• ‘We know we are in control of our destiny,’ says head coach• We are expanding our coverage of New Zealand. Please help us by supporting our independent journalismWales are approaching the stage where their next match could be Warren Gatland’s last in charge. He has at least three left, starting on Wednesday with Fiji at Oita Stadium, the venue for the quarter-final for which they appear destined, but is not minded to settle for less than five.
Wales have not been seen as potential finalists at this stage of a
World Cup before, not even 1987 when they blundered into the semi-finals after playing minnows and mediocre European opposition on the way and were duly flattened by New Zealand. Now, set on a course where they would meet the All Blacks only if they made the final, there is a quiet but deep confidence in a side that all too often in past tournaments has lacked self-belief and found different ways to implode.