SM
Bayern vs. Augsburg: 17 hrs 4 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Warren Gatland insists Wales can win "open" World Cup

:Headline: Warren Gatland insists Wales can win 'open' World Cup: ID:370080: from db_amp
The Wales boss is upbeat about World Cup prospects in Japan.

Warren Gatland believes there are as many as six or seven teams capable of winning the World Cup after naming his 31-man Wales squad for the tournament.

Lock Cory Hill has been named in the group despite suffering from a leg fracture.

Dragons lock Hill, who captained his country in two Tests against Argentina last year, could be unavailable until Wales' second pool game against Australia in Tokyo on September 29.

Cory Hill (centre) is in the Wales squad (Paul Harding/PA)

He has not played since February, while fly-half Rhys Patchell also features following his try-scoring exploits against Ireland on Saturday.

Scarlets props Rob Evans and Samson Lee did not make the cut, with Saracens loosehead Rhys Carre, who made his Test debut against Ireland, among five players chosen in that position.

"We'll have to assess the progress of someone like Cory Hill," Wales head coach Gatland said.

"Hopefully, he will be on track to make that second game, but if he doesn't hit his markers, we may have to make a call.

"I think this is the most open World Cup we've had for a long time. There are six or seven teams capable of winning the World Cup.

"You always need a little bit of luck. You get to the quarter-finals and then take it one game at a time.

"I think it (squad) is good enough to win (the World Cup). We go there with a lot of confidence."

Gatland has opted for a split of 13 backs and 18 forwards, but Evans and Lee, who have 77 caps between them, miss out along with the likes of Jarrod Evans, Owen Lane, Scott Williams and Bradley Davies from Wales' training group.

Gatland added: "When we decided to go with the five props, one of the big discussion points was how durable the props were.

“I think this is the most open World Cup we've had for a long time. There are six or seven teams capable of winning the World Cup”
- Warren Gatland

"Rob hasn't trained a lot in the lead-up to the World Cup matches. He came in with a shoulder injury, then he picked up a neck injury and a few back issues, so he hadn't played a lot.

"Samson has missed a few campaigns through injury, and had a hamstring issue during the campaign.

"Someone like Rhys Carre has made incredible progress. He's dropped 10kgs, I thought he did well on Saturday.

"Apart from one day, when he found it tough when his calves were tight, he hasn't missed a training session, he hasn't been in the physio room."

It will be captain Alun Wyn Jones' fourth World Cup, with wing George North and hooker Ken Owens featuring in the tournament for a third time.

Patchell and Jarrod Evans effectively played for one fly-half place alongside Dan Biggar when they had 40 minutes each in Saturday's 22-17 defeat against Ireland.

"I thought Rhys came on and gave a pretty solid performance in the second-half," Gatland said.

"For us, with Rhys, the whole time he's been with us it has been about rebuilding his confidence.

Patchell forced his way into the squad (Adam Davy/PA)

"He came in not being picked for the Scarlets, being on the bench and not having a lot of rugby, so we wanted to bring him along slowly, giving him the confidence and belief he can perform at this level."

Wales' opening World Cup game is against Georgia in Toyota City on September 23, followed by Australia in Tokyo six days later.

The tournament will be Gatland's farewell from a role he has filled since 2008, during which time Wales have won four Six Nations titles, three Grand Slams and reached a World Cup semi-final.

amp_article__370080 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-09-01 18:40:35:
html db last update - 2019-09-01 18:40:35 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Warren Gatland

Click here for more stories about Wales

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .