Wales captain Dewi Lake says Wales believe they can defy the odds and beat Ireland on Friday evening in Dublin. Lake has backed his side after a more encouraging display in the 26-23 defeat by Scotland. Ireland are heavy favourites to win at the Aviva Stadium, buoyed by a record 42-21 away demolition of England.
Wales have lost their past 14 Six Nations matches in a streak that stretches over three years, while they have suffered 24 defeats in 26 internationals since the 2023 World Cup.
Belief Despite the Odds
“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,” said Lake. “We believe that if we play our game and we get our things right, we can beat Ireland.”
Lake was speaking at the final session in Dublin where number eight Aaron Wainwright trained after battling with a leg injury in the past week.
Turning a Corner Against Scotland
Lake, who was outstanding against Scotland 12 days ago, believes Wales turned a corner. “I have said from game one there has been belief in the squad in this whole campaign,” said Lake.
“We showed our best against Scotland and everything kind of clicked for us.
- They put a bit more effort in defence in the week.
- They look good in attack.
- That Scotland game is only going to give them more confidence.
Embracing the Underdog Status
Lake believes Wales can play on the status of being written off by almost everybody. “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.”
Respect for Ireland
Lake says he has the ultimate respect for Ireland and the Dublin venue 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.”
Wales have not won in Dublin in the Six Nations since 2012 and their most recent international victory at Aviva Stadium was 11 years ago in a World Cup warm-up match.