Why I think Wales will beat Wallabies ... and my team to deliver the victory
WALES are up and running at the Rugby World Cup after a comfortable 43-14 victory over Georgia but now it’s time for the big one.
Australia are next and this is likely to be the game that decides who wins Pool D and who finishes runner up, barring any disaster.
I was really impressed with the way Wales started in Toyota City but it would have been nice to see them really put the Georgians to the sword in the second half.
That being said, I’m very upbeat about Wales’ chances against the Wallabies.
The boys beat them last time out and there’s a great buzz about the squad and they’ve got to believe in themselves now. They have to back themselves.
I’m sure Wales will raise their performance again, generally we get better as tournaments go on.
There’s too much talent in this team. I think we’ll beat the Aussies by 10 points and this would be the side I’d pick to do it.
15. Liam Williams
He’s just had a great season and won everything this year. I just hope we get him involved in the game a bit more because he’s an attacking threat and one of our most potent attacking weapons.
Liam is a winner and he’s a great professional. He’s a bit of a character and great for the squad but when it comes to training and playing, he’s a competitor and so focused on the job.
The Saracens star plays every game like it’s his last and that’s exactly what you want.
14. George North
He was a little bit quiet against Georgia and I think he could probably come off his wing a little bit more and offer himself.
That being said, he got a try and he has all the attributes. Hopefully we can get him a bit more involved.
Whenever I used to play, I would always just try and find him to get him the ball because he’s that good. He’s so destructive. We used to get him running off me at scrum-half a lot and he can score around the fringes too because he’s so powerful. We saw him do it against England in the warm-ups.
He has to hold his width and give us that shape but it’s not always going to come out to him, especially in the 22.
13. Jonathan Davies
He’s very, very solid and never makes a mistake. Jon is deceptively quick and very powerful – he’s a very awkward height to tackle as well.
If you go high on him that you’ve got no chance. He’ll just palm you off with that big hand off of his.
Then if you go low on him he’s got really good footwork and can dance around you so it’s a Catch 22. He’s scored some crucial tries for Wales.
He’s a good organiser and a good communicator.
12. Owen Watkin
Hadleigh Parkes has been solid enough but he’s got that fracture in his hand and you need to have boys that are fully fit.
I’ve played with niggles in the past and it’s really difficult to put your best foot forward. I never played my best when I was carrying an injury.
Parkes has been a bit quiet recently, so I would put Owen in there to change things up a little bit.
I thought the Ospreys centre was really good when he started against Italy in the Six Nations. He’s very comfortable on the ball and has a great skillset.
It’s been difficult for him to make his mark in the squad because he hasn’t had consistent starts, but people close to the squad rave about him. I can see massive potential there.
11. Josh Adams
Josh is on fire at the moment. Him and Justin Tipuric were the two best players on the field against Georgia.
You can see the confidence oozing from him at the moment. They brought him up the inside off that lineout to target the front rower defending the tail and he ran superb lines.
Having read some of his interviews, you can just tell that he’s absolutely buzzing. He’s on top of the world and that’s what you need.
He’s young, fresh and enjoying it.
10. Dan Biggar
I’ve been really impressed with Dan recently. He’s the ultimate competitor, he puts it about and they are the kind of players you want to compete alongside. When you go out there you want to leave it all on the field and he does that every time.
Dan is always communicating, screaming, organising and he’s key to Wales’ success. He drives everyone on.
Me and Dan are both very passionate blokes, but we never had any run-ins. It comes down to respect. I always backed his decisions and he always backed me.
You need to have a good relationship as half-backs and I always had that with him, both on the field and off it. He’s world-class.
9. Gareth Davies
The Scarlets scrum-half has started the tournament really well. He’s looking very sharp.
Gareth was very threatening, he was making some lovely arching runs off rucks and mauls. He was attracting defenders to him.
He has to be himself and I know Stephen Jones likes a No.9 to be a running threat off of everything.
Look at his try against England – yes, he went the wrong way but his talent got him out of a sticky situation and he scored an incredible try. He can create from nothing.
1. Wyn Jones
Now I have to be honest here, I don’t