Four years ago, Wales went into the World Cup having reached the top of the world rankings, gone on a lengthy winning streak and sealed a Grand Slam title.
Adversity wasn’t really a thing until the last minute. Defeats in the warm-ups, the loss of Taulupe Faletau and Gareth Anscombe to injury and then the suspension of Rob Howley on the eve of the tournament.
This time around, it’s been something of the inverse. Welsh rugby has undergone a tumultuous 12 months or so building up to the 2023 World Cup. Yet, from the minute Wales arrived in Versailles, this tournament has been quietly serene. Granted, Wales have had the odd scare on the pitch but they have gone about getting 10 points from 10 with little noise between games.
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They’ve done so in a manner similar to that of four years ago, just as you might have expected from the moment Warren Gatland took on the job once again. With lengthy preparation over the summer, Wales were always going to improve on those things that have been mainstays of Gatland sides of the past. Fitness, defensive cohesion and territorial nous.
Yet, perhaps the most pleasing thing from that Fiji game in Bordeaux was Wales’ clinical edge. Just like four years ago, there’s signs of a quiet efficiency to this side. And, just as the run-up to the tournament was flipped on its head, so too has the make-up of the game itself – meaning Wales’ clinical side has had to change with the times.
Think back to that game against Australia in Tokyo four years ago and Wales built a 23-8 half-time lead through a clinical first-half performance with smart rugby – using scoreboard pressure and their ability to keep possession over multiple phases to create try-scoring opportunities. That victory was just their second over the Wallabies at the World Cup and paved their way to the semi-finals.
Just 35 seconds into that clash, Wales counter-ruck well to steal possession and stop Australia exiting, before going through a couple of phases and setting up a drop-goal for Dan Biggar. Wales lead less than a minute in and never lose that lead again.
Their first try came in typical style for Wales in 2019. Multiple phases being finished off by a cross-field kick. By the time Hadleigh Parkes latches onto Dan Biggar’s aerial pass, Wales had gone through eight phases.
At that point in the sport, teams were perhaps able to go through a high number of phases easier than now. Cory Hill’s score against England in 2019 came after 34 phases, built upon numerous pick-and-goes and relentless carrying.
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It’s unlikely you’ll see many teams at the World Cup do something like that this time around. The game has moved away from that to shorter bursts of play and teams ceding possession if things aren’t happening after a few phases. To get the latest rugby news sent straight to your inbox, sign up to WalesOnline’s daily rugby newsletter here.
“I think there’s definitely a change in the game from where, worst-case scenario, teams could keep the ball for four or five minutes,” said Gatland earlier this week. “At the moment, you’re playing two phases and not going over a minute and a half.
“It’s about staying in that moment for three, four or five phases. That’s a lot at the moment. Teams are playing three phases and kicking the ball. If they’re not getting something in terms of go-forward, they’ll kick it and play territory.
“You’ve got to adapt and change. It’s the way things are at the moment. We’ve adjusted to the way we play and the way we run training sessions to replicate the things that are happening.”
Both Gatland and Wales wing Josh Adams have spoken about how the current game arguably favours the defensive side.
“Maybe that’s why you’ll see teams kick a lot longer as well, to apply pressure a bit earlier in sets,” said Adams. “Not giving any opportunity to be turned over or forced into an error in your own half.
“There’s a couple of stats on giving away a penalty in your own half, how much time the opposition spend in your 22 when you do cough up the ball. Every team focuses on their attack inside the 22 and every team wants to be ruthless coming away with points there.
“It’ll be important that we’re clean in what we do. Our game model is strong and sticking to that for the duration of 80 minutes will be an important factor for us.”
On both sides of the ball, that’s put an emphasis on short bursts of high intensity rugby, with more importance on decision-making in those early phases. That makes a difference defensively in terms of when to compete at the breakdown.
“The way the game’s evolved, it’s gone from having big blocks of ball in play time of four-five minutes,” added Wales centre George North. “It’s down to 90 seconds, two minutes max.
“Your selection about which ones you go for and who goes for it is a bit more applicable. The speed of the game, where it’s going, the chances if it’s not on you have to bounce and get it out again. From a player’s point of view that’s the way it’s going at the moment and for this foreseeable block we have to stay competitive in these smaller windows of high intensity and pick your shots wisely.”
