These are your rugby headlines on Tuesday, February 25
Sherratt's message to players
Wales interim coach Matt Sherratt thanked his players for their effort following their gallant performance against Ireland last weekend.
Although defeat stretched Wales' run to 15 games without a win, the display was punctuated with plenty of hope, with a sense pride had been restored following two humbling defeats in the opening rounds of this year's Six Nations.
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Warren Gatland's departure has seen Sherratt take up the reins for the remainder of the tournament and he paid tribute to his players for their efforts against the Irish.
In behind-the-scenes footage published by the WRU, Sherratt said: "For me, we just ignore all the noise. That's all we have to do each week, is go every day as hard as we can.
"Get to the weekend and try to put the game on the pitch. Loads of intent, I said pre-game, emotion, ambition, and I thought we showed that.
"So from me and the rest of the staff, thanks for that."
Woodward: I take my hat off to Sherratt
World Cup-winning coach Sir Clive Woodward says Wales were "totally transformed" against Ireland and congratulated Sherratt on getting two things "spot on".
Woodward says he took great delight in watching the fixture, having seen the men in red put in two rudderless showings in the opening rounds of the competition.
Writing in his Mail column, Woodward said Sherratt got his selection and speed-of-play gameplan bang on the money against Simon Easterby's men.
"I so enjoyed watching the Wales-Ireland game. In their first two matches under Warren Gatland, Wales looked totally devoid of any ideas, confidence or frankly, much ability," he wrote.
"But in just four training sessions under the guidance of interim head coach Matt Sherratt, they were totally transformed.
"Wales really took it to Ireland. Yes, they didn't win. But their performance should give Wales' players real heart with Scotland and England to come.
"I don't know Sherratt, but I take my hat off to him. He showed that if you are a top coach, you can work wonders in even the shortest of time.
"Selection is your No 1 skill followed by ensuring you play faster than your opposition. Sherratt got both spot on. Well done to him and Wales."
Ireland star criticises media comments
Ireland star Tadhg Beirne has criticised comments that were made in the Irish media ahead of their clash with Wales, saying they did not help his side’s cause.
With Wales going into the match on a losing run of 14 successive Test matches, some pundits in Ireland poked fun at the state of Welsh rugby and suggested that Saturday’s visitors to Cardiff could field as few as 12 players and still win.
But while expectations were low for the clash, Wales looked rejuvenated under Matt Sherratt and a committed, competitive display saw them lead the reigning Six Nations champions for half an hour before ultimately losing 27-18.
At the full-time whistle, Beirne credited Sherratt’s side for their performance but admitted that comments made back home prior to the match would have only lit the fire in their opponents’ bellies.
“They had a new lease of life and nothing to lose today, they are an unbelievably proud nation,” said former Scarlets man Beirne after the match. “They were able to throw everything at it.
“If we’re being honest, the Irish media back home during the week didn’t help us with some of the comments that were coming out. They had a lot to prove and a lot to play for and you could see that in their performance today. They certainly put it to the wire.”
Win a massive morale boost - Stuart
By Duncan Bech, PA England Rugby Correspondent
Will Stuart hopes England have developed the winning habit after reigniting their Guinness Six Nations title push with one-point wins against France and Scotland.
Seven successive narrow losses to top tier opposition, including in the Championship opener against Ireland, exposed an inability to deliver at clutch moments while heaping pressure on head coach Steve Borthwick.
But by toppling France and Scotland back to back at Allianz Stadium they appear to have turned a corner, even if they rode their luck against both opponents.
Now facing matches against Italy and Wales to close out the tournament, Stuart believes the tide has turned for England.
“For me winning and losing is very habitual. You lose a few games in a row and then you evolve from that, trying to get out of that rut and winning,” the Bath prop said.
“Even in tight situations, to win is a massive morale boost. You get a huge boost from it.
“When we were losing really tight games, you could feel the growth of the team. That was exactly the same scenario I felt at the end of last year.
“I could feel massive growth, I could feel like we were being competitive. We just needed the dam to break at some point.”
England avoided an unprecedented fifth successive loss to Scotland to lift the Calcutta Cup for the first time in five years – and this time Stuart was able to celebrate the moment.
“The last one we won in 2020 was my first Six Nations and that was the storm year,” he said.
“My mum and girlfriend weren’t happy. They came up, I didn’t come off the bench and then we get on a plane but they were stuck in Edinburgh because of the storm! They have refused to go back up since.
“A few of the games I have played in against Scotland have been really frustrating. The Covid one with the retro shirts…I came off and felt like we threw…not to discredit Scotland, but I didn’t know how it ended up like that.
“The last couple of years, I have felt we have really not been at the races and they have put us to the sword. We haven’t been in those games.”
