As the final whistle blew at the Millennium Stadium on March 16th, 2019, the fans and players of Wales let out a mighty roar to trigger the celebrations, that may still be continuing in some parts of the country!
What had been billed as a Six Nations decider; the toughest of final hurdles for Warren Gatland’s team to overcome, had turned into a procession, as Wales comfortably overcame the reigning champions Ireland 25-7 to record their fourth Six Nations Grand Slam.
But before long thoughts will inevitably turn to this year’s World Cup in Japan in the autumn. It may seem a long way off, but there are only four friendlies to go before September 23 when Wales line up against Georgia and millions of rugby fans will tune in on ITV.
Wales have had a disappointing relationship with the World Cup. Their best effort remains their third-place finish in 1987 when they won all three Group games and beat England in the quarter-finals. They were thrashed by New Zealand in the semi-finals, but they earned a measure of consolation when they beat Australia by a single point in the third-place play-off game.
Since then, it has been a tale of frustration for Welsh fans as their team has failed to progress past the quarter-final stage. But could this year be different? Bookmakers aren’t sure. Most make Wales third or fourth favourites for the title, alongside Ireland and behind England, which seems unfair on Gatland’s side, given that they beat both of those teams in the Six Nations.
And with the exception of New Zealand, there are no teams in this year’s competition against whom Wales would be significant underdogs. Their big Group rivals are Australia, but Wales have beaten the Wallabies before and will be confident of overcoming a struggling Australian side again. Assuming that they beat the three lesser teams in the Group: Fiji, Georgia and Uruguay, that would probably see them on course to play England or France in the last eight and Ireland or South Africa in the semis.
At some point, the All Blacks will have to be confident, but all of the elements are in place for a strong Welsh challenge this year. They have a clever and charismatic leader in Alun Wyn Jones, who is arguably the best second row in the world; a tough front row and a streetwise back-row. They also have a solid selection of backs. Gareth Anscombe has been sensational at fly-half and the likes of Dan Biggar, Leigh Halfpenny and Liam Williams are all world class.
Above all, they appear to have the togetherness and resilience that they will need to come through a gruelling tournament. World Cups have a habit of throwing up surprises and there is a lot of tough domestic rugby to be played before the Welsh players board the flight to Japan, but having dethroned Ireland as the best team in the northern hemisphere, it would be hard to argue with BigBetBookmakers users who are keen to back Wales for World Cup glory.
