RUDDOCK RATES HIS SIDE – SIX OUT OF TEN

After mauling Romania and Japan and getting within one point of South Africa and two of New Zealand, Welsh fans are giving Ruddock’s men nine or 10 out of 10, but the man himself is a hard marker.

“I’d probably give us about six out of 10,” he said after Friday night’s 98-0 win over Japan.

“We should have got one result against those two big sides, but now we know that if we play South Africa or New Zealand in a World Cup quarter-final, we can back ourselves to win.

“We’ve drawn a line in the sand and I would hate to see us go back towards the sea. I’d want us to move further up the beach and keep the momentum going.”

Ruddock said the “magnificent” support of Welsh fans nearly got his men home against New Zealand.

“What I believe and what the Welsh public believe is that we are an improved team, an exciting team to support and on our day, a very difficult team to play against.

“I’m not going to blow our own trumpet because we aren’t quite there yet, but I believe we’ve got the players to really move to that next level.

“I’m going to have some nice selection headaches over the next 10 weeks,” he said. “Overall, I’ve been delighted with the autumn series. We saw four big performances and a tempo and excitement in the Welsh game that we were working towards.

“The crowds have proved that the public like what’s on show and the good thing is that this team can still grow. There is no doubt that this team will be a far better side next year.”

So does Ruddock have any secret plans for England in February after his side were denied a famous victory over New Zealand by two narrow misses at goal?

“We’ve moved the posts at the Stadium over a couple of inches,” he said with a grin.