Six Nations 2017: Three 'must-win' games await Wales - Warburton
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Six Nations: Scotland v Wales |
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Venue: Murrayfield, Edinburgh Date: Saturday, 25 February Kick-off: 14:25 GMT |
Coverage: Live on BBC One Wales, S4C, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru & BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app, plus live text commentary |
Sam Warburton says Wales must win their remaining Six Nations games to stand any chance of winning the tournament.
England sealed a dramatic late victory over Warburton and his team-mates in Cardiff on Saturday to stay on course for a Grand Slam defence.
"We want to win the Championship and you can't do that by only winning three games," said flanker Warburton.
Captain Alun Wyn Jones says Wales improved against England and must do so again against Scotland on 25 February.
Wales have not lost to Scotland since 2007 , externaland hope to continue that run before hosting Ireland on Friday, 10 March.
Eight days later Rob Howley's side finish their campaign against France in Paris.
England sit top of the table as the only unbeaten team after two rounds.
They host Italy on 26 February and Scotland on 11 March before ending their tournament against Ireland in Dublin after Wales and France meet each other.
Warburton, Jones' predecessor as captain, said: "We've got to rely on other results now with England.
"That's the target - we don't want to come second or third, we want to win the Championship."
England seized on a loose Jonathan Davies clearance before wing Elliot Daly outstripped opponent Alex Cuthbert for the late winning score in Cardiff.
That has led to criticism of Scarlets centre Davies and Cardiff Blues' Cuthbert.
Warburton says indiscipline cost Wales earlier in the game, but game-management in the dying stages must be addressed.
"We gave away four penalties in a 12-minute period. They got a lot of territory from that in the first half and scored a try," said Warburton,
"So discipline was one of the main messages going into the game and perhaps on occasions we gave away a few too many penalties, which gives them the territory and the driving line-out game and the go-forward that they want.
"That last 10 minutes is the most important thing for us, managing to close out a game.
"We've done it in the past so we can do it, but it's just looking at key moments in the game and our game-management as a group of players."
Wales skipper Jones said: "We've got two weeks to regroup. We feel we improved on the first weekend [against Italy], and we can only improve again.
"We've five minutes to work on, probably. I sound like a broken record.
Wales in the 2017 Six Nations |
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Saturday, 25 February, 14:25 GMT: Scotland v Wales |
Friday, 10 March, 20:05 GMT: Wales v Ireland |
Saturday, 18 March, 14:45 GMT: France v Wales |
"If you go back a few years, we were probably saying the same thing, but the vast majority of the performance was a vast improvement.
"I make no bones in saying it, we win as a team and we lose as a team, and we will improve as a team as well."
Jones added: "They [England] were as good as we said they were before the start of the game.
"We were able to stop the momentum they had coming into the game - and in the game - for the majority, but winning is a habit and they are on a roll now. Unfortunately, we fell short."
- Published11 February 2017
- Published11 February 2017
- Attribution
- Published12 February 2017