Wales desperate to end ‘monumental’ year on ‘high note’ against Reds
Wales face the Reds in Brisbane on Friday.
Wales attack coach Alex King admits the struggling team is “desperate” to end their tour on a “real high” when they clash with the Reds in Brisbane on Friday.
The Welsh come into the fixture on the back of a 2-0 series whitewash reversal at the hands of the Wallabies, going down in Sydney and most recently Melbourne.
Those tour defeats follow a dismal run of results that saw them finish in last place in the Six Nations after a winless campaign, with King keen to finish strongly.
Losing streak
“We are desperately hoping for a good performance firstly and then obviously finishing with a good result, finish off what’s been a monumental year for all the lads,” he said.
“It started in June 2023 and it’s gone through a World Cup, Six Nations, loads of changes, and we want to end the tour on a real high.
“Two big training days to get things right and really looking forward to the challenge on Friday.”
Wales have lost nine straight games under head coach Warren Gatland and the prospect of falling to the Reds would be a nightmare end to a disappointing period.
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King added: “The results haven’t gone our way, we’re under no illusions about that, but performance-wise I thought there was a real step up on Saturday.
“I spoke to (Australia head coach) Joe Schmidt after the game, he felt they got away with one, Australia, and I think the biggest learning for us is to understand what it takes to win a Test match.
“The positive from our point of view is the huge improvement in certain areas.
“But if you look at three of their (four) tries at the weekend, they were all moments where we weren’t quite on it, if that makes sense.
“They were opportunities for the Australia team, and we didn’t quite nail those moments, and that’s the frustrating thing.
“We created a huge amount of opportunities ourselves, but we gave away too many easy points and that’s the frustrating thing.
“So the learning for the group is that comes with experience and the only way your going to get experience is by playing.
“It’s tough at the moment, but the guys will come out of this tour far better prepared for the Autumn than before it.”
Following this tour, Wales return to action in November with a home match against Fiji before they tackle the Wallabies and Rugby World Cup holders South Africa.