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'I spent the majority of the Six Nations on the bench. I will try to take any opportunity'

Aaron Wainwright

Aaron Wainwright is ready to embark on Wales’ final round of World Cup auditions as the tournament in Japan draws ever closer.

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The Dragons back-row forward looks set to pack down against England at Twickenham on Sunday, when Wales step up their tournament preparations.

England in Cardiff, followed by home and away appointments with Ireland, are also on the pre-World Cup agenda.

And while the overwhelming majority of head coach Warren Gatland’s final 31-man group – due to be announced three weeks before Wales’ September 23 World Cup opener – appears in place, opportunities will still present themselves.

“It would be massive, the pinnacle of anyone’s career,” said Wainwright, when asked about possible World Cup selection.

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“As soon as you start playing rugby, that’s what you want to achieve – to play for your country and then play for your country at the World Cup.

“It only comes around every four years, so it would be very special.

“If I can get into the squad, that would be awesome – one of my biggest dreams since I started playing rugby.”

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Wainwright, a former midfielder who was on Cardiff City’s books as a teenager, only made his Test debut 14 months ago.

But the 21-year-old has impressed during an eight-cap Wales career that included him featuring in all five games of last season’s Six Nations title-winning and Grand Slam campaign.

Toby Faletau Aaron Wainwright
Taulupe Faletau

“To come through that quickly, I guess it is surprising for myself,” he added.

“I spent the majority of the Six Nations on the bench and would have liked to have had more game time.

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“If I can get that in these warm-up games, it will be ideal to showcase what I can do. I will try to take any opportunity I get with both hands.”

While World Cup planning is paramount for Wales, they will also arrive in south-west London on the back of a record 14-match unbeaten run.

Ireland were the last team to beat them, in February last year. Since then, Wales have claimed a fourth Six Nations crown of Gatland’s reign and climbed to number two in the World Rugby rankings.

“On a daily basis, the senior players and some of the younger ones as well are driving the standards in the squad,” Wainwright said.

“There will be an added pressure, but the coaching staff do their jobs really well to make sure we just concentrate on our game, looking forward to each game one at a time.

“Warren said in the Six Nations that we have forgotten how to lose, and that takes a bit of the pressure off. If we can just perform well each game, then hopefully it will be all right.

“We beat them (England) in the Six Nations, so they are going to be fired up. It’s a massive derby and I don’t think they will be taking it lightly. It will be a good game against a fierce team.”

– PA

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TI 4 hours ago
All Blacks player ratings vs Italy | Autumn Nations Series

Rieko took literally years to turn from a defensive liability at 13 into a guy, who’s defensively sound as it befits the position. And it all came at the cost of him being much less of an offensive threat, than what he used to be. Proctor is a natural 13, he handles, passes, and kicks way better than Rieko ever will, he just isn’t as fast.


It’s unfair to judge Tupaea on the handful of games he’s had in 2022 before he got nearly crippled by a Wallaby lock. What could Tupaea/Proctor pairing be, if they got the same amount of chances as Jordie/Rieko?


Because no matter how you spin it, playing a player outside of his natural position is a poor asset management. No matter how talented he is, he still competes against players who had years and years of practice at the position. And if said guy is so talented that he actually CAN compete against specialists, imagine how much better still he could have been, if he had all those years to iron the toothing issues at the position. It just drives me mad.


Two things I hate in rugby union beyond description: aping after league, and playing players outside of their natural position. Especially considering, that they all admit they hate it, when they’re allowed to speak freely. Owen Farrell spent 80% of his international career at 12, saying every time when asked, that he is a 10 and prefers to play at 10. Those players are literally held at a gunpoint: play out of position, or no national jersey for you.

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