Wales ready to ‘compete against the best’ this Autumn – Jonathan Davies
New Zealand and South Africa feature in a tough schedule for Wales.
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Your support makes all the difference.Jonathan Davies says that Wales are “relishing the excitement of the challenge” as they prepare to tackle New Zealand in Cardiff.
Wales launch their Autumn Nations Series campaign on Saturday against a country they have not beaten since 1953.
It is a run of 31 successive defeats, including 16 at home, and Wales’ task has not been helped by injuries and unavailability.
With the game falling outside World Rugby’s autumn international window, the reigning Six Nations champions will be without England-based players like Dan Biggar, Taulupe Faletau and Louis Rees-Zammit because they are not released by their clubs.
And a number of key personnel are absent through injuries, with British and Irish Lions stars such as George North, Josh Navidi and Justin Tipuric all currently sidelined.
“Everyone talks about the record of the last 50 or 60 years against New Zealand,” Wales centre Davies said at the Autumn Nations Series official media launch.
“But it is a great way for us to start our autumn series. I think it is the excitement of the challenge. It’s a tough task, but I think the boys are focused and we’ve had two good weeks of preparation.
“We are focused on getting a performance and accuracy on the pitch to hopefully gain a good result, which would be a great way to start this autumn.”
For the first time since they met Six Nations opponents France in February last year, Wales will play in front a capacity 70,000-plus crowd at the Principality Stadium.
And Davies added: “It is an exciting prospect having a full Principality Stadium. It’s something the boys are relishing.
“I think it is one of the reasons why we all play the game. The bus trip in from the hotel to the stadium and seeing the streets full of Welsh supporters is amazing. Their roar is one of the best in the world.
“We’ve talked about being away from the fans for the last 18 months, but the opportunity to now go out and play in front of a full crowd is something you can’t take for granted. It is really exciting for whoever gets that chance.”
Davies, who has won 91 Wales caps, has only once been on a winning side against New Zealand and that was for the 2017 British and Irish Lions in Wellington.
But the 33-year-old is enthused by an autumn schedule that also features appointments with South Africa Fiji and Australia.
“I think if you look at the last few autumns, leading into the (2019) World Cup we were able to get that win over Australia after not winning (in that fixture) for 10 years,” he said.
I am excited about the challenge, and I have always wanted to compete against the best
“We’ve beaten South Africa the last few times, so for us it’s making sure we are accurate and compete at the highest level. There are some great fixtures to be excited about this autumn.
“We have got a good crop of boys, and we’ve got to make sure we are all competing in the week and making sure the team is as best prepared for the weekend as possible.
“I am excited about the challenge, and I have always wanted to compete against the best.”