Liam Williams has hailed the work ethic behind Wales’ transformation from Six Nations also-rans to potential Rugby World Cup quarter-finalists.
It is barely six months since Wales floundered on northern hemisphere rugby’s biggest stage.
Their solitary win – a 29-17 victory over Italy in Rome – spared them the indignity of propping up the table.
The Six Nations campaign also unfolded against a backdrop of major financial and contractual uncertainty in Welsh professional rugby, factors which almost led to a player strike as Wales prepared for a Six Nations appointment with England.
Warren Gatland had returned for a second spell as head coach, but there was little opportunity for him to make an impact amid such off-field chaos.
The World Cup build-up, though, began in late May as Gatland enjoyed 16 weeks of unbroken preparation – highlighted by punishing training camps in Switzerland and Turkey – leading into Wales’ World Cup opener against Fiji.
And Wales will arrive at at the OL Stadium in Lyon on Sunday knowing that victory over Pool C rivals Australia would confirm a last-eight spot one game inside the distance.
“We’ve worked hard as a group, everyone,” said Wales full-back Williams, who wins his 87th cap this weekend.
“The pre-World Cup camps were hell, to be honest, but the boys have just been digging in. We are all on the right page.
“If you had said six months ago that we would have played two pool matches and been at the top of the group with 10 points we would have bitten your hand off. We have just got to go and back that up on the weekend.”
Central to the revival has been Gatland’s ability to get the best out of his players, something that he achieved repeatedly during an 11-year reign sprinkled with Six Nations titles, Grand Slams and World Cup semi-finals.
Williams added: “He doesn’t really change. He has a laugh and joke sometimes, and when it comes down to work, then you just work.
“That is what we have done for the last six months, and every other time I have worked under Warren. It doesn’t change too much.
“Many years ago, he knew how to press the right button for me to get a reaction, to get me back playing well.
“Being one of the older heads now, he doesn’t need to press any more buttons. I think he does with a couple of the younger boys, and he knows what ones to press to get the best out of them.
“He just used to blank me! It used to really get on my nerves.
“If I played well, I would be walking past him with a big smile on my face, and he would just walk past me, kind of thing.
“It would really get me annoyed, then I would train in the week, work incredibly hard and play well again, and he would say, ‘I knew you would play well this week’. Little things like that, I guess.”
Wales’ impressive fitness levels came to the fore during a pulsating 32-26 victory over Fiji, and they now face an Australian side on the brink of elimination if they lose.
“The ball was in play was for 38 minutes (against Fiji) which is I think the highest of this Rugby World Cup so far,” Williams said.
“It was a pretty crazy game, and we were glad to come away with the points in the end.
“The ball wasn’t in play as much in the Australia-Fiji game (Australia lost 22-15) – I think it was 11 minutes down compared to our game.
“They (Australia) have just lost to Fiji, so they are going to be going for blood, but we are taking it like any other game in the pool. We are going to try to win.”
'It's always personal' – Kolisi says South Africa highly motivated for England clash
South Africa captain Siya Kolisi insists the world champions will not be lacking in motivation for Saturday's clash with England at Twickenham, saying the teams' meetings are "always personal".
The Springboks are aiming to inflict a fifth straight defeat on Steve Borthwick's troubled hosts, who suffered a dramatic 42-37 defeat to Australia last week.
England's most recent meeting with South Africa – in the semi-finals of last year's World Cup – was overshadowed by Tom Curry accusing Bongi Mbonambi of directing a racist slur towards him, an allegation the Springboks hooker denied.
South Africa won that match 16-15 thanks to a late Handre Pollard penalty before beating New Zealand in the final, and Kolisi knows they now have a target on their backs.
"It's always personal. That's just how we prepare ourselves for games," Kolisi said on Friday.
"It's got to be personal. It's another man trying to run through you in-game, it doesn't get more personal than that. So every game for us is personal.
"This one, in Twickenham, is a big game and we know what England have been going through. We've been in their position before.
"We know we've got a target on our back at all times. Every single team that plays against us... we've got to make it as personal as possible because we want to stay where we are."
England have recalled full-back Freddie Steward for the match, after he lost his place to George Furbank during the Six Nations earlier this year.
The 23-year-old is delighted to be back in the fold and is determined to make the most of his opportunity.
