Four years on Josh Adams and Hadleigh Parkes have become crucial cogs in a record-breaking team now setting their sights on global glory.
The raucous celebrations sparked by Gareth Davies’ stunning score at Twickenham at the last World Cup saw Adams – who watched the game in the White Rose pub in Mumbles – dreaming of making it to the Test stage. Now he has 11 Test caps, four tries, and a Six Nations Grand Slam to his name.
“Four years ago it was my first season at Worcester and we had an 18-week pre-season as the World Cup delayed the start,” Adams said. “That was tough. I was floating around playing A League rugby and then heading into 2016 I went to Cinderford so I was playing National 1.
“I was back in Wales for that England game. I went to watch my local team Hendy play Mumbles away and then we went to the pub to watch the game.
“We had a nice set-up with the projector screen and we went mad when Gareth scored. It’s quite surreal looking back from watching in the pub with the boys to potentially featuring at a Rugby World Cup. Four years has flown by and it would be awesome if I got the chance to play.”
Davies’ try against England in 2015 sent the Welsh nation wild with delight and helped Gatland’s side qualify for the quarter-finals where a late try saw them lose out to South Africa.
For 2019 and Japan, Wales hope to go deeper into the tournament.
Wales centre Parkes had been in Wales for less than a year in 2015 when he headed to a Cardiff bar to watch the England match and cheer on his new Scarlets team-mates.
Little did the New Zealand native know he would go on to become a Six Nations Grand Slam winner after making his international debut aged 29.
Parkes felt the impact the Wales team have on the whole nation when the beer went flying at full-time in that England game.
It is those experiences of mixing it with the fans that is inspiring him for Japan.
“I watched that game against England when Lloyd Williams gave the inside kick for Gareth in The Depot in Cardiff. It was pretty impressive,” said Parkes.
“If you can make someone happy when they wake up in the morning it’s a great way to make a living. It’s quite surreal.
“After the Six Nations I went to the Welsh Police awards as a speaker and the Commander thanked me and said, with Wales doing so well in the Six Nations, their job was made a lot easier as everyone was so happy. If you can have an effect on people in that way it’s pretty cool.”
