It takes Dan Lydiate about three minutes, on the family farm in mid-Wales, to shear a sheep. He uses the Bowen technique of shearing, but three minutes won't gain him much respect when he arrives some time tomorrow in New Zealand, where the Bowen technique was invented, and where a quick shear takes 45 seconds. What might gain him some respect, however, is his ability to play hard, direct rugby. The big blindside flanker made his international debut for Wales in 2009, but it was not really until this year's Six Nations, in which he excelled especially in the tackle, that he made the No 6 shirt his own.