"It was one of the hardest things I've had to deal with," Steward told BBC Radio 5 Live. "When you have something for a while and then you lose it, it puts into perspective how important that thing is to you.
"Not having that over the last couple of months has been really challenging. Emotionally, it has been tough, but I've had to use that as fuel to keep pushing and wanting to get better and win that place back.
"It can be a kick in the teeth but you have to use those experiences, and I'm sat here now as a better rugby player and a stronger person."
Steward and Van Poortvleit among England changes for Springboks Test
Freddie Steward and Jack van Poortvliet will return for England on Saturday, with Steve Borthwick making four changes against South Africa.
England were unchanged for their narrow defeats against New Zealand and Australia, but the Leicester pair, who were not included in the squad for either of those matches, come straight in to replace George Furbank and Ben Spencer.
Ollie Sleightholme scored his first international tries in the defeat to Australia and is rewarded with a maiden Test start in place of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, while Sam Underhill comes in for Tom Curry, with both players missing due to head injuries.
England have lost each of their last four Test matches, their longest such run since losing five straight games in 2018.
"We're excited to challenge ourselves against the world's top-ranked team and back-to-back Rugby World Cup champions," Borthwick said.
"Test matches against South Africa are always thrilling contests, and I'm sure Saturday will be no exception."
Meanwhile, South Africa have made 12 changes to their starting XV from their 32-15 win over Scotland on Sunday.
Captain Siya Kolisi and Pieter-Steph du Toit return in the back row, while Cheslin Kobe is also named in the side.
The world champions have got a more balanced look to their bench this time around though, with coach Rassie Erasmus opting not to name seven forwards among the replacements this time around.
England squad in full:
Freddie Steward, Tommy Freeman, Ollie Lawrence, Henry Slade, Ollie Sleightholme, Marcus Smith, Jack van Poortvliet, Ellis Genge, Jamie George (captain), Will Stuart, Maro Itoje, George Martin, Chandler Cunningham-South, Sam Underhill, Ben Earl.
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Fin Baxter, Dan Cole, Nick Isiekwe, Alex Dombrandt, Harry Randall, George Ford, Tom Roebuck.
South Africa squad in full:
Alphelele Fassi, Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Damian De Allende, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Maine Libbok, Grant Williams, Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Wilco Loux, Eben Etzebeth, RG Snyman, Siya Kolisi (captain), Pieter-Steph Du Toit, Jasper Wiese.
Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Gerhard Steenekamp, Vincent Koch, Elrigh Louw, Kwagga Smith, Cobus Reinach, Handre Pollard, Lukhanyo Am.
Healy in line to equal Ireland cap record versus Argentina
Cian Healy is set to equal Brian O'Driscoll's Ireland cap record when they face New Zealand in Friday's autumn international in Dublin.
The 37-year-old prop has represented his country on 132 occasions and, after being named on the bench, will equal O'Driscoll's mark if introduced versus the Pumas.
Ireland suffered their first home defeat since 2021 last time out, going down by a 23-13 scoreline against New Zealand.
Despite that loss, head coach Andy Farrell has only made one change to Ireland's starting lineup, bringing Robbie Henshaw in at inside centre in place of Bundee Aki.
Argentina also named their team on Wednesday, with vice-captain Pablo Matera, Guido Petti and Matias Moroni replacing Santiago Grondona, Franco Molina and Matias Orlando.
Ireland team: Hugo Keenan; Mack Hansen, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Jack Crowley, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Finlay Bealham; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.
Replacements: Rob Herring, Cian Healy, Thomas Clarkson, Ryan Baird, Peter O'Mahony, Craig Casey, Sam Prendergast, Jamie Osborne.
Argentina team: Juan Cruz Mallia; Rodrigo Isgro, Lucio Cinti, Matias Moroni, Bautista Delguy; Tomas Albornoz, Gonzalo Bertranou; Thomas Gallo, Julian Montoya, Joel Sclavi; Guido Petti, Pedro Rubiolo; Pablo Matera, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Joaquin Oviedo.
Replacements: Ignacio Ruiz, Ignacio Calles, Francisco Gomez Kodela, Franco Molina, Santiago Grondona, Gonzalo Garcia, Santiago Carreras, Justo Piccardo.
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