Gatland excited as Wales set sights on record winning run

Having removed the albatross from around their necks, Warren Gatland’s Wales are focusing on soaring to new heights. The head coach has set his sights on winning all four autumn internationals for the first time and then chasing the 108-year-old record for most successive wins.

Wales last won eight in a row in 2005, although the opponents then included Japan, Canada and the United States. Should Tonga be accounted for on Saturday, the Pacific Islanders will be the only non-tier one nation on this run.

South Africa would clearly be a tougher proposition in the final match, but Rassie Erasmus’s side would be all that was standing between Wales and their longest winning run this century. All it would require then is to beat France and Italy away at the start of the Six Nations before seeing off England on a famous day in Cardiff to eclipse the original Grand Slammers of 1910.

The chance to go 100 per cent in this series to maintain the momentum towards the World Cup, is uppermost in Gatland’s ambitions.

“People talk about what this could mean for our pool match in the World Cup against Australia,” he said. “The players know they are good enough to beat them, good enough to beat them when they have just come off a Rugby Championship. We have some real momentum at the moment. There is a lot at stake in the next 10 months. We feel we are in a really good place and really looking forward to it.”

Gatland is most pleased with the strength in depth in his ranks, and nobody summed that up better than wing Josh Adams, whom the coach declared his man of the match instead of the ultra-impressive openside Justin Tipuric.

Gatland admitted to “struggling with deja vu” in the last few minutes as Australia threatened to inflict another gut-wrencher.

By then, Dan Biggar, with his first touch of the match, had kicked a penalty to give Wales the advantage. Biggar was on the pitch in the 77th minute only because Leigh Halfpenny went off with a head injury – for which he will have to pass the HIA protocols. The pleasure of finally ending the hex was marred by the baffling and worrying decision of New Zealand referee Ben O’keeffe not even to penalise Samu Kerevi for his late hit. O’keeffe signified it was “unintentional”, but under the rules and directives that should make no difference. “It was reckless,” Gatland said.

Scoring

Wales Australia Referee