As it turned out, the decisive drama arrived early in Pool C. It could all have been very different had Fiji’s Semi Radradra cleanly gathered that bouncing ball, out on the wing with the clock in the red, almost a month ago in Bordeaux.
A titanic defensive effort – 253 tackles made – eventually helped Wales to drag themselves over the line for a tone-setting bonus-point victory.
Having seen off a dynamic Portugal and then demolished the Wallabies in record-breaking fashion, Warren Gatland’s side now need only a point against Georgia in Nantes on Saturday to win the pool, with a last-eight tie against Argentina or Japan looming.
It all seems distinctly serene compared to the potentially nerve-shredding Pool B encounter that awaits Ireland and Scotland in Paris. Simple hard work has always been Gatland’s mantra, since his first appointment back in 2007, and Wales have earned the right to round off the pool in a relatively relaxed frame of mind. That is not to say they will take Georgia lightly, though, as the memory of last year’s humiliating Cardiff defeat lingers.
“We’re focused on playing a really tough team,” said the defence coach, Mike Forshaw, on Friday. “I expect physicality from Georgia. They’ve always been known for having a really good pack and they’ve got some really dangerous backs. They’re a team that are growing, and we have to give them the respect they deserve.”
Gatland said his team’s primary aim is being difficult to beat – “the performance and results take care of themselves” – and the coach overseeing the defence picked up on the theme.
“This group’s been pretty tough,” Forshaw said. “We’ve gone about our business. I don’t think we got the credit we deserve for the Fiji result, I think they [other people] focus on other things … Portugal ran us close, and we expect to be challenged [by Georgia].”
Included in those “other things”, presumably, is the controversy that raged over the refereeing following the victory against the Pacific islanders. Happily for Fiji and Radradra – as well as for all the neutrals pleased to see a Pacific island nation progress – they only need a point against Portugal to make the quarter-finals and send Australia home.
Forshaw knows all about trying to defend against the hot-stepping, powerful Fijians and said he approved of Georgia’s efforts in that direction last weekend.
“I was very impressed,” he said of the Lelos’ 17-12 defeat in Bordeaux. “They filled the field very well. They’re coached by Joe Worsley who was a very good defensive player, a very good coach. We expect them to be very tough to break down. It is going to be a very physical game and we expect Georgia to have a very enthusiastic defence.”
Georgia have not made the impact they hoped for in what was widely predicted to be an intensely competitive pool. They are already eliminated, along with Portugal, but perhaps that makes them all the more determined to finish strongly.
The captain, Merab Sharikadze, restored in midfield as one of five changes, led Georgia to the historic victory in Cardiff last November, but knows Wales will be a different proposition now.
“They are playing much, much better than they did then. They are an awesome team,” Sharikadze said. “I can say that was the biggest win in Georgian rugby history, so I am very proud I was part of it.”
It’s difficult to see a repeat given Welsh momentum, and looking further ahead, neither Argentina nor Japan would appear the most intimidating last-eight opponents.
Wales are visibly reaping the benefit of an extended time in training camp – as well as Gatland’s consistent knack of helping a group of players to peak, fitness and form-wise, at big tournaments. A semi-final looks distinctly achievable, and after that, who knows? The most compelling drama is yet to come.
