Quest For Autumn Success Starts Now

THE Rugby Championship is a tournament I’ve always enjoyed watching. It’s brilliant rugby, played in great conditions and it involves some of the best players in the world.

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For me, this year’s competition is vitally important and I’m talking here from a Northern Hemisphere perspective.

If I was Warren Gatland, or any of the senior Wales players or coaches for that matter, I’d be watching the action over the next few weeks like a hawk. It’s time to get the inside track.

In the next two years or so, Wales – not to mention England, Scotland and Ireland – are going to meet the best sides in the Southern Hemisphere on a regular basis.

We’ve got the November Tests later this year and before you know it we’ll be preparing for the next World Cup in Japan in 2019.

From a Welsh point of view, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa will all arrive in Cardiff in the next few months. Those games are an absolutely crucial chance to get into a winning habit. Psychologically, it’s vital we believe we can beat these teams.

That’s why we need to get to know our opposition inside out. What better way to do that than by watching them in action? The Rugby Championship provides the perfect opportunity to do exactly that which is I’m really interested to see what will happen in the tournament.