I believe this Welsh team has the potential to turn into one of the finest teams in the world over the ccoming years - and by that I don't only mean that they have the potential to be one of the most successful teams - they also look like a team that will play some great rugby that delight us all (and you can't say that about all the successful teams of the professional era).
For mine the biggest difference for Wales between the 6N and this tour is that Warburton, Fealtau and Lydiate - along with Jones and Tipuric - owned the breakdown during the 6N. They gave their backs great ball and made it tough for the opposition. For the last three weeks they have been on the receiving end. Pocock has been immense (as has Ben Robinson on the floor - something he is rarely given enough credit for) and the work of Palu, Higgers, as well as Dennis off the bench and Hooper's carrying in game one has meant that the Welsh backrow have been the ones that have owned. This has made a fairly pedestrian Australian midfield look good and stifled a much more talented Welsh backline. Take bow, David Pocock, man of the series for mine.
That said, as someone who watches them regularly, the Welsh backrow are better than this - Warburton and Lydiate have not been themselves and Felatau looked off the pace before his injury. Jones and Tipuric have been good. The Australian backrow will not get the same latitude against a first choice NZ and SA backrow with the result that our limitations elsewhere will be exposed. That said, NZ without Kaino and Read look a bit underpowered, and SA without Brussow are an entirely different proposition (as we saw in the WC QF). Big challenge for the Australian backrow will be to see whether they have have the same impact during the upcoming 4N?
