Shaun Edwards believes Wales’s formidable defence alone will not be enough to win next year’s World Cup but that the squad are the strongest he has known.
The defence coach’s side will travel to Japan third in the world rankings after a run of nine victories. They conceded an average of 14.7 points in 12 Tests this year, better than Ireland’s 15.3 and New Zealand’s 18.2, and their average of 1.8 tries against them was equalled only by the Irish.
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“After we lost to Ireland in the Six Nations [37-27], I had a look at myself and tweaked the way we trained,” said Edwards, who has been with Wales since 2008 and will return to rugby league as the Wigan coach after the World Cup. “I tried to simplify it even more. Defence is a team effort and it involves all the coaches. We have defended well since the Ireland game and conceded only two tries in our three November Tests against tier-one countries, despite playing in good conditions with the roof closed. Points tallies tend to drop in the European autumn because of the weather but that did not apply to us.
“It requires real intensity and that comes down to our fitness staff. We have had the best defence in the last two World Cups but I do not see it being won by defence in Japan. The last World Cup was attack-oriented and I think the next one will be even more so.”
Edwards has become a popular figure in Wales, with his no-nonsense approach helping turn around a team who in the previous 20 years had short bursts of success interrupted by far longer periods of failure. The attitude was more amateur than professional but Wales no longer lag behind in terms of this or of conditioning.
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“This is the strongest squad I have worked with in Wales, with such competition for places it makes people weary, which is what you want,” Edwards said. “We have some top-class youngsters coming through and they are driven. If you want to be a professional rugby player you have to make decisions when you are 16. You can play for fun, great, but as soon as you say you will play for money you have to dedicate every hour of your waking life to becoming a better player; what you eat and drink, what time you go to bed, lift weights and even how you rest. It’s for real.”
Edwards wants to leave Wales on a high. “We are not blowing our own trumpet but we are in good shape,” he says. “I want to go out with a bang, no doubt about that. The All Blacks are still the World Cup favourites but the winner could well come from the northern hemisphere. When I started with Wales, it was big news if South Africa or Australia lost in Europe; not any more. I will miss union, going back to rugby league just when I am finally getting to grips with the game.”