Youthful Wales sent a clear warning to the Wallabies after clinching a third Grand Slam in eight seasons with a hard-fought 16-9 win over Rugby World Cup finalists France.
The Welsh claimed some revenge for their tight World Cup semi-final loss to France, with winger Alex Cuthbert scoring the only try of an absorbing match before a 74,178-capacity Millennium Stadium crowd in Cardiff as they added to their 2005 and 2008 Six Nations titles.
Now they want to turn their rich promise into triumphs over the world’s top-ranked countries New Zealand, Australia and South Africa – starting with their three-Test tour to Australia in June.
“There was a relief at the fact that we hung on and won the game,” said Gatland, speaking after adding the victory to previous successes over Ireland (23-21), Scotland (27-13), England (19-12) and Italy (24-3).
“Our big aim is to start being consistent and beating the southern hemisphere teams and I think we’ve got a young enough side that over the next few years we can hopefully do that.”
Gatland’s team have long threatened to spark a real rebirth of Welsh rugby, having pushed the touring SANZAR sides close on several occasions – and even notching up a couple of rare wins – in the November internationals.
But after reaching the World Cup semi-final, when Wales lost 9-8 to France, Gatland’s troops finally started to deliver on a pragmatic game plan inspired by some young, giant backs and marauding jackals at the breakdown.
Captained by 23-year-old flanker Sam Warburton, the Welsh team has an experienced thread running through its front and second rows, and in 29-year-old scrum-half Mike Phillips.
But the back row is fired by Toby Faletau, 21, and Dan Lydiate, 24. Rhys Priestland masterminds things from fly-half with a maturity belying his 25 years, and wingers Alex Cuthbert and George North, the latter still a teenager, flank yet more young players in centres Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies, and fullback Leigh Halfpenny.
“In this campaign we’ve shown some great character, fantastic maturity. We’ve been down in games, we’ve learnt how to win and win ugly on a couple of occasions,” said Gatland, now the frontrunner to take the British and Irish Lions to Australia next year.
“We’ve accepted some of the tags of being favourites, and that hasn’t always sat well on our shoulders.
“For a young side, they’ve coped incredibly well and I’d like to think it will be good for us as a team over the next two or three years.
“Good sides defend desperately and they show character without the ball, and that’s what this team is doing.”
Attack coach Rob Howley, a former Wales captain and scrum-half, missed out on any Grand Slam glory as a player but was quick to dismiss any ideas that this Welsh team had achieved too much too early.
“Everything they’ve achieved, they’ve deserved,” Howley said. “Sometimes all that hard work is not measurable.
“The measurable thing they’ve got is that they’ve won the Triple Crown and the Grand Slam and this side’ll even get better over the next four years.”
granville
Guest
thats then mate........this is now and at the moment Wales are on a roll, the only way Australia can comfortably beat Wales if all our 1st choice players are injury free and on form cause it will be a very close contest, if they slow and starve us with possession than our so called Generation Y backline will have nothing to show for, the biggest problem for Australia will be our #8, 2nd five and center positions, we still donot have enough depth in those positions unless Palu remains injury free which is highly unlikely, hopefully the Waratahs can trial Timani @ #8 for the remainder of the Super Rugby season cause i think with the emergence of Hugh Pyle, Luke Jones, Sam Carter it will be difficult for him to get a starting spot. Timani is a loose player which doesnt suit the typical locks position so to allow him to run freely as a #8 would be the best choice, the #6 for the Brumbies (Fardy) is a traditional blindside flanker player and should be test sooner rather than later, Luke Jones can cover both locks/flanker.
Geoff Lemon
Expert
Apologies - that's been taken care of by mods. Please make sure to report comments when appropriate - we're not interested in threads of that sort.
Scarlet
Guest
Fair comment and that is really the whole thrust of the argument. They are looking better than they have in years and now need to prove themselves against the SH teams. That is the acid test. Ignoring the idiotic trolling is necessary on this site unfortunately.
Ben S
Roar Guru
Lip?
ohtani's jacket
Guest
Wales beat Australia in 2008 and frankly only the Wallabies' performance on tour in 2009 was anything to crow about since.
Derm
Roar Guru
Manster - me oul flower 1. "How can any showing in the “Sux Nations” be confirmation of how they will fare against Australia especially when the private clubs will dictate which Welsh team arrives in Australia in June." Don't know what your basis is for this statement. It's an international window. Where's the evidence to support your statement? 2. "The Southern Unions wanted three test tours to try and force Northern Unions to send a competitive squad otherwise face complete oblivion." Yeah sure they did. Nothing to do with gaining extra revenue of course. If you check, I think you'll find that some NH teams have been sending their strongest squads available over the last five or six years. 3. "If they do not send their strongest squads this year then happily the Currie & ITM Cups will be extended and this will be a fantastic result for Southern rugby and an end to June tours including the Lions." If you think that New Zealand is going to cancel the Lions tour for 2017, because they think they didn't get the strongest team from Ireland this year, you're living in cloud cuckoo land. If you believe that your view of the Six Nations tournament truly represents the view of the respective unions within SANZAR, and they thought the teams were so poor/average at full strength, why bother inviting them for test tours in June at the end of a long season? And why seek to extend those test tours if the teams are so average?
Ben S
Roar Guru
Actually can't believe my eyes...
all7days
Roar Guru
I detect Trolls... I think Wales are looking good and as stated by others, the test will be against SH teams. They are a young hungry team and could be a force over the next few years. In saying that it has to be recognised that the Teams in the SH, and NZ in particular have an amazing amount of young players rolling through.
