Beneath the seasonal mistletoe in Wales this Christmas there will be less frivolity than normal. With the nation’s rugby team third in the world rankings, this is no time for casual distractions. Forget the frankincense and myrrh: just imagine the golden glow in 2019 should wise old Warren Gatland deliver a Six Nations title and World Cup glory as parting gifts to his followers.
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And why not? Talking to one of Gatland’s increasingly pivotal squad members this week was to sense, if nothing else, a rising inner belief seldom matched since the fabled days of the 1970s. “Wales are now genuine heavyweights, they really are,” says Gareth Anscombe, high on the list of candidates to start in the crucial role of No 10. “Warren’s turned Wales into a formidable opponent and, ultimately, he’s going to go down as one of the best Welsh coaches they’ve had. Come the World Cup, we’d like to think we’re going to be pretty tough to beat.”
This is not simply idle chat. While Anscombe expects this season’s Six Nations to be a major bunfight – “It’s shaping up to be one of the best Six Nations in God knows how long” – he thinks even his native New Zealand regard Wales with fresh respect. “Not so long ago the All Blacks would come over at the end of their year and still put 50 points on them. I don’t think that would happen any more. They now know they’re in for a bit of a shitfight.” So could the Welsh be dark horses for the 2019 World Cup? “Potentially. The group works tremendously hard for each other. If you can get through to the knockout stages, anything could happen.”
One thing that caught me off guard when I moved here was how big social media was … I tried too hard to impress rather than just worry about myself. I’ve slowly won over a few people now
Coming from a player who shared a New Zealand Under-20 dressing-room with Beauden Barrett, Brodie Retallick and TJ Perenara – as well as the now relocated Brad Shields, Charles Piutau and Steven Luatua – that is high praise. In the junior World Cup final of 2011 Anscombe also helped guide the Baby Blacks to victory in the final against an England team containing Owen Farrell, George Ford, Elliot Daly, Mako Vunipola, Joe Launchbury and Christian Wade, among others. Little did anyone guess he would end up in red, a potential World Cup danger to both nations.
Anscombe, about to be reunited with Farrell again on Saturday afternoon when Saracens visit Cardiff Blues, is among several Welsh players shaping up nicely for Japan. Regardless of Dan Biggar or Rhys Patchell’s fitness, the 27-year-old’s form has been good enough lately to silence those unimpressed when he was parachuted in from Super Rugby by Gatland. It mattered not that his mother is Cardiff-born from a proud Welsh family; even his first name was not enough to endear him to all.
In October Anscombe used the word “crucified” to describe the social media abuse he received; it has taken four years for him to feel entirely accepted. “One thing that caught me off guard when I first moved here was how big social media was, compared to New Zealand. It took me a while to accept but it’s probably harder for your family.”
With injuries hindering his progress and his father, Mark, losing his job as Ulster’s head coach, he struggled to make the impact he would have liked. “I probably tried too hard to impress rather than just worry about myself. I feel I’ve maybe slowly won over a few people now. Definitely not everybody but that’s always going to be the case.”
As his sharp solo try for the Blues against Lyon in October underlined though, this is a smart footballer good enough to operate at either 10 or 15 internationally. Instinctively he prefers fly-half, where he started for Wales in their high-achieving autumn. “I’ve always felt, particularly as a 10, that you need time in the saddle.” It remains his view that even the gifted Barrett would not have been an instant success had he uncovered a granny from Barry Island and opted for Wales. “I’d highly doubt that. You’ve got to accept that maybe what works in New Zealand won’t work here.
“It’s reffed completely differently, playing conditions are completely different and the game’s slower. Refs allow defensive sides to cheat a lot more at the breakdown, which means slower ball. At lineouts teams can also cheat easily; I’m not sure if standing 10 metres back is even refereed here any more. I think it’s something they need to address in European rugby. It’s about the product at the end of the day. And if it’s four degrees, pissing down with rain and blowing 40mph that also requires a different type of rugby.”
All this weather talk – “It can be cold in New Zealand but not as cold as here” – is ironic given his earliest rugby memories are from England and Ireland. In the mid-90s his father coached at Old Wesley in Dublin before being hired by Moseley in professionalism’s early days. The family lived near Edgbaston cricket ground and it was an English fly-half who first caught the five-year-old Anscombe’s imagination: “I remember Rob Andrew playing for Newcastle against Moseley and it being a pretty big deal. I remember little bits of Birmingham; it would be nice to go back some time and find a few old friends.”
If, by then, he has helped beat England and Ireland at the Principality Stadium so much the better. Regardless of how Farrell – and the powerful Saracens squad – fare this weekend, Anscombe predicts a different occasion next time England’s captain crosses the bridge. “England v Wales always has a different edge. I don’t know if hatred’s the word but there’s certainly a little brother, big brother clash there. It’s going to be fantastic, whoever’s playing: a lot riding on it, the World Cup looming. Those are the games you want to play in. Three or four teams could win the Six Nations, given a bit of luck. It’s definitely the best competition in the world at the moment.”
With his wedding to his Serbia-born fiancee, Milica, also set for early June, 2019 should be memorable whatever happens. “The World Cup is in the back of everyone’s mind and I’m no different. I want to be part of it.” By next Christmas his photo could be adorning countless bedroom walls in Wales.