Wales fitter than 2011 – Warburton

LONDON: Wales are in excellent shape for a World Cup campaign that begins with a tough group including England and Australia, according to their captain Sam Warburton.

After summer training camps in Switzerland and Qatar, Wales lost 35-21 to Ireland in a warm-up match last week but Warburton believes the fitness levels of his squad are higher than they were before the 2011 World Cup.

“We are in a better place physically,” the 26-year-old flanker said yesterday.

“We started off from a better place from day one.

“We probably got to the fitness levels that we were at in 2011 a couple of weeks ago and we’ve got a nice two-week block now until Ireland.”

Wales, who finished fourth in the 2011 World Cup after losing to France in the semifinals, play Ireland again in Dublin on August 29 before coach Warren Gatland names his final 31-man squad.

They finished third in this year’s Six Nations, behind Ireland and England on points difference.

“I thought we were playing some great stuff towards the end of the Six Nations,” Warburton revealed.

“We felt very comfortable playing together so it’s about getting that cohesion back by the time the World Cup starts.”

Wales are in World Cup Pool A with hosts England, former champions Australia, Fiji and Uruguay. They begin their campaign against Uruguay in Cardiff on September 20.

Meanwhile, second-row forward Grant Gilchrist will captain Scotland in their World Cup warm-up against Italy in Turin on Saturday.

The squad, named yesterday, features 11 changes, nine in the pack, from the 28-22 defeat by Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.

Scotland coach Vern Cotter will name his team later this week. – Reuters