Wales captain Dewi Lake admits “the pressure is on all of us” in Sunday’s Autumn Nations Series clash against Australia.
Defeat against the Wallabies would condemn Wales to a record 11th successive Test match defeat following a first home loss at Fiji’s hands five days ago.
They have not won since beating 2023 World Cup pool stage opponents Georgia, and now host an Australia side fresh from a scintillating victory over England.
Warren Gatland has faced questions about his future this week, having overseen just six wins in 22 Tests since returning for a second stint as Wales head coach.
And with world champions South Africa looming on November 23 – then a Six Nations opener against France in Paris early next year – life is not about to get any easier.
“There is always an edge around camp, boys fighting for places, for every inch,” Lake said.
“Nothing has changed from our work from last week to this. We were well in the (Fiji) game apart from the errors we made ourselves. I think we did enough to win the game.
“Gats isn’t on the field is he? They (coaches) give us the best platform to go and perform, and we should have comfortably won that game.
“The pressure is on all of us as a group when we are on a losing run like we are. We are all feeling it.
“Of course it hurts. We don’t go out to lose. But at some point we need to flip that.
“Teams have gone on losing runs before. In 2002/03 Wales went on the same run, and then 18 months later won a Grand Slam.
“We need to finish off those opportunities when we get them and make teams work harder for their points against us.”
Wales have lost nine of the last 11 Tests against Australia in Cardiff, while they suffered a 2-0 Test series defeat at the Wallabies’ hands Down Under this summer.
Both of those encounters were close, though, and Lake added: “Teams aren’t battering us. We are one score away from being on the right side of the result.
“We know we are a good enough team to get results.”
🚨 𝘿𝙞𝙬𝙚𝙙𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙙 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙛𝙖𝙣 🏴
Croeso Kieran a pob lwc Tomos 💪#AutumnNationsSeries pic.twitter.com/XMZRP6KYWd
— Welsh Rugby Union 🏴 (@WelshRugbyUnion) November 15, 2024
Scrum-half Tomos Williams, meanwhile, has been released from Wales’ autumn squad due to a shoulder injury suffered against Fiji.
The Gloucester number nine had already been ruled out of Sunday’s appointment with Australia, being replaced in the starting line-up by Ellis Bevan, and Rhodri Williams gaining a place on the bench.
Tomos Williams, though, will also not be available to face South Africa, and experienced Ospreys scrum-half Kieran Hardy has been called up to the squad as replacement for him, the Welsh Rugby Union said.
