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March 12, 2010

Posted on 03/12/2010

Wing masters made for Bill McLaren magic

Writing in The Times, former international winger Gerald Davies compares two of his modern day counterparts in Ireland's Tommy Bowe and Wales' Shane Williams.

"Shane Williams is the present manifestation of the clever and witty rugby talent in the scarlet of Wales. Tomorrow another player of luminous brilliance, Tommy Bowe, will bestride Croke Park and wear the green of Ireland. What a contest lies in wait and one wonders what words the great commentator [Bill McLaren] would have conjured up to describe the special gifts of two of the best players in their position in the world.
"They are very different in style. Bowe’s talent emerges from a quiet moment as if having surveyed the scene after silent contemplation. When Bowe strikes, he does so from a point of logic and calculation; no darting and flickering. There is a stillness in the heart of Bowe as he chooses his moment. He never overdoes what is required of him. He is a calm presence.

"...Williams, with 21 tries in his past 25 matches for Wales, can be fidgety, impatient to get on with matters compared with the more measured Bowe. No one plays quite like Williams. What he does and how he does it cannot be written down. To attempt to explain what he does can go only half the way. To know what he does, he must be seen. Against France in the closing minutes he sidestepped, then leapt over the straying leg of a hapless defender without losing his balance and retained control to score his 50th try for his country."

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