LEWSEY JOINS WELSH GLORY BID

JOSH LEWSEY, unveiled as the WRU’s new head of rugby, believes Wales can win the World Cup. Lewsey, 36, explained his surprise move to join England’s arch rivals by emphasising his Welsh heritage. The former full back-cum-wing (right) was part of Sir Clive Woodward’s World Cupwinning England team in 2003. Lewsey, who will be in charge of running the game at all levels outside the senior Test team, sees no issue in switching sides. ‘Professional sport is not a civil war,’ he said. ‘I went to see my uncle in Cwmllynfell and the family in Llandeilo to soak it all up. I spent a lot of my youth there — that’s no secret. I’m proud of my heritage. No matter what shirt I pull on, I will try to do my best professional job.’ Lewsey, an ex-Wasps player who enjoyed success under Warren Gatland, will rejoin forces with the Wales coach, who led the Lions to a series win over Australia in July. Lewsey (left) believes the WRU’s decision to hire Gatland was a masterstroke and that the greatest reward — after two Grand Slams and a Six Nations title this year — may be yet to come. ‘Look at some of my quotes from when Wales hired Gatland,’ he said. ‘At the time, there was a lot of stuff about why the RFU didn’t go there and the WRU did. ‘Surprise, surprise, you have two Grand Slams and a Championship as well as a load of Test series-winning Lions. The challenge is how to keep that talent in the country, how to maintain that success and galvanise the sport at grass-roots level. ‘Can Wales win the World Cup? Yes. Will they? That is the challenge. They lost in the last semi-final but the interesting thing for me was 60,000 were in the stadium to watch on a TV screen. ‘That shows the passion and verve for the national game. It’s about how you utilise that interest to inspire more people to play.’