RBS 6 Nations Review: English
Adolygiad Pencampwriaeth y Chwe Gwlad RBS: Cymraeg
McBryde, who is in charge of the forwards, said that going from Grand Slam champions to fourth on the championship points table within a year has been a chastising experience.
“What hurts is the fact that once we were Grand Slam champions. We had the championship and the Triple Crown to show off,” he said when reflecting on the 2009 campaign. “Now, we’ve got no silverware to show off after this campaign – a lot of hard work has gone in but we’ve got nothing to show for it.
“If you win something you got something to show for all that hard work. The fact we’ve come out with nothing just makes you hungrier.”
The former Llanelli hooker said Wales hit the ground running with consecutive victories over Scotland and England.
“To get two wins first up sets you up for the rest of the campaign. We hit the ground running and played some good rugby against Scotland. Against England we had a wake-up call. They played Joe Worsley at 10 and put Toby Flood in as a flanker. It was an intense game from start to finish but another step forward,” said McBryde.
Wales suffered a setback to their title defence with a 21-16 defeat to France. “With two wins behind us the expectancy grows. To get two wins out of two games, the momentum starts to build. But for whatever reason on that Friday night there was something missing and we didn’t play to the best of our ability,” added McBryde.
Wales followed that up with a narrow win over Italy before being pipped by Ireland in the championship decider at the Millennium Stadium.
“We learned a lot of lessons against Italy and always knew it was going to be tight against Ireland. And it came down to the last kick of the game, that’s how tight it was.”
