6 Nations 2014 - History in the making for Wales?

As this year’s tournament draws closer, the 6 Nations championship promises a lot for reigning champions Wales.

Warren Gatland this week announced his squad to mount their assault on what would be an historic third title in a row. There’s no doubt that recent years have proved very successful for the Welsh in this tournament, notable years including 2005, 2008 and 2012. The last grand slam, followed up by last year’s tournament win leads us nicely into the 2014 event.

Gatland’s squad selection this year provides all the usual suspects marking his faith in the tried and tested combinations that have served the country so well. There are a few newer names amongst the squad with the likes of Samson Lee, Rhodri Jones, Emyr Phillips and Rhodri Williams. These younger players are selected on merit after some standout performances for their regions. Nobody can say they are not worthy of their performances and some of these will no doubt get their chance to show what they can do during the tournament.

One slight surprise is the inclusion of injury doubt Gethin Jenkins. The Wales stalwart is struggling with a knee injury, the prop having had a scan on the injury he suffered whilst on Heineken Cup duty. A fellow injury victim, centre Jonathan Davies, is included in the squad despite missing most of the tournament. The squad is given a boost with another centre, Jamie Roberts, having been declared available for duty by club Racing Metro, who expect him back playing a couple of weeks before the tournament begins. His return after missing the autumn through injury is perfectly timed with the absence of Davies.

The Welsh Lions contingent are back together in a squad that will have high hopes of capturing the title. Their quest kicks off on February 1^st with a home game against Italy. The squad, the coaches and indeed the nation will be hoping for a comfortable victory that will set them up for a difficult trip away to the Irish. The 2 week gap is then followed up with a much debated Friday night game against the French, 2 weeks off before a daunting trip to Twickenham to face the English and then rounding the tournament off with a game against Scotland.

The Welsh public will be hoping to have sealed 4 victories before coming up against the Scots and will be looking to celebrate a fourth grand slam in the last ten years. Gatland and his coaching team, whilst possibly harbouring the same secret ambition, will no doubt be keeping the squad firmly grounded and taking it one game at a time. The same approach will be adopted as in the last 2 years where Gatland’s coaching methods have proved such a success with Wales and the Lions.

These methods along with the strong squad, both in physicality and experience, along with the passion and drive of the players leaves the Welsh public salivating at the prospect of an unprecedented third title in a row and cementing the Welsh position at the top of the Northern Hemisphere rugby tree.

Author Bio: Rachel writes for Shop Rugby, a leading Welsh retailer of rugby kit, clothing and accessories. Shop the Wales collection online at ShopRugby.com.