If they factored in a series of fines when they signed North, they may already consider it money well spent, and anyway it is Premiership Rugby who would end up looking smallminded.
Whatever the reason for the Welsh union forever adding Test matches to their calendar, outside the official “window”, to have forced North to play at Worcester instead of at the Millennium Stadium would have been a travesty. In a further example of his value, North had moved from wing to centre when he scored his second try.
Though this set up a clamorous climax, by then Australia had scored three and Wales could scarcely claim they deserved to have prevailed. But they could have done so, even with the Wallabies by the end of November playing better rugby than they ever did in the summer when Gatland was guiding the Lions to a series triumph made the simpler by Quade Cooper’s non-selection.
Ewen McKenzie’s advent as coach has resulted in Cooper’s second coming as Australia’s fly-half. So the Lions’ fortune was Wales’ misfortune.
“The sign of respect for the Welsh team is that these southernhemisphere teams are not giving us an easy ride or putting out a second string, and that’s the way we want it,” said Gatland.
“It is different from the past. They come here with a fully committed side, don’t make changes. We are just knocking on the door and at some stage we are going to knock it over.”
Perhaps it would be better simply to turn the handle.
Article source: http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/12504/9048460/england-wing-marland-yarde-set-to-undergo-hip-surgery
Wales 26 - Australia 30 : The Dragons need some fine tuning
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