Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist

IF Dewi Lake gets to captain Wales again – either this summer, after his latest injury setback, or at some point in the future – he is certain of one thing.

“I would do it differently to how I did it at the World Cup,” says the Ospreys hooker, who is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury.

“I probably didn’t do the job as well as I wanted to. I didn’t play as well as I could have done and that was probably because of the way I was doing the job of captain.

“I was far too worried about other players doing their job, which I shouldn’t have been. Instead of stressing about whether certain players were sufficiently switched on, whether they were really at the races, I should have just trusted them.

“I spent too long worrying about whether I was saying the right things to switch them on. I should have relaxed, let them get on with it, and focused more on my own game.

“After all, these were senior internationals, not U20 players or boys at college. So, yeah, that was a big learning curve for me, I think.”

Lake’s honesty and straightforwardness as he discusses his co-captaincy role at the World Cup in France – an honour he shared with Jac Morgan, his Ospreys clubmate – is disarming.

As he conducts this self-analysis of arguably the most high-profile job in Welsh sport, sat with a coffee at the Ospreys’ training base at Llandarcy, his tone is relaxed and matter-of-fact, rather than angst-ridden.

The 24-year-old hooker is reflective but not anxious. He went to France, having been given the stamp of leadership material from Warren Gatland and yet ended up starting in just two matches – against Portugal and Georgia – the legacy of a serious knee injury that had threatened to keep him out of the tournament.

Instead of waving to the crowds as a winning captain on his way towards the World Cup semi-finals, his tournament ended with him coming on as a half-time replacement for Ryan Elias, unable to prevent Wales from sliding to defeat in Marseille in the quarter-final against Argentina.

The defeat hurt, not just for himself, but for the responsibility Lake felt to others as co-leader.

The effort of carrying that emotional baggage has been seen before. There is a clip of the Bridgend-born player struggling for words and gulping back tears as he is interviewed in the aftermath of an historic Wales victory over New Zealand at the 2019 Junior World Cup, a match in which he was also captain.

It’s some of that emotion, he says, he would try and leave in the dressing room the next time he wears the armband.

“I think next time, on the day of the game, I would try and relax a little bit more. These are Lions and centurions in that Wales squad.

“They don’t need a captain to work them up, to get them going. They’re not boys in a youth team on a Saturday who’ve been out the night before and need to be reminded of where they are.

“So, next time, yeah, I’d be a different Wales captain.”

The interaction between captain and team, the balance between the individual and his own game, as opposed to the functioning of the group, is an interesting one for Lake.

From the age of two-and-a-half until he was around 14-years-old, gymnastics was the sport he was focused on, not rugby.

He was good enough to represent Wales and even Great Britain at age-group level and more importantly – given the crisis around abusive behaviour that has engulfed gymnastics in recent times – he says he loved it.

“It was fantastic. In gymnastics, there is always something to aim towards. Not that there isn’t in rugby, but the progression is very clear in gymnastics.

“You aim to do a back handspring, a flick, then you learn a double flick, then you add a back somersault, then one with a half-twist.

“If someone else did a full twist, then you’d try and work out how to do a one-and-a-half twist. There was always progress to be made and new things to learn, constantly.”

Lake’s best disciplines were parallel bars, rings and floor and his rapid progress through the sport as a child may have had something to do with the fact his mother, Louvain, was also a gymnastics coach.

“I remember I really wanted to do the splits and not finding it easy. My mum was stood behind me, pushing me down slowly, gently, bit-by-bit, until I could do it.

“I wanted to learn and I wanted my mum to help me, to push me. But I can understand the worries in the sport that have come out. What happens if the coach pushes you, when you’d rather not do it?

“It’s difficult, but these problems aren’t just confined to gymnastics. I see adults on the sidelines, shouting and screaming at nine-year-old kids. At that age, it should always be about just having fun.”

It was in his mid-teens that it dawned on Lake that rugby might offer a more suitable road to a sporting career than gymnastics.

He became too tall, too thick-set. and powerful across his trunk and upper legs to be the next Max Whitlock. Britain’s Olympic champion of 2016 may look a big specimen on TV, but he is actually 5ft 7in tall and weighs around nine stones.

“There are not many top gymnasts who are over six feet tall,” says Lake. “It’s just harder to perform some of the moves when you’re tall. It’s as simple as that.”

