Wales did a wonderful job during Rugby World Cup 2011 – Featured
When the global show of 2011 kicked off in New Zealand on September 9, no one was expecting Wales to seal the semi-final seat in the presence of giants like All Blacks, Wallabies, Springboks, France and England. They were considered an average side like
Ireland, Scotland and Fiji but the show they displayed during the event was simply remarkable. Wales were placed in Pool D along with South Africa, Samoa, Fiji and Namibia.
The command of the team was given to a comparatively young player, Sam Warburton, who has little experience at the international level. It was a real test of the young man for his individual performance in general and of leadership qualities in particular.
Sam Warburton was surely under immense pressure to work effectively under the given circumstances. However, the presence of Shane Williams, Rhys Priestland and Jonathan Davies was encouraging for the player.
Welsh side faced defending champs Springboks in the first clash of world showpiece on September 11, in Wellington, which they lost by a slight margin of 17-16. The Welsh side left no stone unturned to clinch the much important victory in the beginning of
the tournament but good work from the rampant Boks saw them crumbling in the first half.
The distance created during first part proved devastating for Wales as they could never make it to the final whistle. Their full-back James Hook was the man to watch during the contest. He scored 11 individual points for his team and made the encounter interesting.
Welsh side struggled with their forward bunches in the match which was the cause of worry for team management in the matches to come. However, their problem was solved to some extent in the second match they played against the meagre side of Samoa, on September
18, at Hamilton.
The match proved a confidence booster for them as the weaker side of Samoa allowed them to experiment. The forward packs presented an improved game and ultimately reaped the benefit with a comfortable triumph of 17-10.
Their third clash of the event against Namibia was the real booster to ensure a play-off seat in RWC. They scored 12 tries in the match to clinch a bonus point victory. The seasoned wing for Wales, Shane Williams, elevated his side with a terrific hat-trick
whereas George North and Stephan Jones were also very impressive with their fine work.
The flying victory over the rusty African side gave the European team a new hope of making much inspired efforts in the matches to come. They also conveyed a strong message to the other sides of their abilities to disrupt any team on their day.
Wales took on Fiji in their last contest of Pool matches on October 2, in Hamilton and trounced them by a mighty difference of 66-0. It was quite a practice session like match for them in the end as Fiji could not make any impression during the clash.
They faced Ireland in the first quarter final and downed them easily by comfortable margin of 22-10. However, they sustained two consecutive defeats in the semi-final and third position match respectively against France and Wallabies. Their overall achievement
was no less than a miracle as England and defending champs Springboks failed to secure semi-final berths. Their team management really appreciated the efforts in global show.
The opnions expressed in this article are of the author and do not represent the editorial policy of Bettor.com
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