SCRUM Magazine – September 2019

1987: Third Place

1991: Pool Stage

1995: Pool Stage

1999: Quarter Finals

2003: Quarter Finals

2007: Pool Stage

2011: Fourth Place

2015: Quarter Finals

GRAND SLAM HEROES SET SIGHTS

ON WORLD CUP GLORY

ales are riding the crest of a
wave going into the 2019 Rugby
World Cup, having won the
Grand Slam in the most recent Guinness
Six Nations, and with a squad full of world
class talent to pick from. Warren Gatland,
who will end his 11-year tenure at the end
of the tournament, will have his sights
set on repeating their feat of 2011 and
reaching the semi-finals, at least.
Since they last suffered defeat, to Ireland
in the penultimate round of the 2018
Six Nations, Wales have put together a
13-match unbeaten run that includes a
2-0 series win in Argentina, two victories
over the Springboks and a triumph over
Australia, as well as their Six Nations
clean sweep.
It is quite the run of form, and outgoing
boss Gatland - who is returning home to
coach the Gallagher Chiefs in 2020 Super
Rugby before becoming Head Coach of
the 2021 British and Irish Lions - will
hope it can continue through the Rugby
World Cup.

A lot has been made in some quarters

of Wales’ low try-scoring count during

their Six Nations victory - they managed

only 10, level with bottom-place Italy

• but it shows that their game is built
  around a defensive resilience that forces
  opponents into making errors.
  Their win over England, for example, was
  a close-fought encounter before Cory
  Hill and Josh Adams both crossed in the
  final quarter. That epitomises how the
  Wales ‘class of 2019’ will look to play
  in Japan - do not expect them to play a
  hugely expansive style, running the ball
  from all quarters; but defence guru Shaun
  Edwards will ensure they are tough to
  break down without the ball, and when
  they’ve got it, they’ll use their kicking
  game to squeeze the opposition.
  Their tournament begins with a clash
  against Georgia - perhaps an opportunity
  for Gatland to use some of his squad
  players and rest the front-line stars for
  game two, a meeting with the Wallabies

that could go a long way to deciding the

winners of Pool D.

Then comes a potential banana skin, and

fans of Welsh rugby will have flashbacks

to 2007, when the Flying Fijians dumped

them out of the Rugby World Cup in

France with a mesmeric counter-attacking

display. Gatland will likely need most, if

not all, of his first-choice XV to play two

games in a row to see off Bill Mata, Leone

Nakarawa and the current, increasingly

impressive, Fijian squad.

Wales’ final pool game is perhaps their

most straightforward, against minnows

Uruguay, who they will be expected to

dispatch with relative ease and notch a

big score.

From there, one of Argentina, England

or France is their likely opposition in

the quarter-finals - a tough ask, but one

Gatland will be confident that his side is

capable of overcoming.

W

WALES

Warren Gatland will

end his 11-year tenure

as Wales boss after the

World Cup

COACH:

WARREN GATLAND

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RUGBY WORLD CUP - TOP 10

20 • WWW.SCRUMMAGAZINE.COM • ISSUE 116 2019