1) Strong Squad

Warren Gatland has announced a very strong Welsh squad with just five uncapped players compared to England’s nine uncapped players. One thing Gatland has done to ensure the squad is as strong as possible is include players currently with foreign clubs. This means Wales are boosted by the inclusions of Mike Phillips of Bayonne, Lee Byrne of Clermont and James Hook of Perpignan. Wales arguably have the best set of back row forwards in the tournament with Sam Warburton, Dan Lydiate, Toby Faletau, Andy Powell and more all included. 

2) Rugby World Cup Campaign

Wales were the surprise stars of the World Cup in New Zealand and when they beat Ireland to get to the semi-final stages things looked very good for the men in red. In the end they lost 8-9 to France but in theory they would have won if it wasn't for Sam Warburton's controversial first-half red card. Wales went on to play Australia in the third-place play-off and lost by a margin of just 3 points with the final score 18-21 to the Wallabies.

3) Support

Welsh rugby supporters are traditionally very passionate. Rugby is the sport in Wales and when their side is performing as well as they are right now then the supporters are even better. One of the most memorable moments of the World Cup was to see the Millenium Stadium packed out as Welsh supporters watched the semi-final on big screens around the stadium (see picture above).

---

For more Six Nations articles click here!