Wales’ Rugby World Cup coach Warren Gatland says his side can reach the final in Paris after their opening game victory over Fiji; Wales play Portugal on Saturday, September 16 before taking on Australia on Sunday, September 24
Wales head coach Warren Gatland has set his side a target of reaching the Rugby World Cup final
Warren Gatland has underlined Wales’ desire to go one better than in three previous Rugby World Cup campaigns and reach the final.
They were semi-finalists in 1987, and then twice under Gatland – 2011 and 2019 – bowing out at that stage on each occasion.
A rather fortunate bonus-point victory over Pool C rivals Fiji last weekend set Wales off and running, and if they repeat the feat against Portugal on Saturday it would further strengthen quarter-final ambitions.
- Biggar rested as Wales make 13 changes for Portugal clashRWC 2023: What did we learn from round one?Rugby World Cup team guides: Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool DStream top sporting events with Sky NOW
Australia and Georgia still await, before a possible last-eight appointment with England or Argentina in Marseille next month.
Sky Sports’ James Cole reports on the latest from Wales’ Rugby World Cup camp as Gatland has named his team ahead of their match against Portugal, with 13 changes
“We have always been confident in the past about World Cups and the opportunity to get the team together for an extended period,” said Wales head coach Gatland.
“We think that we have done well in previous World Cups and would like to get to a final of a World Cup.
“I stated beforehand ‘don’t write us off’ and that this team is capable of doing something special, and I still believe that.
“Part of the key themes and key message before this World Cup was to make sure we are a hard team to beat, and if we are a hard team to beat then things can happen for you.
James Savundra reports from Bordeaux where Wales held on to claim their first win of the World Cup 2023 over Fiji
“The first priority is to be a really tough team to beat, and if we do that and get things right and our preparation is good and we don’t pick up too many injuries, then there is no reason why we can’t continue to progress a long way into this tournament – that is the plan.”
Portugal are next up, with Gatland making 13 changes to the team that started against Fiji, retaining only wing Louis Rees-Zammit and No 8 Taulupe Faletau.
Highlights from day three of the Rugby World Cup in France where there were wins for defending champions South Africa, Japan, and Wales. Credit: RWCL
Fiji almost wiped out an 18-point deficit during a frantic final quarter in Bordeaux, while centre Semi Radradra failed to gather a pass in the dying seconds that might have led to him scoring a match-winning try.
George North is mobbed after scoring in Wales’ crucial Pool C win vs Fiji
Wales, though, held on in nerve-shredding fashion to claim a victory that has installed them in many quarters as favourites to win their group.
“We were delighted with the win, delighted with the preparation, everything was going brilliantly for 60-odd minutes with the scoreline.
“And typical Fiji, they get a bit of a sniff and they came back at us really strong in the last period,” said Gatland.
“That game is done and dealt with, it is past us now and the focus is on Portugal – hopefully we will do a good job on Saturday and then move on to Australia next week.
“It is a great opportunity for players on Saturday to stake a claim, and if they go out there and someone has a great performance then they are definitely in contention.”
Rugby World Cup Pool C Team News: Wales vs Portugal
Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Louis Rees-Zammit, 13 Mason Grady, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Rio Dyer; 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Tomos Williams, 1 Nicky Smith, 2 Dewi Lake (c), 3 Dillon Lewis, 4 Christ Tshiunza, 5 Dafydd Jenkins, 6 Dan Lydiate, 7 Tommy Reffell, 8 Taulupe Faletau.
Replacements: 16. Ryan Elias, 17. Corey Domachowski, 18. Tomas Francis, 19. Adam Beard, 20. Taine Basham, 21. Gareth Davies, 22. Sam Costelow, 23. Josh Adams.
Portugal: 15 Nuno Sousa Guedes, 14 Vincent Pinto, 13 Jose Lima, 12 Tomas Appleton (c), 11 Rodrigo Marta, 10 Jeronimo Portela, 9 Samuel Marques; 1 Francisco Fernandes, 2 Mike Tadjer, 3 Anthony Alves, 4 Jos Madeira, 5 Steevy Cerqueira, 6 Joao Granate, 7 Nicolas Martins, 8 Rafael Simoes.
Replacements: 16 David Costa, 17 Lionel Campergue, 18 Diogo Hasse Ferreira, 19 Martim Belo, 20 David Wallis, 21 Pedro Lucas, 22 Joris Moura, 23 Raffaele Storti.
