Shaun Edwards wants Wales to have pace – Rugby News Update
Shaun Edwards, the 45-year-old assistant coach of Wales, believes that if his team is to win on Australian soil this summer, they have to add more pace to their backline.
Wales plays Australia in a three-match test series starting from June 9 at Brisbane, with further tests at Melbourne and Sydney. Wales has an abysmal record against southern hemisphere opponents, especially away from home, having not won a test match on
Australian soil since 1969.
Coming on the back of a triumph at the 2012 Six Nations Grand Slam, Wales is confident that they can replicate their strategy of unleashing pace from the backline to out manoeuvre opponents. However, Edwards is of the opinion that they need to be even quicker
against the Australians.
"I've been telling them it will take 80 minutes of sustained intensity, sustained accuracy and sustained speed of the game to come out on top," he said. "It is about getting there a step quicker than we are used to doing. We have to realise it is a bit of
a quicker game and we have to adjust to that extra pace. The Australians are very skilful and we can't afford to give them an inch."
Edwards led an advanced party of 16 players to Australia last Thursday to provide them the maximum time to get over their jet-lag. The assistant coach believes that it was imperative the players travelled early to Australia, as it will provide them a good
number of days to get used to the conditions Down Under. The other members of the touring party will join the team this week, as they defeated the Barbarians over the last weekend.
Edwards, who is a former rugby league player knows what it takes to win in Australia. He was part of the Wigan Rugby League side that won the 1994 World Club Crown against the Brisbane Broncos.
He wants the Wales team to make history in Australia and be the first team to win a series Down Under.
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