Tommy Reffell was Wales’ towering beacon in dark times | Wales Rugby League

wattWhen Steve Borthwick was newly appointed England manager, his two sons Hunter and Chase urged him to choose Tommy Reffell ) – their favorite Leicester City player – plays for the national team. The two youngsters may not have quite caught up to international selection standards yet – Reiffel is set to make his Wales debut in the summer of 2022 – but it’s clear they know a player when they see one.

For the second week in a row, Reiffel put on Wales’ number 7 jersey and put in a stunning performance. This is only his 15th Test match but he has become a key player in Warren Gatland’s novice side. In the end he fell short again – Wales again unable to string the two halves together – but this had little bearing on Reiffel’s performance. Gatland’s heroic side might have faded in the second half, but he didn’t.

After Freddie Steward’s early breakaway fired up the Twickenham fans, Reiffel’s trademark miss eased Wales’ early pressure near their own try line. Had England found a solution it might have been smooth sailing for the home side, but Reiffel seized his moment and controlled the ball brilliantly to win Wales a crucial penalty.

It was his delightful pass to Tomos Williams that set up Alex Mann’s shot and put Wales nine points ahead at half-time. Not long ago, he pounced on the loose ball to secure possession and start a stretch that ultimately led to Mann’s collapse. In between those two crucial interventions, he never stopped running, never stopped hitting the ball and inspiring his team, making them believe a first Six Nations victory at Twickenham in 12 years was within reach. He was the competition’s top tackler with 14 tackles and continued to enhance his reputation on the international stage.

He forms an impressive back-row with Mann, who only signed his first professional contract with Cardiff in January, and Aaron Wainwright, who was rated Man of the match against Scotland but in the second half Wales failed to reach the level they had achieved in the first half. First. England were in control of the game and Wales were scoreless after the break, but Reiffel held on.

Early in the second half he charged down George Ford and prevented new arrival Ellis Genge from scoring under the post, but he could barely stop Fraser Dingwall’s pass from the left corner to convert England’s deficit was reduced to one point. Wales were tired at this stage and although Leo Dier latched on to Josh Adams’ pass on the right, that might have been the case after a fine break from the impressive Cameron Wynette. different.

England finally took the lead through Ford’s penalty in the 71st minute, while Mason Grady’s yellow card for a deliberate collision essentially ended Wales’ hopes of regaining the initiative. With four minutes remaining and England threatening to put the game on the line with a shot on goal, Reiffel again misfired, giving Wales a shock with a faint shout.

“One of the things we’re trying to focus on him is, we know how good he is defensively and we want him to be able to get the ball in his hands more easily and be a threat against the run, which we saw last week. Once,” Gatland said. “I’m very happy for him because he’s starting to get a good balance into his game and I think that can take him to the next level. I thought he was absolutely brilliant and he lasted 80 minutes.”

England can’t say they didn’t see Reiffel coming, but such is the format of the Open and there’s nothing they can do about it. England attacking coach Richard Wigglesworth, who succeeded Borthwick as Leicester’s director of rugby, labeled Reiffel a danger earlier this week after seeing the 24-year-old struggling with a performance in the narrow points defeat to Scotland, but he knew Reiffel was a danger. It’s one thing to have it coming, another to stop it. He has struggled to keep the number 7 jersey so far in his international career, but on this evidence England can expect to see a lot more of Reiffel in the coming years.