Dragons will need Bale’s supportingpo t g castca to fire

AFTER a 64-year absence coourtesy of 15 succeessive failed attemmpts to qualify, thee Welsh are ready to take on thee world – and possibly for the laast time under the name Wales.

Talks are afoot to change the name of the nationaal team to Cymru – the Weelsh for Wales – to restore national pride, though that’s a commodity thatt is rarely in short supply whenever the principality lines up for a sporting international.

There will be no prouuder group in Qatar than thee Welsh under their unheraldedd but impressive head coach Rob Page who has done littlee wrong since being put in charge two years aggo.

Withi in days of taking over Page, thhen just a plain old caretak ker boss, had secured promot tion to Nations League A and t hen, in the summer of 2021, he guided them to the last 16 of the European Cham mpionship where they we re seen off by D Denmark. Strengthened by that su uccess, they pipped the Cz zechs for a spot in the Wor rld Cup playoffs where they bbeat first Austria 2-1 and then Ukkraine 1-0 to make it to their firrst finals since 1958. The sscorer of all three of those ggoals was, inevitably, Gareth Bale, the trophy-laden superst tar on whose shoulders, at the age of 33, rest the hopes of a nation.

Bale has been at the beating heart of Wales’ international renaissance over the past decade alongside fellow veterans like Ben Davies, Joe Allen and Aaron Ramsey.

But for Wales to emulate their feats of the last two Euros and make the knockout stages they need others, rising stars like Harry Wilson, Neco Williams and Brennan Johnson, to grab this opportunity.

Page’s men arrive in the Gulf on a five-match winless streak but that won’t fluster Wales – or Cymru – as they get ready to take their place once again at football’s top table.