Alex Cuthbert shines in Wales' Six Nations defeat against England

Alex Cuthbert may have been Wales’ scapegoat in the past… but his OUTSTANDING display against England off the back of welcoming his second child showed that he’s well and truly back to his best

• Winger Alex Cuthbert has often been blamed for Wales’ defeats in the past 
• However, he is now back in the team and picked up his 50th cap against England
• His wife gave birth to their second child last week ahead of the Six Nations clash
• Cuthbert then went and delivered a sensational performance at Twickenham 

So often the scapegoat for Welsh failure in the eyes of his own supporters, Alex Cuthbert had had enough when he took the decision to step away from international rugby in 2018.

Cuthbert had been the target for vicious online trolls who, harshly, lambasted him whenever Wales were on the wrong side of a result. The powerful winger – a British & Irish Lion in 2013 – chose to step away, leaving Cardiff for Exeter in a move which ruled him out of Test selection.

Now, Cuthbert is back. His performance in Wales’ 23-19 defeat at Twickenham was simply sensational as his Robocop-style running left a series of England defenders in his wake.

Alex Cuthbert (L) delivered an excellent display against England on Saturday at Twickenham

The 31-year-old beat seven defenders and made two clean breaks during the Six Nations clash

Minutes: 80

Carries: 14

Metres carried: 176

Clean breaks: 2

Defenders beaten: 7

Offloads: 2 

Cuthbert made 14 carries for a mammoth total of 176 metres. His performance was all the more remarkable given he had been at his partner Sarah’s side last week as the couple welcomed the arrival of their second child in daughter Coco.

‘It’s been a very busy week,’ said Cuthbert, who won his 50th cap against England. ‘A lot of my mind has been on my little one. It was good to have a bit of time with her on Wednesday.

‘I’m lucky to have a willing partner and she was the one telling me to make sure my head was on. It was an elective C-section so we knew it (the birth) was going to be on the Wednesday.

‘They told us to go in at 9am and we were supposed to be fourth, but there were five or six emergencies so I was there until midnight that night and she came just before then.

‘I got a couple of hours with her and then I had to shoot back to camp. I’m sure I’ll be changing nappies at two, four and six am.’

Wales outscored England by three tries to one at Twickenham as Josh Adams, Nick Tompkins and Kieran Hardy all crossed in the second half.

But Wayne Pivac’s side again paid the price for a slow start. They fell 17-0 behind and were on the wrong side of referee Mike Adamson’s whistle at the breakdown.

Wales scored three tries, with Josh Adams (above) getting on the scoresheet but they still lost

Adamson’s interpretation of the contact area and scrum was not the reason why Wales lost, but the Scottish official was not at the level required for such an important Six Nations game.

Even Adamson’s paucity couldn’t stop the rampaging Cuthbert who is now back available for Wales after swapping Exeter for Welsh region Ospreys.

‘I signed for Exeter to start enjoying rugby again,’ Cuthbert said. ‘I enjoyed every minute of the three years I spent there and that probably rejuvenated me.

‘I thought if I ever came back to Wales, would I get back into the Wales team? Deep down, probably not. When I left, I thought that was going to be it for Wales.

Cuthbert now has 50 caps for Wales and has been one of the side’s standout players recently

He got the nod over Louis Rees-Zammit on Saturday and made the most of his opportunity

‘But Wayne has given me a chance and having a young family has taken my mind off a lot of the rugby. When I was younger, I put more pressure on myself, but now I’m enjoying rugby.

‘It (playing for Wales) means everything. I’ve realised how privileged I am to play. I always wanted to play for Wales again and 50 caps was one of my goals so I’m very honoured.’

Pivac’s decision to drop wing wonderkid Louis Rees-Zammit for England and preserve with Cuthbert was mocked in some quarters, but the more experienced back proved his detractors wrong.

Despite his heroics, defending Six Nations champions Wales saw their title hopes ended by England and next up for Pivac’s side is Grand Slam-chasing France.

A return to the home comforts of Principality Stadium should help Wales, but they have been wildly inconsistent in the Championship to date.

The second-half period in which they scored through Adams and Tompkins saw Wales finally begin to dominate England physically. The result was an ability to clear rucks far more effectively, generate quick ball, and give scrum-half Tomos Williams the platform on which he thrives.

Alex Dombrandt (above) scored England’s only try but it should have been ruled out 

Williams’ superb pass set-up Adams and replacement nine Hardy added a late consolation, but the problem for Wales was they could not play the high-tempo game they wanted for long enough.

The concession of 13 penalties and several basic errors also contributed to their defeat, although Pivac rightly acknowledged England’s only try from Alex Dombrandt should have been ruled out.

Wales lock Adam Beard was nudged by Maro Itoje at a line-out before Dombrandt scored, preventing him from jumping at the set-piece.

‘I’m absolutely gutted we’ve lost the game,’ said Cuthbert.

‘I know we didn’t make it easy for ourselves, but we did end up putting ourselves in a situation where we could have won it.’

Wales have now lost two of their first three matches in this year’s Six Nations tournament

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