Wales must swim with the big fish

Right, then, Wales. Your moment of reckoning nears. This time, hiding behind the underdog tag won't do. No more nearly men. Nothing but victory will suffice. The time to rise up is now. Eleven straight wins is commendable and all. Equalling the Welsh record set from 1907-1910 after a first November sweep, which included grinding wins over the woeful Wallabies, and Springboks, is nothing to be scoffed at. Depth has undoubtedly improved in that time, too. If we are honest, though, this unbeaten run stretching back to March lacks real substance. The scalps of the All Blacks, Ireland and England are absent, after all. As yet, no result makes you sit up and believe Wales have suddenly turned the rugby world on its head. Six of those wins were at home – another rather meaningless against a second-string Springboks team in Washington. The point is, to be considered genuine World Cup contenders, Wales must upset England next week in Cardiff to keep the Six Nations title race alive. Forget the World Cup warm-ups to come, this match carries expectations and meaning and is, therefore, most relevant. Achieve that feat and, given the formidable form England have found, Wales will be viewed in a completely different context — just as England are now after two commanding wins to start World Cup year. Defeat of any kind in Cardiff — narrow, gallant, wide — and Wales will head to Japan lacking fear factor when it comes to test rugby's top tier. That is their brutal reality. Sure, on their day, Wales are capable of surprising. But they haven't beaten England for four years — the All Blacks since 1953. As it stands, unless they prove otherwise, fourth in the world seems about their lot. The hailed comeback in their opening Six Nations match in Paris, after falling 16 points behind by half time, was put in context by events at Twickenham and the sad state of this French team on the verge of another mutiny. Two wins on the road, however unconvincing, leaves Wales in a strong position. Winning has a funny way of becoming a habit, and Gatland will harness that further by evoking his favoured siege mentality for England. Whatever it takes, Wales need to take this next step or self-belief risks coming to a standstill.