Northern Edition
Select Edition
Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Wales suffer Grand Slam blow with Cory Hill injury

(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Cory Hill’s stellar Six Nations campaign is over as an ankle injury has ruled him out of the remainder of Wales’ campaign.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Dragons second row had climbed a mountain these past 20 months, journeying from anonymity to becoming an England Grand Slam killer who suddenly became a household name on Saturday to anyone following the compelling drama of the 2019 championship.

After what seemed a lifetime battling in the shadows for proper recognition, the 27-year-old will be forever remembered as the lock whose try secured the lead in the pulsating win that has put Warren Gatland’s team in the history books as the first from Wales to win a dozen Test matches in succession.

It was fitting that Hill was the scorer as it was his 11th appearance in the record winning streak (only sub hooker Elliot Dee has a similar number of caps). However, an ankle injury sustained in that epic match will now mean he misses the remaining games against Scotland and Ireland. 

“Cory was outstanding on Saturday, obviously with his try as well and he’s a fantastic player for us. He’s a good person around the squad as well, [but] we’ve got some fantastic players in that position as well so it will be quite interesting to see who plays in the last few games”, skills coach Neil Jenkins said.

Video Spacer

Hill’s crucial try had been firmly one in the eye for the desultory English media who had led the charge in ridiculing the Wales forward and the other five parachuted-in players who made up the notorious Geography Six chosen as mid-tour 2017 Lions cover due to their proximity to New Zealand.

The multi-layered story about how he came to touch down on the right hand side with the clock showing 67:26 will live in the memory of every Wales fan as it rounded off the complete team move.

ADVERTISEMENT

All 15 Welsh players handled the ball during the spell-binding 206-second attack that began on their own 10-metre line and finished up over the English try line.

Fourteen players carried to the 34 rucks, scrum-half Gareth Davies – another of the criticised Geography Six – the only one who didn’t go to ground and set up a recycle. Davies, though, was heavily active as the busiest of the half-dozen Welsh passers of a ball that was passed 28 times during the scintillating move ignited by a sloppy English error.

In total, there were four minutes and five seconds of non-stop action between the ball being kicked off at the halfway line by Dan Biggar on 63:19 following Owen Farrell’s successful penalty kick for a 13-9 advantage and it being touched down for Hill’s try.

Video Spacer
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

England XV v France XV | Full Match Replay

South Africa v British & Irish Lions | 1997 | Second Test | The Vaults

"The Opportunity Of A Lifetime" | Wallabies All In: Episode 1

Are these the best ever Lions performances?

Pollock Loses Bill, Players Meet Their Roommates & Training in Portugal | Ep 1: The Ultimate Test

Top 10 inspiring Lions speeches

United States of Rugby | Episode 1 – Welcome to Dawgtown

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

S
Soliloquin 35 minutes ago
Fabien Galthie announces France squad to take on the All Blacks

It’s understandable that NZ and other countries relying on their national team for revenue push for highlighting test matches as the biggest thing.

The problem is that it seems like France is being held responsible for other nations’ business model.

The business model hasn’t really changed since 2018, when France last toured NZ. They came as always with a B team, with a rather weak team by international standards back then, as it was the case with France during the 2010s.

Yet still almost all tickets got sold (50000 at Eden Park, 34000 in Wellington and 27000 in Dunedin). The interest was there.

So what has changed between that 2018 tour and the upcoming one?


In my opinion, it seems like the French business model has flourished, with the JIFF policy strenghtening the positions of French talents and less foreign players, the financial health of French clubs dominating the NH, the revigorated national team with what could have been 4 6Nations titles (the 2020 and 2021 were super close) and the emergence of top players in every positions, with arguably the best current rugby player in the world.

On the other hand, Covid has dismantled the financial basis of many federations, the departure of SA franchises from Super Rugby has weakened the competition, NZ are not the reference anymore, SA is dominating the test match competition, with Ireland and France pushing hard, although the Irish seem at a crossroads.


But again, why would it be France’s fault that NZ problems exist?

Is the French team responsible for structural problems in NZ’s rugby?

Nope. But it’s probably easier to blame the French to not give it all in terms of marketing with superstars coming, live on past glory, to cling on the view that until Dupont doesn’t tour SH, he cannot be seen as the best in the world.


Sorry, but most of French fans don’t really know NZ players.

They come in to see the French team against the All Blacks in the Autumn Tests.


And I don’t think anyone in NZ came to see Doumayrou, Parra, Belleau, Teddy Thomas or even Serin or Fickou in 2018. They came for the mighty All Blacks, the Barrett brothers, Savea, Whitelock, Aaron Smith…

37 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING 'Surreal': Ollie Chessum teams up with longstanding rival 'Surreal': Ollie Chessum teams up with longstanding rival
Search