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Wales Online
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Matthew Southcombe

'I gave Gethin Jenkins a b*****king!' Dan Biggar pinpoints moment he came of age as a Wales leader

Dan Biggar may have only been named Wales captain earlier this month for the first time, but he's been a leader in the group for many years.

In some ways, it comes with the territory of being the team's fly-half, the general.

You have to be vocal, assertive, tell players with more experience than you what you expect of them.

It doesn't always come easy but there is usually a moment in a players' career that you can pinpoint as the exact point that they began to emerge as a true leader.

Biggar is no different.

His moment came behind enemy lines. Twickenham.

The 2015 Rugby World Cup clash is one of Wales' most memorable victories of that era. The hosts in their own backyard and the most fierce of rivalries. It didn't get much bigger.

Wales didn't have the game their own way. Far from it.

Warren Gatland's side were trailing 22-18 in a nip-and-tuck match when disaster began to strike around the hour mark. They lost Scott Williams, Hallam Amos and Liam Williams to injury within four minutes.

Compounding matters, Owen Farrell was about to kick another three points to extend England's lead and the game was slipping away with just over 10 minutes remaining.

“Gethin Jenkins won’t thank me for this but I remember the 2015 World Cup game at Twickenham," he laughed in an interview with WalesOnline.

“We were under the pump, it was just before we scored our try. Melon gave away three points. It was just when about three of the boys went down injured.

“I remember bringing the lads in and basically giving Melon a b*****king first for the penalty but then saying something along the lines of: ‘Look, we just need to create one try-scoring opportunity, we need to keep it tight and play in the right areas’ because we’d kicked a lot of goals before that.

“I felt like that was a big moment for me as a player but also as a general, I suppose.

“That would be a real standout one for me in terms of really showing leadership, what it looks like and how we get over the line in a big game.”

Every Welsh man, women and child knows what happened next.

Gareth Davies, of course, scored a try that has gone down in Welsh rugby folklore but what can sometimes get a little lost is that Biggar slotted a penalty from halfway with five minutes remaining, putting his side three points ahead.

The fly-half was also named man of the match.

He looks back on it as the moment he came of age in the side, nailed down his starting position, took ownership of the most coveted jersey in Welsh rugby.

“Yeah definitely. From then onwards, I’ve been a mainstay in the team, more often than not," he said.

“2015 was the first year when I felt comfortable in the team and the jersey. I felt like it was mine.

“I didn’t feel like it was totally dependent on how I played. I felt like I was probably allowed a little bit more leeway in those years because I’d built up a bit in the bank.

“People always say competition is great for places and I fully agree with that but, personally, I feel that when somebody puts their confidence in you, that gives you more confidence.

“That’s as opposed to being kept on your toes and worrying about playing well because if you don’t, there is somebody behind you.

“I felt like the confidence of the group, the squad, was in me and that helped me grow as a leader and a general, as well as a player.”

Biggar takes over as captain for the upcoming Six Nations campaign but it will likely come naturally to him.

For seven years he has been one of the most vocal in the squad.

But now he will be mindful of when he speaks and when he doesn't. Barking orders is the role of the No.10 and it is also the role of the captain. There is a danger that his voice becomes a little too familiar to his team-mates.

As such, he will call on his leadership group of Adam Beard, Tomas Francis and Jonathan Davies to also deliver key messages.

“All the good captains and leaders that I have held in high regard have got the ability to speak at the right time, rather than just speaking for the sake of it," he said.

“Al [Alun Wyn Jones] is particularly good at that but Dylan Hartley was also unbelievable at knowing what to say and how to approach individuals.

“Then all of a sudden, when those characters speak, you tend to take everything they say on board as opposed to... actually, people probably say that about me mind when I’m ranting off in a huddle in training!

“But I do think that having the ability to pick your moments when to speak up is a key quality.

“As someone who has always followed under captains, you definitely switch off if someone picks the wrong moment or speaks a bit too much.”

He added: “I don’t want it to just be my voice being heard in a meeting or a huddle after training. I’ve put a fair bit on them [the leadership group].

“Even if they’re saying exactly the same thing that I’d be saying, just hearing a different voice can make a big difference.

“That should be good and they’re three pretty good characters to have around as experienced guys.”

*Dan Biggar was speaking on behalf of the Keep Wales Safe campaign encouraging fans to stay safe when attending Six Nations matches.

The WRU has launched a competition for young Welsh fans to design a facemask to be worn by Welsh players during the championships. You can enter the competition here. *

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