Wales target record 17 games in 2007

With a minimum of 14 Tests lined up for his side, Jenkins is targeting 17 internationals for 2007 – culminating in winning the Rugby World Cup in Paris on October 20th.

More importantly, Jenkins’s plan is for his side to succeed playing ‘The Welsh Way’, using all the natural strengths and instincts of Welsh rugby and capturing the passion and imagination of players and fans alike.

“We are setting our sights high because this year demands that we do. There is no point in entering a tournament if you don’t aim to win it,” said Jenkins.

“We will carry the same attitude into the RBS Six Nations and the Rugby World Cup and our ultimate goal is to win both competitions. To do that we know we will have to create the right environment and sometimes play beyond our best.

“That is what champion teams do and we need to set the right core values at the start of the year to reach those heights.

“That is why we have created our slogan for the year, created in consultation with the players and management, and will be seeking to stick by it throughout the most intense nine months of international rugby any nation has ever undertaken.

“There is nothing new about the ‘Welsh Way’ when it comes to playing the game. Carwyn James passed on his style to me and he inherited his philosophy from previous generations of Welsh players and coaches.

“Since Wales first started playing international rugby in 1881 we have had to find ways of out-foxing bigger teams. From the days of Frank Hancock, Arthur Gould and Gwyn Nicholls, Welsh teams have been playing fluid, cunning rugby that is appealing to the players and entertaining to the fans.

“The four three-quarter system was created in Wales and our greatest players have all been able to play a game based on evasion and continuity, rather than confrontation.

“Wales has provided the world of rugby with some of its greatest players – Percy Bush, Haydn Tanner, Bleddyn Williams, Cliff Morgan, Ken Jones, Lewis Jones, David Watkins, Gareth Edwards, Barry John, JPR Williams, Gerald Davies, Phil Bennett, Terry Holmes, Jonathan Davies, Ieuan Evans and Scott Gibbs.

“Their attacking style paved the way for Grand Slams, Triple Crowns and many other famous Welsh victories. Many of them were also at the heart of some of the greatest triumphs recorded by the British and Irish Lions.

“Their legacy lives on and their style is the one that the current players are used to and comfortable with – the Welsh Way! It is not an approach that was conjured up at the 2003 Rugby World Cup when our backs were against the wall against New Zealand and England.

“I believe the reaction of the players in those games was an innate response to the set of circumstances in which they found themselves. This game is all about scoring tries and that is what Welsh players like to do.

“Mike Ruddock used the phrase ‘The Welsh Way’ quite a lot in the 2005 Grand Slam season and the players responded magnificently. I am looking for the same reaction from this group of players.

“I have been greatly impressed by the attitude of each and everyone of the squad members towards this year. They don’t want to settle for an easy ride or second best.

“We all know we have 14 international dates guaranteed. The players are setting their sights on winning in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup for the first time since 1987 and then going for broke in the semi-finals.

“Whatever happens in that game the team will be guaranteed another outing in either the final or third placed play-off match. That would give us our 17 fixtures.”

As well as five games in the RBS Six Nations Championship, Wales will play two Tests in Australia in June, three World Cup warm-up matches and then face Canada, Australia, Japan and Fiji in the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

The results of those four games in Pool B will determine which two teams go through to the last eight. The winners of Pool B will face the runners-up of Pool A (England, South Africa, Samoa, USA and Repechage 2) in Marseille on October 6th. The runners-up will play the winners of Pool A the next day.