So if things are favouring teams defensively, that’s at least changed how Wales have aimed to create try-scoring opportunities. Against Fiji, Wales were seemingly more willing to move the ball from deep than normal in order to push the ball-in-play time up, but their scores still came from within a couple of phases as they strike from within the Australian half.
Wales’ first score against Fiji came from a lineout near halfway. After winning ball at the front, they move infield – with Wales setting up with Jac Morgan, Nick Tompkins and George North outside Dan Biggar, with Louis Rees-Zammit, Liam Williams and Josh Adams hanging back out wide.
Wales set up for a loop play off 12, with Wales’ back-three waiting in the back-field to attack the wider channels
(Image: ITV Sport)
Biggar hits Tompkins and immediately moves to loop around the inside centre. With Morgan on Tompkins’ inside and Biggar in motion towards the back-three threats, the Fijian defence momentarily drift off North.
Tompkins delivers a short ball to North, who breaks through into the backfield. Initially trying to round Vinaya Habosi, North doesn’t panic and gives a pass back inside to Gareth Davies.
Wales recycle and two phases later, Adams is over in the corner. There’s nothing overly inventive about the score once Wales are into the red-zone. Just smart, crisp passing to space – with Davies firing a pass across the forwards to find Biggar, while Adams cuts a great line off Williams’ pass to get back inside Selesitino Ravutaumada to score.
The second try was a similar set-up of ball movement around the 12 channel, with Wales initially having their five-metre maul disrupted. However, they stay patient and set up this move within a couple of phases.
This time, Tompkins takes the ball at first-receiver, but it’s how flat he takes it and the motion of Biggar out the back that again sees Fijian defenders either bite onto Wales’ 10 or 12 and leave North space to burst through.
In the second-half, Wales continued to force the issue with ball movement. For Rees-Zammit’s try, it was the extra pass on first-phase that perhaps makes it.
From a centre-field scrum, Williams moves the ball onto Tompkins early, before following the pass. Tompkins cuts back inside the defence before feeding Adams out wide.
You might expect that to be it, with Adams likely to take contact here. But instead, he cuts back and gives a pass to the looping Williams heading out towards the touchline.
The offload back inside from Williams is a little messy, but Wales keep the ball and the scrambling Fijians infringe. With an advantage, Wales make the call – just as they did for Parkes’ try four years ago – to go for the cross-field kick. As Morgan noted afterwards, even after the call was made, the ball didn’t find the right recipient – openside Morgan rather than fly-half Biggar – but it still worked out for Rees-Zammit to score on the opposite wing.
What could be interesting is how narrow Australia defended from set-pieces, giving Fiji the space out wide to attack. Maybe that was down to Fiji tending to look for long miss-passes, but Wales will certainly try to hold defenders in the middle of the field and use the ball-handling of their centres in tandem to create that space for their back-three in the wider channels.
Australia continually gave Fiji plenty of space out wide from set-pieces in Saint-Etienne
(Image: ITV Sport)
The suggestion from camp is Wales could alter things slightly, but not all that much. “We might adapt a little bit but we’ll stay true to ourselves – bringing the back three into the game as much as possible, trying to get control from our half-backs, the forwards providing good quality ball and making our defence hard to break down,” said attack coach Alex King this week.
“Neil Jenkins is a world-class kicking coach and every team that goes far in this tournament will have a good kicking game. But you need balance in every part of your game. We’re trying to be better than the week before and challenge Australia in all those areas.
“Against Fiji we were really accurate but there were a few changes against Portugal and it was not quite at the same level. We have got to take our chances against Australia.
“We will look to play to our strengths and put them under as much pressure as we can – whether that’s with our running game, kicking, set-piece. We need to ask them some questions in attack. If we get our discipline, accuracy, set-piece – every part of our game – spot on, will be very a hard team to beat.”
In that sense, the principles of 2019 and the win over Australia remain. Wales will still look to build early scoreboard pressure and it’s almost certain there’ll be something in the pipeline like the decision to drop a goal at the first opportunity in Japan. Remember, Rhys Patchell dropped one three minutes into the second-half, too.
Wales will have little redzone ploys lined up to try put that breathing space between them and Australia early on. Perhaps the only difference is how many phases it will take Wales to strike.
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