokoduguni and Denny Solomona barely get a mention now, Marland Yarde is injured and emerging are Nathan Earle and Gabriel Ibitoye. England’s options, though, are about more than numbers and this is a week in which the Wales head coach Warren Gatland and his management team will need to get it spot on.
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