Thursday 11 February 2016 22:53, UK
Jonathan Davies discusses Wales' draw with Ireland and looks ahead to Saturday's clash with Scotland...
Draws are very funny things in sport. We were caught off guard by Ireland in the first 20 minutes in Dublin, and going down 13-0 makes you feel a bit like the game is getting away from you, but by the end we were disappointed not to come away with the win.
On the one hand we were happy with the character and composure we showed as a team to turn that deficit around for a vital away draw against a tough side, but on the other there were opportunities to score more points which we just didn't take.
The way we clawed our way back into the Ireland game was through our ability to take control of territory and possession.
Stuart Hogg is the kind of player who tears teams apart with his counter-attacking abilities, so we have to keep our kicks precise and our chase needs to be ruthless to shut any attack down early.
In terms of possession, Ireland set the tempo in the opening quarter but we then managed to execute better at the breakdown thanks to the hard work of our loose forwards to slow things down, and as a result we could set our defensive structures which meant we were able to shut down their threats quickly.
Territorially we got back into it through out-of-hand kicking, and when you force another team to play the game in their half and at your speed, you can slowly turn the screws.
On top of the way the back row operated in the tackle area, I was very impressed with the way Rhys Priestland controlled things when he came off the bench.
He took complete charge of things when he arrived on the pitch, he didn't take any time to get into it, which helped us maintain pressure. He's always had the talent to lead an attack but what he's developed over time is the confidence to make his presence felt in the team.
During a game we are all shouting orders and feedback at each other, and what you need is a No 10 with the composure to make sense of it all and give you a collective direction. That was something Rhys did well in Dublin - Welsh rugby is lucky to have him and Dan Biggar in the same squad.
Kicking out of hand is something I have building in my game for a while. As a left-footed kicker I'm able to take some of the pressure off the right-footed guys when we are trying to clear our lines, but it's also something that's useful for anyone to utilise in attack.
Defensive structures are improving in the modern game and the line is more difficult to break than ever, so you need to be make sure the opposition aren't always on the front foot by occasionally putting in a short kick over the defensive line.
Our kicking game as a team is going to need to be very tight this weekend because if we misjudge those kicks we will be heavily punished by Stuart Hogg.
Hogg is the kind of player who tears teams apart with his counter-attacking abilities, so we have to keep our kicks precise and our chase needs to be ruthless to shut any attack down early.
Scotland are a side that we have a good record against in recent times, but we've had to work hard to attain that record. They have improved immensely under Vern Cotter, so we know we have to work even harder to come away with another win.
Execution against Ireland let us down towards the end but it's a result we can't change so our focus has now shifted to Scotland.
With that in mind we are all looking forward to getting back to the Principality Stadium and playing in front of the Welsh fans. There aren't any better places to play rugby, especially since the roof is going to be closed this weekend, so hopefully we can repay the crowd with some entertaining rugby and a victory.
