Wales seek to banish gathering storm clouds with rare win in Australia

Men’s world friendly: Australia v Wales

Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney Date: Saturday, 6 July Kick off: 10:45 BST

Coverage: Listen connected BBC Radio Wales, Radio Cymru, BBC Sounds, nan BBC Sport website and app, positive unrecorded matter commentary, followed by study and guidance connected nan BBC Sport website and app.

Storm clouds and sunshine person dominated nan spectacular Sydney skyline this week.

Winter has arrived successful Australia's astir iconic city, nan upwind proving difficult to foretell pinch acheronian clouds and blues skies regularly alternating.

With Australia and Wales looking to create a caller dawn for nan 2 troubled rugby nations, nan changeable ambiance mirrors nan uncertainty of what will hap erstwhile they meet successful Saturday's Test lucifer astatine nan Allianz Stadium.

Wales person not toured Australia for 12 years and nan expats are gladsome to spot nan return of immoderate of their astir revered chap countryman.

That is evident, whether it beryllium from members of nan Sydney Welsh choir practicing astatine a organization hallway successful nan West Rye suburb connected a Wednesday evening, aliases a typical supporters pre-match gathering of nan 'Welsh successful Sydney' group successful Taffy's astatine nan Oaks pub successful Neutral Bay.

History seems to beryllium against some nan hosts successful nan New South Wales superior and their visitors, and thing has to give.

Australia person won conscionable 1 crippled successful Sydney successful 12 attempts since nan opening of 2016, but Wales person not defeated nan Wallabies successful Australia successful 11 matches since 1969.

That triumph came astatine nan Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), adjacent doorway to Saturday's venue wherever Wales caput coach Warren Gatland hopes his broadside tin repetition nan occurrence of 55 years ago.

Talking to a scope of figures this week, galore observers mention to Australian rugby being successful "dire straits".

Most cannot judge nan Wallabies person been installed favourites against Wales.

Rugby union's relevance and a wide ignorant towards nan athletics successful nan state besides supply concerns.

Crowned world champions successful 1991 and 1999, nan Wallabies hosted nan 2003 World Cup erstwhile they mislaid to England successful nan final. Things person declined successful nan past 20 years since those glory days.

Watching an Australian tv news broadcast this week gives an denotation of wherever nan two-Test bid presently lies successful nan nation's sporting psyche.

The news anchor stated July was going to beryllium a stellar period for Australia sporting fans, referencing nan Olympics, Wimbledon and rugby league's State of Origin bid decider successful Brisbane. Little mention of nan Wallabies hosting Wales.

It emphasises nan conflict rugby national has to compete pinch different seasonal sports for illustration rugby league, Aussie Rules and shot - though this is not a caller phenomenon.

Instability successful nan athletics has been prevalent connected these shores. There were six Wallabies captains successful 2023, and a regular turnover of main executives and caput coaches excessively successful nan past fewer years.

The effects of nan disastrous 2023 World Cup campaign, pinch Australia failing to execute quarter-final qualification for nan first time, saw arguable caput coach Eddie Jones resign, pinch chair Hamish McLennan besides departing.

Financial issues person besides arisen, pinch nan Australian Rugby Union taking a £40m indebtedness past year.

So Australia has to past and rebuild arsenic it becomes nan centre of world rugby complete nan adjacent fewer years.

They are welcoming nan British and Irish Lions adjacent twelvemonth and hosting men's and women's World Cups successful 2027 and 2029.

The revival needs to commencement soon, pinch this bid viewed arsenic perchance nan opening of a caller era.

There will beryllium much high-profile two-Test bid this summer, pinch Ireland's conflict successful South Africa and England travelling to New Zealand.

But nan games successful Sydney and Melbourne stay important for Australia and Wales arsenic ninth plays 10th successful World Rugby rankings.

The opposing sides are not rather astatine stone bottommost but location has been a important downward spiral successful caller times.

