Shaun Edwards rallying team for last push – Rugby News Update
Shaun Edwards, the assistant coach of Wales, wants his team to go for it in the final test at Sydney and create history by defeating the Wallabies on Australian soil for the first time since 1969.
Wales are currently touring Australia for a three-match test series, and after losing the first two matches, they have nothing but pride on the line for the last test. However, Edwards has reiterated that his team has the desire to break the jinx and win
at least a solitary test Down Under. Wales came to Australia at the back of winning the 2012 Six Nations Grand Slam, and they were confident of winning the series against the hosts.
Unfortunately for the Welsh, Australia has proved to be a formidable challenge and they have one last opportunity to win. This fact is not lost on Edwards, who said, "It was a huge disappointment (on Saturday), an opportunity definitely missed, but hopefully
as the week progresses that will slowly turn into a determination to not leave your beautiful shores without a victory in a Test match."
Edwards was also disappointed with the manner of defeat at Melbourne, when Australia clinched the game with a last minute penalty goal, something the assistant coach believes was avoidable. Sam Warburton, the Wales Captain, had also shared similar views
a few days ago.
Speaking about the game he said, "Defences get refereed more harshly than offences do, and rightly so. Otherwise we would have the stalemate game we had two or three years ago when there was so much kicking in the game. But when you are defending for such
long periods you are going to concede a penalty or two.”
Australia scored only a solitary try in the second match, while Wales scored two. The difference between the two teams was the number of penalty goals that the Wallabies scored, and that proved to be the difference at the end.
Edwards, like all the Welsh players, wants to win a test match, and will work on their problem areas, to avoid a clean sweep.
Tags: