2023 is nearly upon as and the big rugby focus of the year will, of course, be the World Cup.
All the teams are now known, the fixtures are set and Warren Gatland is back to lead Wales to a fourth global tournament. So what chance does the Kiwi have of repeating and bettering previous successes that saw semi-final finishes in 2011 and 2019, as well as a quarter-final in 2015?
Recent form and the bookmakers' odds suggest Wales are up against it, but the peculiar nature of the draw this time around gives Gatland a very realistic prospect of going deep into the competition once again.
Indeed, while the top four ranked teams (Ireland, France, New Zealand and South Africa) seem miles ahead of the rest based on performances, results and rankings points in 2022, two of them simply cannot make the final four of the competition.
Wales, on the other hand, can realistically reach the semi-finals without facing any of the current top five teams. Make no mistake, though, Wales are in a tough pool and just getting out of that will be no easy task.
READ MORE: The Wales rugby player of 2022 candidates and who deserves your vote
Who do Wales play at the 2023 Rugby World Cup?
We now know that Wales' Rugby World Cup Pool C opponents will be Australia (ranked sixth), Fiji (14th), Georgia (13th) and Portugal (18th). First up is Fiji on Sunday, September 10 - a team who with proper preparation are capable of troubling any side in the world. Then it is Portugal on Saturday, September 16, Australia eight days later and finally Georgia on October 7.
Wales, who are ranked ninth in the world at the close of 2022, should have enough to finish in the top two and challenge to win the group, but it's littered with banana skins, as evidenced by the recent historic first defeat to the Georgians in Cardiff.
Who plays who in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals?
This is where things get interesting due to the controversial nature of the draw this time around. The pools were drawn way back in December 2020. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, World Rugby decided the seedings would be based on how the world rankings looked at the start of that year, when Wales were still reigning Six Nations Grand Slam champions and ranked fourth. It meant they were among the top seeds for the draw.
Ireland and France, meanwhile, who dominated the 2022 Six Nations and are ranked one and two in the world, were both only second seeds. That means we have a situation where New Zealand and France are in the same Pool (A) and Ireland and South Africa are also grouped together in Pool B. What's more, at the quarter-final stage, the winners of pool A face the runners-up of pool B and vice-versa - meaning that a maximum of two of the four best sides can reach the semi-finals.
As for Wales, their Pool is tied to Pool D, which contains England (ranked fifth), Argentina (8th) and Japan (10th). It's hard to judge how that group will go, but England are favourites to top it, followed by Argentina in second.
It means if Wales were to win their pool they could well play Argentina in the quarter-finals, a difficult game but one which presents a real opportunity of once again reaching the semi-finals. There is also the very real prospect of a Wales v England quarter-final.
How is the World Cup expected to play out?
France are understandably the favourites on home soil (5/2), followed by New Zealand (3/1). Defending champions South Africa are next at 9/2, with Ireland currently only fourth with the bookies despite their world number one status. That is probably due to their poor World Cup record that has seen them never progress beyond the quarter-finals stage. England and Australia are next, with Wales currently the seventh favourites to lift the trophy at 25/1.
The Rugby World Cup 2023 pools in full
Pool A: New Zealand, France, Italy, Uruguay, Namibia
Pool B: South Africa, Ireland, Scotland, Tonga, Romania
Pool C: Wales, Australia, Fiji, Georgia, Portugal
Pool D: England, Japan, Argentina, Samoa, Chile
READ MORE:
Rob Howley and double Grand Slam winner both in frame to join Warren Gatland's Wales coaching team
New rugby laws announced for 2023 as host of changes coming
Wales international gutted by huge talent's exit amid 'nightmare mess'