Fortunately, his growth spurt as a teen coincided with a burgeoning talent for rugby and he was able to transfer some of the strictest habits of the gym to the training field.

“In gymnastics, they seek perfection and there’s no margin for error. If you take half a step on a landing, that’s 0.5 of a mark gone.

“I took that discipline into rugby. I’d get home from a gymnastics session and want to go and practise passing a ball in the garden with my dad.”

Did we mention his father, David? Blessed with a mother who coached gymnastics, Lake junior just happened to have a rugby coach as his old man.

David captained Ogmore Vale, moved into coaching, and was ready to repay some attention to his son who had been the kicking-tee carrier for Ogmore when he was a small child.

“Rugby had always been there for me, as had my dad, even when all the gymnastics was going on.

“My dad’s team would warm-up for matches with some touch rugby and I’d join in, an eight-year-old happy to be throwing the ball about with guys between the ages of 20 and 40. That’s what drew me into the game.”

Not many children grow up the under same roof as two coaches from different sports and Lake – who was leading veterans such as Liam Williams, Dan Lydiate and Dan Biggar when he captained Wales for the first time against England last August – is quick to acknowledge the influence of his parents.

“It has been a huge plus for me. They both really know their stuff, as well, they’re up to date with it, so I was able to go home after doing either sport and ask them: Did I do this right? Have I got this wrong?

“They knew the answers and I was just able to soak it all up.”

Lake progressed through Valley Ravens, Bridgend Sports, Neath and then the Ospreys academy before captaining Wales U20s, having made the switch from back row to hooker.

Like all hookers, he has his routines and rituals to ensure accuracy at throwing in time and took more than a passing interest in the recent PDC World Darts Championship.

Wales’ former world champion Gerwyn Price – a hooker of some note at semi-pro level in Wales before another sporting switch – bowed out early, but Lake was keen to check out the progress of Like Littler, the 16-year-old who stole the sporting world’s attention when he made it through to the final.

“If Luke Littler tried to throw a rugby ball into a line-out, he’d probably be there or thereabouts.

“It’s a depth perception thing. With both throws, it’s about the angle, the trajectory, and how hard you have to throw to get that trajectory right.

“He was incredible – the self-belief, the composure. It was amazing.

“The more comfortable you are, the better the chance of success – like being captain.”

Lake has another fitness hurdle ahead of him at present but have no doubts he’ll clear it and be ready to wear that armband again, along with a different perspective.

It will be a weekend of waiting for Welsh rugby.

Only four more sleeps until Boxing Day and the much-anticipated Welsh regional derbies that can determine whether the cold turkey sandwiches go down well or give indigestion.

Cardiff host the Dragons at 3.00pm at the Arms Park, before attention switches westward to the Scarlets who entertain old enemies, the Ospreys.

The only colours flown on victory flags in the east Wales derby in recent years have been blue and black. Cardiff have won their last 17 fixtures against the Dragons in the United Rugby Championship since the Dragons’ 23-17 victory at the Arms Park exactly nine years ago.

Neither side has shown great form, though. Cardiff’s only win in their last five URC matches was 31-24 at home to the Stormers in round six. That was Cardiff’s only victory in the Championship at The Arms Park since beating Benetton there in February.

Likewise, the Dragons have only won once in the URC this season, but it did come in a Welsh derby when they managed to notch a 20-5 win at home to the Ospreys.

But the Dragons have won only once away from home since April 2022,  a 21-15 triumph at Pau in the Challenge Cup last January, so you could say they are overdue a memorable day.

Former Wales wing Shane Williams, now a TV pundit with Viaplay for the URC, says:

“The Dragons are an almost team at the moment. They do make a lot of errors, with silly penalties and mistakes – coach killers, I call them.

“The Cardiff squad is probably stronger. They just look a bit more organised.

“So if I was a betting man, I would probably go for Cardiff. Never write the Dragons off, but Cardiff have to be the favourites. I think they will be a little bit too strong for the Dragons, so I see them winning that game.”

Scarlets v Ospreys

The other derby looks as easy to call as the Scarlets are badly out of form compared to the Ospreys.

Dwayne Peel’s men have only won two games all season, but they somehow always get themselves up for this fixture and the Ospreys’ record away from home in 2023 is not a good one.

The  Ospreys have not won on the road in this competition since beating Zebre 28-24 in Parma on 29 January.