King of the Gorgonites
Roar Guru
(1) NEW ZEALAND 91.43 2(2) AUSTRALIA 87.99 3(3) SOUTH AFRICA 84.34 4(4) ENGLAND 83.62 5(5) WALES 83.32 6(6) FRANCE 81.91 7(8) ARGENTINA 80.28 8(7) IRELAND 79.85 9(9) TONGA 76.63 10(10) SAMOA 75.81 11(12) ITALY 74.17 12(11) SCOTLAND 73.86
Derm
Roar Guru
"I enjoy seeing a team and its people being put back in their place." Back in their place? Getting above themselves, were they? Jeez - the NZ and Irish fans must have given you a hard time if you're still this full of pish and resentment. "You dont know how the NZ’ers and the travelling Irish behaved. they were terrible. I had never seen it before, and never want to see it again." Yet you claim that "I couldnt care less if the irish acted like ferals in NZ." Think you're giving more than an opinion about the toughness of the June tours, KOTG. Everyone knows the June tours will be hard going for the touring teams. No one is saying any different. Chill out - it's only a game. Peace and love.
King of the Gorgonites
Roar Guru
We dont want anything Pot Hale. All i am pointing out is that there is still a huge gulf. IMO england have the ability to bridge that gulf. Wales i am not so sure of. I couldnt care less if the irish acted like ferals in NZ. what i enjoy is seeing a team and its people being put back in their place. Ireland have been a good team, but i dont believe they are at present. they have the potential to rectify that, but they have to open their eyes. It seems like some people cant handle criticism of their own kind. i am looking forward to the june tests. they should be the best in years. All i am giving is an opinion that the touring teams will find it hard going. how about you give the self righteous sarcasm a rest.
King of the Gorgonites
Roar Guru
Interesting tact to take. A country that is in desperate need of tourism and foreign investment. arrogance and rudeness wont help to change either of those issues.
ManSter
Guest
Uncle Granville Even if the Welsh win all three tests that will still make them 3 for 4 on the wrong side of the ledger over the last five years. Is the team that young? I thought the Australian team was pretty young also depending which one starts. Rugby Union is a sport steeped in history and shock results are no more than a blip on the horizon. Anyway I do no begrudge the Welsh team in short term gain but seriously wonder if they will ever return to the pinnacle they have previously achieved. Professionalism has almost destroyed any hope of Welsh rugby becoming anything more than a blip on the radar.
Ben S
Roar Guru
What lip?
Ben S
Roar Guru
For goodness sake... The entire point of the current Wales v Australia debate is that this is very much a young and new Wales side, therefore all past games are utterly irrelevant as the current presumption is that the Welsh side is better than it was a few months ago. Gatland only had one season in charge of an NPC and delivered one title, soooo.... Failed junior program? All over the place. You can't compare Henry's accomplishments with NZ and Gatland's with Wales. It's not like and like. It's not a case of saying Henry is a bad coach either - which I quite clearly haven't said. You also can't compare a head coach and an assistant coach. It just obviously doesn't work on various levels. If you think Wales have won the 2012 6N due to Henry then WOW. No need for the rudness, eh. It's all rather cringeworthy. Thanks now. I'm tapping out, but thanks for the positive contribution. I have no interest in continuing this 'debate' with you. Cheers!
granville
Guest
as a Wallaby fan im convinced that this young Welsh team could and will win all 3tests
ManSter
Guest
Scarlet There can be no debate when only one side is actually debating so let me know when you intend to jump in with some facts. My old school and technically correct view is that even if Wales beat Australia three times in Australia this year the Accountants ledger will conclude that Australia has defeated Wales 4 times to three over five years. Oh my goodness even if Wales beat the All Blacks this year it will be the first time in nearly sixty years. At what point with a failed junior rugby program can Wales start claiming to be more than making up the numbers in World Rugby until inevitably lesser known teams surpass them. Throw out some facts please.
Dean
Guest
I hear what you are saying, and I took note of the previous comment about the media creating certain expectations. But, the reality is that every year claims such as these are made. And the British media I reckon makes the NH rugby players believe their own hype. At best, Wales will lose the series in Aus 2-1. NZ vs Ireland 3-0 and England vs SA might get 2-1 loss. I honestly do no think self belief is the problem. The fact is that SA, AUS and NZ have better players and play a style that is more likely to lead to a victory. There is no champion team without self belief, including wales. The diff is when Aus, SA, or NZ play against a NH team they do not hope to win, they expect it. In the last RWC against SA, Wales spent the entire pre-match build up, even before the tournament had started were giving the Saffa's lip. Look at what happened.
Scarlet
Guest
The whole point of this discussion is whether those results are about to change....... I think that they will, you guys don't, simple matter of perspective
Dean
Guest
Here are the facts gents..... Wales vs Tri-Nations countries. reason to feel optimistic? I think not, as we have heard the same hot air year in and year out. VS South Africa Span: 1906 - 2011 - Mat 26 - Won 1 - Lost 24 - Draw 1 - Win % 5.76 VS Australia Span: 1908 - 2011 - Mat 32 - Won 10 - Lost 21 - Draw 1 - Win % 32.81 VS New Zealand Span: 1905 - 2010 - Mat 28 - Won 3 - Lost 25 - Draw - 0 Win % 10.71