The BBC’s live-text subtitles once got its wires crossed to the extent that viewers were treated to a line that read: “We’ll now have a moment’s violence for the Queen Mother.”
Hopefully, there was some silence as well.
Anyway, there was no danger of any wires being crossed when Justin Tipuric sat down over Zoom to look ahead to the England-Wales Guinness Six Nations game this weekend. The celebrated openside flanker was entirely amiable and happy to discuss pretty much anything and everything game-related. The only topic off limits was the injury which has sidelined him for the rest of the season.
Ospreys head coach Toby Booth had described the bump to the scapula, picked up while the openside was on Lions duty last summer, as being “ never seen in rugby before,” which kind of prompts a degree of curiosity.
But Tipuric declined to go there, preferring instead to talk about Wales’ trip to London.
“I’d rather speak about the day,” he said. “I don’t want it to be about me. Toby said a bit about it in the press. As it is now, I’ll just crack on with my rehab and try to get back fit and healthy.”
Still, was the aim to be back for next season? “I hope so,” he said with a laugh which should at least reassure Ospreys supporters.
The 85-cap Wales international plays in the most competitive position in Welsh rugby and the conveyor belt at No. 7 has kept rolling in his absence. Taine Basham was the Welsh star of the autumn series, while Jac Morgan banged in an impressive Test debut against Scotland in this Guinness Six Nations, and over at the Ospreys young Harri Deaves is showing every sign of being the genuine article, with his outstanding performance in adversity against Leinster last weekend.
James Botham is another who boasts a lot of quality, along with Josh Macleod at the Scarlets and Ollie Griffiths at the Dragons plus the tenacious Tommy Reffell at Leicester Tigers.
A fit and firing Tipuric will still be an option a Wales coach will overlook at his peril, however, with no rival openside boasting the Test Lion’s combination of vast experience, acute rugby intelligence, skill in attack and resolve in defence.
But the youngsters have been showing up well.
“Taine has been excellent,” Tipuric told WalesOnline.
“He’s an athlete who’s powerful and quick and he is growing with every game.
“It’s the same with Jac Morgan. You can’t not talk about him, because he’s been on fire with the Ospreys.
“It was great to see him have his cap and there’ll be many more to follow. He’s just going to get better and better. His willingness to learn and his performances for the Ospreys have been outstanding.
“Harri Deaves has had a taste of it. He has an unbelievable amount of potential and is another great kid to be coming through at the Ospreys. He’s going to have many, many caps in time as well.
“People have spoken over the years about how many quality sevens are out there, and it’s showing.”
More productivity targets hits by the Welsh openside factory, then.
Indeed, it’s hard to recall a time where Wales has produced so many quality players in one position over an extended period. There was a renowned strength in depth at fly-half in the 1960s and 1970s and also at scrum-half throughout Welsh rugby history, but the depth at No. 7 in this era has been remarkable.
Why does Tipuric feel so many young players are attracted to the position? “There’s a lot of defence and attack involved,” he said. “The openside is in the middle of it and has to be able to jump in the lineout, pass, run, tackle — do everything, basically. When you’re younger you play rugby to be involved and openside is a position where you’re involved pretty much non-stop: for 96 percent of the time, some say.”
But might there be another factor? For the past two decades Wales have had world-class players wearing the No. 7 jersey in Martyn Williams, Sam Warburton and Tipuric himself, not forgetting Colin Charvis in his pomp. Might youngsters look up to individuals of such quality and want to emulate them?
Tipuric himself was in that position once, albeit with a role model who wore a white jersey instead of a red one.
“The player I looked up to was England flanker Richard Hill,” he said.
“I know it’s quite crazy to say that given that Wales are playing England this weekend, but I remember watching his game.
“He just seemed to do all the dirty work and didn’t always have the recognition.
“Everyone else would have the glory and the man-of-the-match awards, and I remember thinking: ‘Richard Hill’s diving on every loose ball, putting his body in the way and just getting on with it and not really having the accolades'.
“That was one of the things that really impressed me and I wanted to base my game on.”
There have been plenty of others to admire as the years have rolled on, with Tipuric facing the best of the best in his position during more than a decade in international rugby. Who does he rate as being top of the pile?
“It’s hard to pick one person because I’ve played against so many good ones,” he said.
“David Pocock was an absolute machine over the ball and Michael Hooper could make magic happen with the ball in his hands. With his engine, he could also be the link man in moves.
“I featured off the bench once against Richie McCaw. You could see the way he thought. He was so intelligent, around the field and where he put his body.
"I was also lucky enough to play against Thierry Dusautoir. He wouldn’t have been the biggest, but his tackle technique was unbelievable and he used to absolutely bury people. You were left wondering how someone that big could put such force into his tackles.
"There are others I’ve played alongside who are up there as well and so many more we could talk about. It’s ridiculous.”
This weekend, Basham will face one of the sternest tests of his career when he goes up against Tom Curry, a player who, like the Wales No. 7, never seems far away from the ball.
He also blends athleticism with power.
“Tom Curry is a massive man and strong with it,” said Tipuric.
“When Pocock first came on the scene, everyone was saying how big he was over the ball, but they’re just getting bigger and bigger. It shows with Tom Curry now. He’s bigger than Pocock again.
“He’s an athlete as well in that he can get around the park and he has a big engine.
“Both him and Taine are quality players and unbelievable sevens.
“The whole back-row battle’s going to be a great watch, one of the things I’m really looking forward to. Toby Faletau is back, Taine is going against Tom Curry at openside and Courtney Lawes is coming back against Ross Moriarty.
“Defences are going to be key and the boys in the back row will set the tone.”
Unlike many players, Tipuric is a keen rugby watcher. “I enjoy it,” he said. “The boys have a bit of fun, saying I watch too much rugby, but that’s the way it is. You probably get a bit more worked up watching than you do when you are playing, with refereeing decisions. It’s easier when you are sitting on the couch watching it on TV than when you are with the boys in the trenches.”
Wales haven’t won a Six Nations game at Twickenham since 2012 but they have to believe in themselves on Saturday. “We have to go there with confidence,” said Tipuric. “We know it’s a tough place to go, but we have to try to build from the start and keep the English crowd quiet.
“The boys achieved a great victory against Scotland. The way they won that game, you could see it’s a tight group and you could never write them off, especially against England.
“There’s something special about playing those England games.”
With that, the master craftsman was off, doubtless to continue his long-haul journey back to fitness.
It’s been a brutal time for him, with hopes initially raised of a comeback at the turn of the year, only to see them dashed.
But patience, hard work and good fortune should yet see him repaired in time for 2022-23, a season heading towards a World Cup.
Wayne Pivac and the Ospreys will want that to be the case.
Justin Tipuric was speaking on behalf of Guinness, alongside teammates George North and Dan Lydiate. Guinness is working with its partners to make sure rugby is inclusive and welcoming for everyone. The Never Settle programme is a key part of that. To find out more visit www.guinness.com/neversettle #neversettle
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