And Toby Booth’s side have not won at Parc y Scarlets for exactly eight years.

Williams says: “Dwayne and the Scarlets need a win. I think they will feel they owe the supporters a big performance at home.

“All Dwayne wants for Christmas is a victory in this game. But the Ospreys will be the clear favourites.

“They have got less injuries, with quality players who can come off the bench and make a difference. Their squad is stronger and squads win you games in this modern day.”

Jac Morgan Blow

The Ospreys, though, have suffered a blow with the news that Jac Morgan is set to be sidelined for some time with a knee injury that requires surgery.

Morgan – who emerged as coach Warren Gatland’s first choice skipper in France after going to the tournament as co-captain with Dewi Lake – has been told that scans on his injury show it is worse than first feared.

He needs to go under the knife, which will rule him out of the Six Nations which starts on February 2 as well as the Ospreys’ fixtures over the next few months.

It’s a huge blow for the player, for his country and his region as Morgan had established himself as one of the best back row forwards in the world with a series of dynamic displays at the World Cup.

It also leaves Gatland with the headache of who to turn to as his captain, since Lake’s position as the starting hooker was not established in France.

Ospreys head coach Toby Booth was reluctant to say how long Morgan would be out for, but a series of phone calls between Wales staff and those at the Ospreys on Thursday outlined the extent of the injury.

“He is probably going to have an operation to repair an injury,” Booth explained. “We will know a little bit more about that in the next couple of days.

“If there is a repair involved, it will probably be more long-term, but those things can be difficult to predict until we know the nature of it.

Meanwhile, Cardiff head coach Matt Sherratt says that No.8 Taulupe Faletau is “healing well” after he broke his arm during the World Cup pool stage match against Georgia.

Sherratt was unable to provide a return date for the experienced back rower but added that he thinks his recovery is “going as planned.”

Fans of the four Welsh regions have been warned the painful scorelines in European rugby will continue for a good while yet.

The quartet are all in action this weekend after a mixed bag of results in the opening round of the European Champions Cup and European Challenge Cup.

The Ospreys and the Dragons both managed home wins last week, but both Cardiff and the Scarlets suffered heavy defeats out in France.

Cardiff have the benefit of home comforts when they host Bath at the Arms Park on Saturday, but head coach Matt Sherratt has urged supporters to bring patience and realism along with their backing.

The Welsh regions are facing financial struggles with the budgets of the four professional sides reduced to £5.2m for the 2023-24 season, which is much less than the top French sides.

Bath – who beat Ulster 37-14 on the opening weekend – are heavily backed by owner Bruce Craig and are able to pay their star Scotland fly-half Finn Russell £1m-a-year.

“People who don’t understand the situation will just look at the scoreboard and say they’ve lost,” says Sherratt.

“If you look at the Toulouse budget and squad size, they have a squad of 78 and a budget of more than 20m Euros, while we have a squad of 38.

“If that was football nobody would be giving us a chance. What everybody needs to recognise is that people only talk about cuts on the field, but there have been huge cuts off the field as well.

“We have lost two or three coaches,  a strength and conditioning coach, and an analyst.

“Our defence coach Gethin Jenkins only works two days a week so I was sat in the stand this weekend without a defence coach.

“None of that is an excuse because we want to be competitive. But that is the reality of it.”

The Scarlets are first into action when they host Georgian side, Black Lion, on Friday night in the Challenge Cup.

The Scarlets were competitive, yet ultimately well beaten in their opening game in Pool 3, going down 36-14 in Castres. 

In their first game in the tournament, Black Lion pushed Gloucester all the way before picking up a losing bonus-point in a 15-10 defeat in Tbilisi.

Scarlets centre Johnny Williams impressed in Castres and is keen to use the tournament as a way to show he deserves to get back in the Wales team ahead of the Six Nations.

“I’m grateful to be able to look back with massive pride and honour at playing for Wales at the World Cup, although I probably didn’t play as much as I would have liked,” said Williams.

“Everyone was fighting for positions and the 23 were going well, so it is what it is. But I want to be part of the Wales team, I want to pick up some more caps and to continue playing at the top level.

“Doing well in Europe, and picking up more results in the URC, is the biggest focus now. If I play well, then hopefully on the back of that I can be involved in the Six Nations.”

