Wales Hope for Success in the Six Nations and Beyond

After an autumn of discontent for Welsh rugby, Warren Gatland will be hoping to repeat the successes of 2005 and 2008 in this year’s 6 Nations Championship.

Wales were unfortunate against the All Blacks, uninspiring against Samoa and Argentina, and embarrassed by Australia; though it is should not be all doom and gloom for Wales in the upcoming 2010 Six Nations.

The Welsh start their campaign against England at Twickenham (Sat 6 Feb) having dropped to eighth in the world rankings, behind the likes of their hosts and Argentina. There is no doubt they will have  to improve their standard of play as they look to recapture their Grand Slam winning form of recent years, but there are a number of positives for the Welsh.

They will welcome back some key Lions who were sorely missed in the autumn – the dynamic Lee Byrne and Adam Jones while Mike Philips seems to be losing the battle to be fit.

The free-running Byrne should add a cutting edge which was lacking, and will be hoping his Ospreys’ team-mate, Shane Williams, will rediscover the form which made him IRB International Player of the Year in 2008 and has seen him notch up 50 Test tries.

Wales captain Ryan Jones is certainly positive: “Expectations are high. We live in an environment down here in Wales where everyone expects us to win, and wants us so dearly to do so.

“As a group of players we have been working extremely hard behind the scenes. The Six Nations is a competition we love, and we hope to thrive in. Our goal, I suppose, is to go out and win all our games.”

Omens do bode well for the Welsh. Their last Grand Slam win two years ago began with a 19-26 victory at Twickenham, tries from Philips and Byrne.

Going into 2008 Wales were unfancied having just lost to Fiji and failed to advance from the groups of the 2007 World Cup, in France, while England had rallied to reach the final, before narrowly losing to South Africa.

This time around the two sides are those in greatest disarray ahead of the Championships. Both had torrid Novembers, though with home advantage, England will once again be slight favourites.

Ryan Jones looks forward to the challenge: “They don’t come any bigger, physical, or faster than Tests against the likes of England at Twickenham.

“It’s a great place to go and play. I experienced it for the first time two years ago it is a pretty daunting place - there is an awful lot of history there.

“The England team are on the up and it will be a hell of a challenge, but that’s why they are called Test matches - when you test yourself against the best and see how good you are.”

Martin Johnson’s men do not possess the formidable scrum which has been key during their success during and since the Woodwood-era. Gethin Jenkins and a fit Adam Jones can cause the English pack problems, and if Wales turn up with a reinvigorated back-line, a marker and base akin to 2008 could be set.

Wales will then enjoy back-to-back home matches, first against Scotland on Valentine’s Day weekend, and secondly, in what will surely be an extra-special match, against France on the night of Friday 26 February.

Ex-England coach, Andy Robinson, has breathed new life into a whaling Scottish side, which culminated in their gritty 9-8 victory over Australia. It is the two Scottish franchises – Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby – who are dominating the domestic game by topping this season’s Magners League.

The Scots are beginning to create an exciting blend of experience and youth: on the one hand record points-scorer and the country’s most capped player Chris Paterson continues to turn out performances, while the exciting young wing, Thom Evans, has been scoring for fun.  

The French are one of the form sides in world rugby along with New Zealand and Ireland. Their attacking game is a delight to watch and their 20-13 win against the Springboks was one of the rugby highlights of 2009.

Against France, Wales will need to produce a special performance to win under the lights. Despite a 20-13 win over World and Tri-Nations champions South Africa in November, the French are renowned for not showing up for matches, and particularly away from home.

Wales’s toughest test will be the trip to Croke Park to face 2009 Grand Slam champions Ireland. It was against this opposition last year where Wales came within a kick of winning the Championships themselves, leaving them fourth in the table, a false position according to captain, Jones: “We finished fourth but we were one kick away from finishing first.

“There comes a point where you have to put everything on the line and risk it really, and we did that - unfortunately we came off second best. I don’t think that was a true reflection of the way we actually performed.

“Of course we were bitterly disappointed, you want to be at the top end of the table, because people only remember the teams that win it.”

The midfield battle in this game will be intense and engulfing. The Lions centre partnership of Jamie Roberts and Brian O’Driscoll - one of the highlights of the South Africa tour – will line up against each other. Indeed they could play directly opposite if Gatland chooses to play James Hook at inside-centre with the return of Byrne ousting him from full-back.

