Wales and The Lions - Through the eyes of Colin Charvis
A lot has been said about Wales' performances at the World Cup in New Zealand last year, but after securing successive wins against Ireland and Scotland in the Six Nations, the Welsh have shown that they are a force to be reckoned with and genuine contenders for the Six Nations title. Twickenham will be the stage for the Triple Crown decider between England and Wales at the end of this month and former Wales forward Colin Charvis believes that there are some exciting times ahead for his fellow countrymen:
"The results pretty much speak for themselves from those first two games of the tournament. They are aware that there are still things they've got to work on to improve, they're by no means thinking that they're a finished product, but they were very strong going into the first two games and the team should get stronger for the remaining three games of the tournament, it's just a case of waiting until Saturday to see if they can pull off a result at Twickenham.
The former back-row forward echoed Wales captain Sam Warburton's views from earlier this week that it is vital Wales don't get carried away after winning against Ireland and Scotland, but like Warburton, the former Dragons' man feels that the Welsh are on the brink of special things:
"We all know that winning the Grand Slam is an extremely difficult feat as it's a very tough competition. Two out of five games, they're (Wales) by no means over the hill yet and it's going to take a little bit more work but I believe with the strength that they've got, they can go all the way.
With the success that Wales have had under Warren Gatland, speculation has arisen about the New Zealander coaching the British and Irish Lions squad for their tour of Australia next year, but Charvis is keen to acknowledge that whoever takes over, the Lions squad is in good shape:
"The Wales team have reacted well to Warren (Gatland) and his coaching staff and what they've brought out of this Welsh team has been a revelation, they are a very good side at the moment. I think what's encouraging is the fact that Ireland are still a very strong team. England are re-building so who knows what could come from their stable in the next few years. Scotland have been looking stronger over the last couple of weeks even though results haven't gone their way but there's a good crop of players on the rise for the new coach to choose from.
The Lions squad won't be travelling to the Southern Hemisphere until summer 2013, so in the mean time Wales can continue to focus on the Six Nations, starting with the Triple Crown decider next weekend.
Colin Charvis was speaking to Talking Rugby Union reporter Ian Mitchelmore at the launch of the 'BG Energy Challenge Event' in London on February 16 raising money for Sparks and CARE International. This year's event will take place in the UK from 5-7 July 2012 in Dartmoor.
For more information on the event and for ways to get involved, visit: www.bg-energychallenge.com/UK or follow @BG_Challenge_UK
As ambassador for Sparks, Colin also works closely with the children's health charity, a charity that funds medical research which advances the clinical understanding and treatment of conditions affecting babies, children and mums-to-be:
"My general role as an ambassador for Sparks is helping out at events whether it's producing things or embarrassing myself playing golf, it's just great to be involved and help support the guys raising money. As a charity, Sparks hold many events but they also encourage people to run their own events as well. Every penny is vitally important for the guys so it's just a case of keeping ourselves out there in the public domain and encouraging people to support and give up their time and hopefully help us raise money.
For more information and for ways to donate, visit: http://www.sparks.org.uk/
Image Source - RBS Six Nations
