Wales

Friday 18th May 2001

Colours: Red
Major Honours: Four Nations Grand Slam (1908, 1909); Four Nations (1893, 1900, 1902, 1905); Five Nations Grand Slam (1911, 1950, 1952, 1971, 1976 & 1978); Five Nations (1920, 1922, 1931, 1936, 1939, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1975, 1979, 1988 & 1994); Six Nations Grand Slam (2005).

Coach: Former Dragons mentor Mike Ruddock succeeded Steve Hansen as Wales coach in May 2004 - leap-frogging favourites Gareth Jenkins and Mark Evans to the position. In fact, he did not even apply for the job! Despite the curious start to his tenure, two close encounters with South Africa and New Zealand in November 2004 left the Welsh public feeling cautiously optimistic, an optimism that burst into emotional relief and joy as Wales spectacularly took a Grand Slam of the Six Nations in 2005. Interestingly, Ruddock is the first Welshman to coach his country full-time since Kevin Bowring resigned in 1998.

Captain: Toulouse flyer Gareth Thomas is Wales's leading try-scorer having notched by 34 tries in 80 appearances, beating Ieuan Evans's record with a try against Italy at the end of last season's Six Nations.

Player to watch: Scarlets centre Matthew Watkins starred during the November 2005 Tests, and with Tom Shanklin out injured and Gavin Henson suspended for the first three matches, Watkins will almost certainly be asked to make one of those positions his own.

Profile: One of the proudest of rugby nations of all, it is a long time since Wales tasted the huge success they enjoyed during the 1970s when they dominated northern hemisphere rugby with three Grand Slams.

Third-place in the inaugural World Cup in 1987 and the Five Nations title in 1988 was shortly followed by one of the worst periods in the history of the game, as defections to rugby league and internal struggles decimated the national side. A Five Nations whitewash followed in 1990 and in 1991 Wales were dumped out of the World Cup in the Pool stages.

However, with the appointment of New Zealander Graham Henry in November 1998 things improved, a run of ten consecutive Test wins, including one over South Africa and a famous win over England, saw him heralded as the 'Great Redeemer'.

As host nation of 1999 World Cup, Wales reached the quarter-final of the tournament before losing to eventual Champions Australia by 24-9 and emerged from the inaugural Six Nations Tournament with some credit, recording victories over Ireland, Scotland and Italy.

However, over the following two years Wales struggled to make any further progress and defeats to the likes of Argentina and Ireland in 2001/02 led to Henry's resignation in February 2002, with fellow Kiwi Steve Hansen replacing him.

Hansen inherited a team in flux but his confidence that a new-look side was evolving at the right pace suffered a blow when a second-string England selection put 40 points on the Wales prior to the 2003 World Cup. The talent, as always, was there but the execution appeared worryingly amiss.

The matches against New Zealand and England at the 2003 Rugby World Cup were hailed as turnign points. Wales lost both, but ran in 37 points against the ABs and outscored England by three tries to one, both times playing a thrilling 'do-or-die' brand of rugby.

After that, there were several more near misses, including a heart-breaking one-point defeat to the All Blacks in Cardiff, before victory over England in 2005 sparked one of the most thrilling Grand Slams of the post-seventies era.

Under the pressure of multiple injuries, Wales stuttered at the end of 2005, but a first victory over Australia in 18 years with an under-strength team will have quelled fears of the 2005 Six Nations being a flash in the pan.

Click here for rugby union fixtures
Click here for rugby union results
Click here for more rugby union news