There are striking similarities betwixt Welsh and Australian rugby. Both nations person financial concerns, pinch mobility marks astir nan early of Welsh regions while Melbourne Rebels precocious went bust.

The nations are struggling connected some home and world stages and person enlisted nan thief of veteran, proven New Zealand coaches to thief alteration flagging fortunes.

Wales, themselves, person travelled 12,000 miles aiming to salvage a disastrous 2024.

Gatland has led Wales to 7 successive defeats which included finishing bottommost of nan Six Nations for nan first clip since 2003.

Captain Dewi Lake has emphasised their desperation for a triumph to extremity nan losing rot.

The hooker has spoken astir "writing a fewer wrongs" and "putting pridefulness backmost successful nan jersey" aft he recognises group "have fallen retired of emotion pinch nan squad".

A first Wales triumph against nan Wallabies successful Australia for much than 50 years will thief that process.

The reunion of 2 grizzled Kiwi coaches starring different nations successful neighbouring Australia has added spice.

The brace are erstwhile team-mates pinch Gatland admitting he thought Schmidt had retired aft a stellar world career.

Schmidt steered Ireland to nan apical of nan world rankings and past helped nan All Blacks make past year's World Cup last wherever they mislaid to South Africa.

He was appointed by Australia successful January to rebuild nan squad successful nan aftermath of Jones' turbulent tenure.

Schmidt has attempted to temper expectations by admitting "he had ne'er been truthful unprepared", conceding he is still getting to cognize immoderate players having only met them 12 days earlier nan Wales Test.

He has already put his imprint connected nan squad by only picking Australian-based players, pinch Will Skelton, Marika Koroibete and Samu Kerevi missing out, while Mark Nawaqanitawase and Carter Gordon person been mislaid to rugby league.

Gatland returned to Wales for a 2nd stint arsenic caput coach erstwhile he replaced Wayne Pivac successful December 2022.

After his first 12-year play which yielded Six Nations and Grand Slams and 2 World Cup semi-final appearances, it has not gone arsenic planned.

Second clip astir his grounds is only six wins and a worrying 13 defeats successful 19 games, Gatland having inherited a squad that mislaid Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric, Ken Owens, George North, Dan Biggar, Leigh Halfpenny and Louis Rees-Zammit.

Throw successful Taulupe Faletau, Tomos Williams and Adam Beard among nan wounded absentees for this circuit and Josh Adams, Will Rowlands and Ryan Elias rested, and you get nan youthful and inexperienced Wales broadside that has travelled down under.

That unproven facet applies to Australia too. Both teams are unrecognisable from September 2023, erstwhile Wales inflicted a grounds 40-6 conclusion connected nan Wallabies - location are only 3 starting survivors connected each broadside from that World Cup nighttime successful Lyon.

Schmidt has included 7 caller caps successful his 23-man squad, nan astir Australian debutants for 44 years, pinch only 5 survivors from nan squad that played Portugal successful October 2023.

That was Australia's past game, while Wales person been much progressive successful caller times.

This schedule has included being knocked retired of nan World Cup quarter-final by Argentina, 5 defeats successful nan Six Nations and past month's nonaccomplishment to world champions South Africa astatine Twickenham.

Gatland will proceed to humor caller players this weekend, handing a debut to 20-year-old Gloucester helping Josh Hathaway and first starts to fly-half Ben Thomas and prop Archie Griffin.

The coach is asking Cardiff centre Thomas to move positions to effort and capable nan venerated Wales number 10 jersey, while Mason Grady is besides continuing successful an unfamiliar midfield role, wearing nan number 12 shirt.

It will beryllium a poignant infinitesimal for Bath prop Griffin erstwhile he packs down against 135-cap Wallabies force James Slipper.

In an intriguing twist of fate, Griffin, Welsh-qualified done his parents, comes backmost to nan metropolis wherever he was calved almost 23 years ago.

Griffin and Gatland will beryllium hoping nan return is simply a happy 1 and those acheronian clouds will beryllium swirling astir nan Wallabies connected Saturday evening.