Win over Wallabies sets Wales up for big things
It was the match everyone was waiting for. The match that might very welldecide the fate of Pool D. And Wales – not without drama – won through.
Our man in Japan Richard Morgan reflects on what might lie ahead for the men in red.
This was THE game for Wales, at least until the Quarter Finals later this month.
The big one, the one they’d been building to since the World Cup draw wasmade back in 2017. The culmination of all the hard work of the last few years.
And Warren Gatland’s men needed to draw on every scrap of experience tohang on for their dramatic 29-25 win in Tokyo on Sunday.
Now they’ve done so, they’re into almost unchartered waters. Not since theinaugural World Cup in 1987 (when there were only 4 teams instead of 5 ineach pool) have Wales gone through the preliminary stages unbeaten. In 2011, they lost to South Africa. 4 years later, despite a famous win over England, they were beaten by Australia. Now they’re firm favourites to top Pool D.
If they do so, they’ll play the runners up from Pool C in the quarter finals.Should results go as expected, their opponents will be France. Wales have won 7 of their last 8 games against the French, so they’ll fancy their chances. If they prevail, South Africa, or perhaps Ireland, will likely lie in wait in the semi-finals.
Crucially, Wales will avoid the All Blacks until the final in Yokohama on 2November.
Sunday’s win - only their second over southern hemisphere opponents at aWorld Cup - should also do wonders for Welsh confidence. As we saw in the Six Nations this year, the team tend to improve as tournaments go on. So, with a fair wind, and a bit of luck on the injury front, the best should yet be to come.
The news that Dan Biggar should be fit for Fiji is a boost, even though RhysPatchell proved himself a more than capable deputy on the weekend.
None of which is to dismiss the threat of Fiji, against whom Wales will betaking nothing for granted. Yes, the Islanders have lost two from two, including a shock defeat to Uruguay. But many of the current Welsh squad remember the match against the Fijians four years ago, described by one player today as ‘the toughest I’ve played.’ And few fans in red could forget ‘the nightmare of Nantes’, which saw Wales dispatched from the 2007 tournament.
This time at least, Wales’ 10-day turnaround between matches counts in their favour. Fiji will only get 6 days’ rest after playing Georgia on Thursday.And so, as Warren Gatland and his lieutenants take stock in the peacefullakeside resort of Otsu - their base for the next 5 days - they’ll be quietlycontent. 2 from 2, no fresh injuries, and the prospect of avoiding the harderroute to the final… so far, so good.