The return of Argentine World Cup scrum half Gonzalo Bertranou will boost the Dragons for their visit to Pau in France on Saturday evening

The 29-year-old was given extra-time to recover from his French exploits, when he helped the Pumas reach the semi-finals before narrowly missing out to England in the Bronze Medal match.

But now he is fit and raring to go and hoping to play a part in the Dragons next European assignment.

“It’s great news for us that Gonzalo is available again. He is a real competitor and comes back after a good World Cup with Argentina, so he will be keen to make an immediate impression,” said Dragons backs coach, Matt O’Brien.

“The more players of international quality we can have in the building and available to us, the better. We’re strong at nine this season so we hope he can carry on his form with the Pumas for the Dragons.”

The Ospreys are the last of the four regions in action when they face Montpellier, also in France, on Sunday.

The Swansea region are looking to build on their opening win against Benetton and will be encouraged by Montpellier’s poor record this season of just one win in nine matches which leaves them currently bottom of the French Top 14.

Montpellier beat Newcastle Falcons in their opening European tie but lost twice to the Ospreys in Europe last season and Ospreys head coach Toby Booth insists: “The pressure is on them. 

“Their budget is x and ours is y. Everyone will be talking about how they are not doing well in the Top 14, but it doesn’t matter. 

“We expect them to be at their best and if we underestimate them, we will come second. From that point of view, we see it as an opportunity. “ 

The Six Nations may still be two months away but there has already been plenty of debate over who should wear No.10 for Wales.

With Dan Biggar having retired from international rugby, Gareth Anscombe unavailable due to his commitments in Japan, and Sam Costelow injured, now is a good time for candidates to make themselves known.

That was exactly what Ioan Lloyd did for the Scarlets in their 29-23 victory over Cardiff at the Arms Park at the weekend.

The latest URC derby was an ideal time for Lloyd to state his case and his regional coach Dwayne Peel reckoned the former Bristol player did just that.

“He was outstanding,” said Peel.

“He is electric in attack. He’s box office and he lit up that game.

“People coming to watch that match – either Scarlets or Cardiff fans – will have thought ‘Bloody hell, he’s good’.

“You have your heart in your mouth sometimes when you see him running from behind your own sticks in a derby, but that’s great.

“As a coach, you are half watching the game with your hands on your head because you don’t know what he’s going to do next, but then the other half you are celebrating what he’s doing.

“He’s growing all the time as a 10 and I thought he was excellent. That was his best performance for us. He is such a threat with ball in hand.”

The Scarlets led 19-14 at the break with skipper Gareth Davies crossing twice from scrum-half, while Cardiff had flanker Ellis Jenkins red carded for a tip tackle on opposite number Dan Davis on 28 minutes.

Final quarter tries from wing Steff Evans and full-back Johnny McNicholl sealed the win for the visitors with the boot of fly-half Tinus de Beer earning a losing bonus point for Cardiff.

Cardiff head coach Matt Sherratt: said “We started the game on fire but the red card undoubtedly had a bearing on the game.

“To stick in it for just over 50 minutes with 14 men and get a point out of it shows the character of the team.

“I would not say I am pleased but it is the seventh game we have got something from this season.”

A cruel bounce of the rugby ball did for the Ospreys after they looked set to cause a major upset at Benetton Rugby’s Stadio di Monigo fortress.

Having led for much of the second half, they were level at 13-all when a huge kick downfield by the Italian side bounced up in the Ospreys 22 and hit Owen Williams in the head before going out for a home line-out.

That gave them the platform from which they conjured up the winning try four minutes from time for replacement full back Giacomo De Re as the Italians won 18-13.

Ospreys coach Toby Booth claimed: “You could tell what it meant to Benetton as they celebrated at the end as if they had won the World Cup.

“My overriding emotion is pride, with a tinge of frustration. Sport can be cruel, but a lot of our young players will learn from that.”

Despite an improved performance, the Dragons suffered a 49-24 defeat to Emirates Lions who feasted off the visitors’ mistakes to cruise to a bonus point victory in Johannesburg.

Dragons coach Dai Flanagan was looking for a reaction after last week’s heavy defeat in Durban against the Sharks, but his side paid dearly for not treating possession with respect.

“We were just really inaccurate. It’s frustrating because there were opportunities galore,” said Flanagan.

“We’ve just got to catch the ball, we’ve just got to make a tackle, we’ve got to work on that individually and collectively.

“It’s a massive missed opportunity for us, purely through accuracy, both sides of the ball.”