Charvis: Wales can upset odds
If Welsh flanker Colin Charvis was a betting man then the odds given for tomorrow’s clash with Australia at the Millennium Stadium would make tempting reading.
The Wallabies are clear favourites at 11-4 with many bookies but Charvis believes this to be Wales’ best chance of beating Australia in at least a decade.
Charvis has played the Wallabies four times and lost on each occasion and the recent form guide does not inspire great optimism.
Wales suffered a record 41-3 defeat to New Zealand on the first weekend of November, followed it up with an ugly 11-10 win over Fiji before losing to South Africa 33-16 last Saturday.
But there were signs against the Springboks that things were beginning to click and Charvis is confident Mike Ruddock’s new-look side are building up a head of steam that makes 11-4 a good price.
“I beat Australia with the Lions in 2001 but I have difficult memories with Wales because we have lost every game I have been involved in,” said the former Wales captain.
“But this time we should be more competitive than we have been before. They have always been massive favourites to beat us and the scorelines have often reflected that.
“I think they are favourites again this weekend but the odds aren’t so heavily stacked against us as they have been in the past.
“We held our hands up after the New Zealand game and admitted we hadn’t performed as well as we would have wanted to.
“It was similar against Fiji and even against South Africa, but if you look at the three performances so far there has been an upward trend in the way we have played.
“We just need to try to continue that this week.”
Wales have faced the kind of tough autumn campaign that would not normally befall the Grand Slam champions.
But a drastic injury toll, that includes six Lions who formed the core of last year’s successful team, has forced Ruddock into rebuilding the squad. It has given opportunities to the likes of hooker Rhys Thomas and Chris Horsman, both of whom have proven they have a Test future.
But otherwise Ruddock has been filling holes, waiting for the likes of Gavin Henson and Tom Shanklin to return.
“I think Mike Ruddock has probably been scratching his head a little bit over the injuries that have faced him over the last few weeks,” said Charvis.
“But he seems very confident in the squad he has pulled together for this series and believes that the guys who take the field deserve to wear the jersey.
“It’s not been difficult trying to bring things together. Most of the guys involved at the moment have been in and around the squad for quite a while, so the structure and style we like to play is pretty set.
“New Zealand are number one in the world and South Africa are number two in the world, so it’s pretty difficult to play against teams of that calibre.
“It was a huge statement by the Wales team management – choosing to play against the three best teams in the world. But to get a measure of where we are in world rugby, we have to come up against that calibre of opposition.”
