Sports

Wales skipper’s surprising admission before Wallabies showdown

Rather than try to put the heat on the Wallabies in the lead-up to this weekend’s Test, Wales captain Dewi Lake admits “the pressure is on all of us” in the clash against Australia that a proud rugby nation is desperate not to lose.

Defeat against the Wallabies on Sunday (Monday AEDT) would condemn Wales to a record 11th successive Test match defeat following a first home loss at Fiji’s hands last weekend.

They have not won since beating 2023 World Cup pool stage opponents Georgia, and now host an Australia side fresh from a scintillating victory over England.

Warren Gatland has faced questions about his future this week, having overseen just six wins in 22 Tests since returning for a second stint as Wales head coach.

And with world champions South Africa looming on November 23 – then a Six Nations opener against France in Paris early next year – life is not about to get any easier.

“There is always an edge around camp, boys fighting for places, for every inch,” Lake said.

“Nothing has changed from our work from last week to this. We were well in the Fiji game apart from the errors we made ourselves. I think we did enough to win the game.

“Gats (Gatland) isn’t on the field is he? The coaches give us the best platform to go and perform, and we should have comfortably won that game.

“The pressure is on all of us as a group when we are on a losing run like we are. We are all feeling it.

“Of course, it hurts. We don’t go out to lose. But at some point we need to flip that.

Warren Gatland. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

“Teams have gone on losing runs before. In 2002/03 Wales went on the same run, and then 18 months later won a grand slam.

“We need to finish off those opportunities when we get them and make teams work harder for their points against us.”

Wales have lost nine of the last 11 Tests against Australia in Cardiff, while they suffered a 2-0 Test series defeat at the Wallabies’ hands in Sydney and Melbourne this year.

Both of those encounters were close, though, and Lake added: “Teams aren’t battering us. We are one score away from being on the right side of the result.

“We know we are a good enough team to get results.”

Related Posts

“แฟนเวียดนาม” แห่คอมเมนต์เอกฉันท์เพจ “ซัปโปโร” ต้นสังกัด “สุภโชค” แข้งทีมชาติไทย

แฟนบอลเวียดนามแห่คอมเมนต์เพียบยังไม่มูฟออน จากเหตุการณ์นัดชิงชนะเลิศ อาเซียน คัพ 2024 วันที่ 9 มกราคม 2568 ความเคลื่อนไหว ทีมชาติไทย แพ้ เวียดนาม 2-3 นัดชิงชนะเลิศ อาเซียน คัพ 2024 เลก 2 เมื่อวันที่ 5 มกราคมที่ผ่านมา (สกอร์รวม 2 นัด แพ้ 3-5) ชวดคว้าแชมป์ไปอย่างน่าเสียดาย…

LeBron James celebrates as son Bronny signs his Letter of Intent to study & play basketball at USC saying he shed tears as he put pen to paper

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James took some time away from preparing for the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets to celebrate his son Bronny. Posting to Instagram, LeBron showed images of…

At Paris Fashion Week, LeBron James and his spouse dazzled fans with their jaw-dropping “King and Queen” appearance.

LeBron and his wife Savannah James radiated sartorial elegance on Thursday to celebrate the basketball star’s limited-edition Hennessy bottle at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.  The couple coordinated…

LeBron James Pays Tribute to His Queen Savannah – The Driving Force Behind His Success

LeBron James recently shared a touching moment on Instagram, celebrating his wife Savannah James’ latest venture. The Lakers superstar posted a photo of Savannah looking stunning in an…

Lebron James and His Recent Experience As A “Cool Dad” To Three Cute Children, Willing To Give Up His Prominent Career

LeBron James, widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, is now embarking on a new chapter in life—one that places fatherhood at the…

“นักเตะดังเวียดนาม” คว้าแชมป์อาเซียน คัพ 2024 แต่ได้เหรียญรางวัลเขียนว่า “รองแชมป์”

หัวจะปวดเลย เหรียญแชมป์อาเซียน คัพ 2024 ของ เหงียน เตี๋ยน ลิง กองหน้าทีมชาติเวียดนาม หลุดคิวซี ดันเขียนเป็นรองแชมป์ วันที่ 8 มกราคม 2568 ความเคลื่อนไหวหลังเกมทีมชาติเวียดนาม ชนะ ทีมชาติไทย 3-2 นัดชิงชนะเลิศ อาเซียน คัพ 2024 เลก 2 (สกอร์รวม 2 นัด…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *