Gatland right to put his faith in Tompkins
After Wales's home defeat to England in the Six Nations, a match which went ahead after their players backed down from a threatened strike that had been called because of concerns about how the game was being run, the odds on their becoming the first side to qualify for the World Cup quarter-finals would have been on a par with Newport County winning the FA Cup.
Yet there they are after a victory over Australia that was as unproblematic as it was convincing. Wales may have been in a group that did not contain a team in the top six of the world rankings, but they played to their strengths against the Wallabies and never had to force the game. It is a different team from the ones in Warren Gatland's three other World Cup campaigns with Wales. They made an impression in each of the tournaments, reaching the last four twice, but were ultimately undermined by a lack of creativity.
Wales were based on power then, big ball carriers forcing their way over the gainline, and had a strong kicking game, but even when they had a two-man advantage in the 2015 group game against Australia at Twickenham, they could not find their way across the line.
They scored three tries against Australia last weekend to go with the four they fashioned in their opening match against Fiji. Jamie Roberts came to personify Wales's approach in Gatland's first stint in charge, big, powerful and hard to bring down even before he had got into his stride.
Nick Tompkins is a very different 12 but he has become as influential. Tompkins twice caught out Semi Radradra against Fiji in moves that led to tries and might that have been playing on the former Bristol centre's mind when he dropped the pass at the end of the match that would have given his side the chance to win it with the conversion?
Tompkins has long been an integral part of Saracens' midfield, but he has been in and out of the Wales side since making his debut in 2020. Gatland's reappointment at the end of last year did not look auspicious for him and he only appeared in one of their first four Six Nations matches, off the bench against England.
He started against France and was only used in one of the three warm-up matches as Gatland looked at three different 12s with Joe Hawkins snared by the 25-cap rule after joining Exeter.
While Eddie Jones will be left wondering about some of his selections, it is an area Gatland has got right over the years far more often than not. He did not look to match the physical threat of Fiji's midfield but partnered Tompkins with George North and was rewarded.
It was Wales's creative touch that gave them a cushion against Fiji, which they needed, and left Australia with far too much to do. Wales may still not look like contenders, but they are on course for the semi-finals and Gatland has restored self-belief.
Wales, like England, have a break this weekend before their final pool match against Georgia when Gatland is likely to give his quarter-final line-up a run, injuries permitting. Buoyed by momentum, they have become difficult to beat again.
The fact they have done so in a very different way to the 2010s is a tribute to Gatland's ability as a coach. He has the ability to squeeze every last drop out of his charges and this time he has done so without the assistance of Shaun Edwards, yet despite his remarkable record of success, he remains underestimated. Not that Wales care.
Smiles have also replaced frowns in the England camp. They finish their group with Samoa, a suitable warm-up for Fiji. They have different selection issues to Wales and having found a way to win again, they have to make sure they do not mislay it.