Wales will hope their final game at home against the minnows of the tournament, Italy, will prove to be a stroll to their third Grand Slam in six attempts. Although continually improving since their introduction into the Six Nations, and the prospect of a franchise entering into regular competition in the Magners League on the horizon, the Italians do pose a threat.

Despite a poor autumn there does seem to be a great amount of confidence surrounding the Wales camp in the run up to the Six Nations and invariably the 2011 World Cup. The likes of Alun Wyn-Jones and Jamie Roberts are still very young, but vastly experienced and should be looking to be physically and mentally ready to tackle the biggest challenge in 18-months time.

Jones concluded: “Leading up to the Six Nations we are targeting and looking forward to playing. We have three home games, which are key to a successful campaign.

“They are the biggest games you can pay in. It’s just a great challenge, every year we pit ourselves against the best and were getting closer and closer I think.”

Will the African Nations Cup Help Africa in the South Africa 2010?

The African Nations is yet to kick off but it has already been marred in controversy after the Togo team bus was attacked and the side subsequently withdrawing from the competition.

However, if we assume the tournament continues terror-free will it, so close to the World Cup give the African continent a huge advantage going into South Africa 2010.

England managers from Capello to Keegan have continually complained they do not have enough time with their players – and when they do their most important assets are withdrawn by their clubs through injury, but are remarkably fit the following weekend to play in the Premier League.

The last competitive game England will play before their first World Cup game is the 3-0 victory over Belarus on October 14.

Ivory Coast, Ghana and Cameroon though now have at least two weeks to train together, in a competitive environment, with their likely World Cup squad.

Coaches will be able to give their first 11 a good test and tweak tactics before football’s biggest challenge.

Of course the European nations have an opportunity to try out new tactics and personnel in the March friendlies – but it is at that time of the year where Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea stars get mysterious injuries which stops them playing at Wembley, but allows them to play in the next match of the Champions League.

There has been hushed murmurings of a physical, well organised and increasingly skilful African nation winning the World Cup in the first edition of it being hosted in that continent – and I think the tournament starting in Angola tomorrow will be a huge boost to that possibility.

Matt Prior: England's Un-Hyped Hero

Since succumbing to just 51 in the second innings at the beginning of the year against the West Indies at Kingston, England have gone from strength to strength.

They failed to win the series in the Caribbean but claimed victory in the return two-Test series at home, before famously claiming the Ashes for the second time in three attempts.

Continuing on, the first two Tests against second in the world South Africa have seen Andrew Strauss’ men take a lead and set themselves up fantastically with one-and-a-half games remaining.

Much of the media attention has been focussed on Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad, Jonathan Trott, Graeme Swann and the captain Strauss – while Matt Prior has been largely overlooked.

The wicketkeeper position since the retirement of Alec Stewart in 2003 was a huge problem for England. Chris Read and Geraint Jones swapped gloves, with neither cementing their place nor performing with much certainty.

Prior got his chance in 2007 before Tim Ambrose took the hot seat for most of 2008 – however the Sussex man regained his spot during the winter and hasn’t looked back.

He averages just over 42 in his 25 Tests and after initial question marks over his glove-work, he has improved significantly to be a reliable figure behind England’s stumps.

His batting for the calendar year 2009 was at an average of 43.52, which included one century and six half-centuries at the bottom of the England order.

Helped with the likes of Broad and Swann who can hold a bat, England’s tail which traditionally never wagged has been as lively as a hamster on speed.

The situation tomorrow (Jan 5) in Cape Town sees Prior needing to lead the England batting as they trail South Africa by 50 runs with three wickets remaining.

The improved ability and reliability at the bottom of the England order has been crucial in their success – notably hanging on the draw at Cardiff against the Australians.

A lot of off-spinner Swann’s success can in some part be put down to Prior’s improved form as a wicketkeeper. The Nottinghamshire player has gone from near-international obscurity at the beginning of 2009 to be the tormentor of Australia and having success currently in South Africa.

Prior has been performing quietly and confidently, and as England strive to get to the top of the Test hierarchy their wicketkeeper will surely be key to their success.