Francis gets backing from Welsh skipper

By Paddy Von Behr

Tomas Francis may be one of the fresher faces in Wales’ World Cup training squad, but captain Sam Warburton insists there is no reason he cannot make the final 31.

The 23-year-old tighthead prop has enjoyed an excellent season with Exeter Chiefs, helping the Sandy Park outfit to within touching distance of the Premiership play-offs.

Francis, who arrived in the Westcountry from London Scottish in 2014, was rewarded with a place in Warren Gatland’s 47-man training squad ahead of the World Cup.

After a series of intense training camps, the head coach will whittle his crop down to 31 at the end of August and Warburton is adamant that places are up for grabs.

“The squad is such a good bunch of boys and any time a new player comes in, everybody welcomes them with open arms,” said the captain. “It sort of happens naturally so the new boys will fit right in.

“From my experience in the 2011 World Cup there are players who might have been on the fringe of the squad at this stage but they worked their way into the World Cup.

“Everybody has got an opportunity, including Tom. The coaches are very much of the opinion that if you are in form, then you will be given a crack. If you are good enough, then you are old enough.”

Wales have landed a tricky pool at the World Cup, lining up alongside Australia, England, Fiji and Uruguay with just two teams progressing to the knockout stages.

The England clash will be a repeat of that 2012 game at Twickenham, as Wales head to the home of rugby seeking to topple the hosts.

However, Warburton is adamant that Six Nations defeat to the Red Rose in Cardiff just four months ago is not weighing heavy in their minds during the build-up.

He added: “It is a tough pool but we are going to have to beat sides like that if we want to win it anyway. England will be one of the highest-profile games that any of us will be involved in.

“Games go back and forth, you win some and you lose some but because it’s Wales-England and it will always have a massive amount of expectation from both sets of fans. You don’t need much to get very excited for that game.”

Sam Warburton is a Land Rover ambassador. Land Rover, a Worldwide Partner of Rugby World Cup 2015, will be recruiting two official Rugby World Cup 2015 mascots at a beach rugby festival on Barry Island on Saturday July 4. Follow @LandRoverRugby #WeDealInReal