WORLD NEWS – GB – Thomas Francis aims to celebrate the fiftieth championship of Wales by ending the losing streak

Francis made 50 caps at the same venue he made his debut in Wales five years earlier

The Premier League and European Champion with Exeter Chiefs and now winning his 50th Test Hat Friday for Wales – you can forgive Thomas Francis for not wanting to finish the last few weeks.

Francis returned to Wales against Scotland with a shoulder injury first, then the epidemic kept him off the field for several months. After winning his 48th Rugby World Cup last year in Japan, he had to wait until he reached his half century. It seems fitting that Francis has reached this historic landmark in the same venue, against Ireland in Dublin, where he made his audition debut in August 2015..

« I got stuck at 48 a while ago so it’s nice to get there for me. It’s a colossal achievement – it’s a shame family and friends can’t be there, but it’s an exciting new competition, and where my first test cover was as well, that’s a perfect fit, « said Francis.

“My dad and uncle were drinking beer all day, so they were pretty hilarious after that! That was at the end of the World Cup camp – I couldn’t play the first game in Ireland and it was three weeks before the World Cup, so it was a relief to us that I go out, get my first under the belt cover and the win was amazing. This was Tad Furlong’s first match as well. It was a good occasion.

Francis will certainly do everything in his power on Friday to help Wells turn in a five-game defeat. From afar across the Six Nations, notice signs that Wayne Bevac’s messages are starting to pass, even if the results state otherwise.. Bringing a winning mindset from Exeter to the Wells Foundation will only help get things done.

“Watching them was so frustrating because they didn’t come out much, it’s just a good fringe. Usually winning, that’s what we learned from Exeter – the final two games we won were probably the worst games we played in the whole year, but the winning mentality was in place..

“Talking to Foxy [Jonathan Davis] when they won the Grand Slam tournament in 2012, then went through eight consecutive defeats, started the Six Nations loss 2013, and then went on to win it, so for us it’s about a momentum shift. We finished the last tournament, set a line in the sand and hopefully it will be a fresh start. The work was on the training ground there, and everyone brought it up. It’s up to us to deliver now.

For a player who started his career in Second Division with Doncaster Knights and London Scottish, the fact that Francis now stands on the brink of such a private pilot teacher was something the now 28-year-old was enjoying.

“It was a mental uplift. The game has evolved and adapted – the vertigo cannot move from group to group anymore. You have to offer a lot around the field and change with the times. I don’t think if you told me when I was 20, I would have played 50 caps by this time, I would think you’d be fair..

Meanwhile, Welsh captain Alon Wayne Jones, who won the 150th Test hat on Friday, summed up the current mental challenge his team faces when it comes to returning to winning ways.. .

“It’s funny. Jones explained that sometimes the closer you got, the away I felt. “As I said, we are very clear about the things we need to boost from the Scotland game to get a result. Margins in games at this level are limited. There were times in the Scottish game where we probably tried really hard and missed the penalty shootout. Sometimes it’s easier to take 2 percent of the effort than to add to it. Maybe it’s more about being smarter. We have a little to get right, but we know what we need to know.

Jones also praised Byron Hayward, the defense coach who left Wells training last weekend with just six games from his tenure alongside Bevac.. Geithin Jenkins, who was brought in as a technical advisor to take care of the defense and meltdown in October, now oversees that area from the Wells match..

“We are all grateful to work with Byron and his contribution to the team and the environment,” Jones said. Wayne made the decision to make a change. Everything is subject to constant review, whether you are a player or coach. This decision has been made and we have to continue. But we are all grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Byron and wish him all the best for the future.

« Gethin was on the inside and Wayne did more of his defense. There is a lot of intellectual property within the training staff and analysis department. This load has been shared to make up for any deficiency.

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Wells, Thomas Francis, Rugby Union, Ireland, Six Nations Championship, Exeter Chiefs, Alon Wayne Jones