November is Wales’s hope-springs-eternal month. It tends to start with talk of securing a victory over a major southern hemisphere nation and end with curses of what could and should have been. Not so much the autumn series as the fall.
Australia, New Zealand and South Africa pitch up in Cardiff this month but this time Warren Gatland has said his priority is not achieving a first victory over one of the three since 2008 but beginning preparations in earnest for next year’s World Cup so that his players arrive at the tournament at their peak.
Gatland is known for his indulgence in mind games and his opponents will not be lulled into thinking they will meet less resistance than they have come to expect in the Welsh capital. While the Wales coach and his assistants may be taking a longer-term view in their preparation, the players know their inclusion in the World Cup squad will come down to performance.
“I am paid to play and the coaches are paid to plan and that is what they have to do,” said the second row Alun Wyn Jones, who led the side on the summer tour to South Africa where they were within a couple of minutes of winning the second Test. “I have to worry about performance, not logistics. You have to be systematic in your outlook: I can only influence what is coming this month. It is up to other people to tell me where I am going and what I have to do.”
Wales’s first match is next Saturday against Australia in what will be the last meeting between the sides before next year’s World Cup group game at Twickenham.
The Wallabies have endured a miserable few months off the field with Ewen McKenzie resigning as head coach following lewd text messages sent by Kurtley Beale and replaced in a hurry just before the squad flew to Europe by Michael Cheika.
“It is not the first time Australia have had off-field problems and they look in pretty good shape,” Jones said. “They lost to Argentina but they should have beaten the All Blacks last time out.
“As a group of players I do not think what happened in the last few weeks will affect them too much; it never usually does. They always seem to be fine on the park and they have a pretty good record over here against us.
“In terms of where we are with the World Cup in mind, we are coming to the end of the beginning which started in the summer. When it comes to talking about beating certain teams, we can be narrow-minded when we need to look at the bigger picture.
“A bugbear of mine is bragging rights in regional derbies: it would be a lot more worth to the regional game if we did something special in European rugby.
“The calibre of New Zealand, their strength in depth and the way they play make them the benchmark that everyone is trying to get to. I cannot say how we are going to go against them this month: we are putting a lot of work in.
“It would be nice to do the job and comparisons are always made with England who won the 2003 World Cup having beaten the three Sanzar sides en route. I do not know if we are capable of that at the minute, but I think we have a good squad that can build up to achieving something in the next 11 months.”
Jones is one of 11 Lions in the Wales squad who started at least one Test match in last year’s successful series against Australia, captaining the tourists in the decisive final Test. “A number of us have tasted victory over Australia, but the Lions is different,” he said. “There are three other countries involved for a start and all the pressure was on them with the Lions only going on tour every four years. Wales play Australia a lot and the danger is that you develop the mentality that you will have another opportunity against them rather than a 12-year wait.
“We will have a better idea of where we are after November. The World Cup is a big carrot and an even longer stick for everyone, whether it is your first or your fourth. There is a lot of rugby to be played and a lot for us to work on. I was asked the other day why I played rugby. It is not about fame or fortune or being better than anyone else, but success. That’s the buzz.
“What you put in you usually get out. If you are not good enough on the day, fine, but if you put in everything you have, you usually get a decent result. When you lose, it motivates you to go again, not dwell on the past.”
