Wales captain Dewi Lake has stated that his team believes they can cause an upset against Ireland in Dublin. Despite a poor run of form, Lake insists that Wales have the quality to compete with one of the world’s top teams.
Wales Aim to Defy Odds in Dublin
Wales have struggled in the Six Nations, losing their past 14 matches in a streak that stretches over three years. Their overall record is also poor, suffering 24 defeats in 26 internationals since the 2023 World Cup. Ireland, on the other hand, are coming off a dominant 42-21 away victory against England and are heavy favourites to win at the Aviva Stadium.
Despite the statistics, Lake is confident after a more encouraging display in the 26-23 defeat by Scotland. He said, “We believe we can compete against Ireland because we think we’re good enough, I don’t think we would be here if we didn’t think that.”
Lake added: “We believe that if we play our game and we get our things right, we can beat Ireland.”
Belief and Confidence in the Squad
Lake believes that Wales have turned a corner, saying he has seen belief in the squad throughout the campaign. He highlighted their performance against Scotland, where “everything kind of clicked for us.”
Lake explained: “We showed our best against Scotland and everything kind of clicked for us. We put a bit more effort in defence in the week and you probably saw that, the mentality to go and defend. When we get the ball we look good in attack and have done over the last couple of months.”
“That Scotland game is only going to give us more confidence, so we can go another level this weekend,” Lake added.
Underdog Status Suits Wales
Lake believes Wales can use their underdog status to their advantage. “That’s probably our favourite place to be really, the underdog,” said Lake. “Being Welsh, we’ve always loved that, nobody giving us an opportunity.”
“Nobody gave us an opportunity last round and we showed what we could do. I know ultimately we didn’t come away with a result but that game has given us belief. That’s only going to carry the momentum of this squad through this weekend.”
Lake also expressed his respect for Ireland and the Aviva Stadium, where he made his Wales international debut in 2022. “They’re one of the top teams in the world,” said Lake. “They’re always a great team and so we’re excited to go and play them. Any time you play an Ireland team you expect tight, attacking shapes. The backs are deadly and they’ve got a couple of players in-form at the minute, Stuart McCloskey’s playing unbelievably well.”
The match takes place at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Aaron Wainwright trained after battling with a leg injury in the past week.