:00:15. > :00:19.Passion. That is where it starts. Power. It is this opportunity to
:00:19. > :00:29.come and get the world title, so I have to be on my toes. One shared
:00:29. > :00:31.
:00:31. > :00:37.goal. The Pumas. Gone are the days of being friendly. The knockout of
:00:37. > :00:47.the Hawk. Life can change for you desert night. Will the Dragons
:00:47. > :00:51.reign supreme? Hello and welcome took Sport Wales.
:00:51. > :00:55.And we will preview Wales against Argentina at the Millennium Stadium
:00:55. > :01:00.but first, we head to the City of Angels. In the early hours of
:01:00. > :01:04.Sunday morning in Los Angeles, Nathan Cleverly will step into the
:01:04. > :01:08.boxing ring to defend his WBO light-heavyweight title against the
:01:08. > :01:18.American Shawn Hawk. And we have been granted exclusive behind-the-
:01:18. > :01:29.
:01:29. > :01:33.This is the life, isn't it? Brilliant. Since I arrived in LA,
:01:33. > :01:41.the Sun has been out. A great reception from the people. I have
:01:41. > :01:45.been really enjoying it. Take us through your decision to come here.
:01:45. > :01:51.Basically, I was meant to be fighting in the arena on the
:01:51. > :01:58.credits at the October but we had an opportunity to fight in America
:01:58. > :02:06.two weeks later. I'd thought I would get some new s exposure,
:02:06. > :02:12.ready to set up big fights in 2013. It is a major step for my career.
:02:12. > :02:16.Had things gone a little stale? Possibly. In the last year. This is
:02:16. > :02:20.only my second fight in nine months, which is quite inactive. So you
:02:20. > :02:25.could say it has gone a little stale, but I have had a good break.
:02:25. > :02:30.I had a good break in the summer, went on holiday, mentally freshened
:02:30. > :02:38.up, physically freshen up. I feel back to my best. It has not been
:02:38. > :02:48.ideal, the preparation. No. I have practised with a southpaw fighter.
:02:48. > :02:54.From the US. Political issues. He could not go ahead with the fight,
:02:54. > :02:58.so the search is on for another opponent. Actually, we have another
:02:58. > :03:08.fighter this week. It is a golden opportunity to get the world title,
:03:08. > :03:09.
:03:09. > :03:18.so I have to be on my toes for this. We are heading out to the renowned
:03:18. > :03:24.Wild Card Gym in LA. When Manny Pacquiao trains. It is Tuesday now
:03:24. > :03:30.so we have four days until the fight. Mickey Rourke is meeting us
:03:30. > :03:34.here at the gym. The Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, run by the world's
:03:34. > :03:38.most respected trainer, the form what professional Freddie Roach. A
:03:38. > :03:48.man who has mentored over 30 world champions and a good friend of
:03:48. > :03:50.
:03:50. > :03:56.another ex-boxer, star Mickey Rourke. What do you think of him?
:03:56. > :04:02.Joe Calzaghe told me about him. I was in London and there was a fight
:04:02. > :04:08.going on. Of all the fights and saw I was most impressed with Nathan
:04:08. > :04:13.Cleverly. I think he fought some really strong Russian kid that
:04:13. > :04:17.night. He was at boxing him because he is a fantastic boxer. Does that
:04:17. > :04:22.bring back memories for you? Yes, it is hard for me to come in the
:04:22. > :04:27.gym. I get very sad and depressed, when you come in and you are around
:04:27. > :04:37.guys doing step they used to be able to you -- to do. Do you miss
:04:37. > :04:40.
:04:40. > :04:45.it? Tara pier. -- terribly. America he is not too well known.
:04:45. > :04:55.It is his first ride in America. I think he is starting to get nervous.
:04:55. > :04:58.
:04:58. > :05:05.He is an excellent boxer. He has been knocking guys act. He is
:05:05. > :05:10.getting there. Saturday night. was Nathan Cleverly? He was really
:05:10. > :05:19.good. He throws a lot of punches and he is really shop. He has some
:05:19. > :05:25.decent power as well. Is this long- term strategy? Can you see yourself
:05:25. > :05:31.relocating here? Yes, possibly. There is a strong possibility I
:05:31. > :05:35.could come here for a lot of my future fights. I have enjoyed the
:05:35. > :05:39.training over here, the experience in the gym. It was great. It is
:05:39. > :05:49.something I definitely want to experience again. Provided Saturday
:05:49. > :05:53.
:05:53. > :05:59.And there will be more from California later on in the
:05:59. > :06:02.programme so stay with us. But here, tomorrow, at the Millennium Stadium,
:06:02. > :06:07.Wales kick of the autumn series against Argentina before facing
:06:07. > :06:10.some other, new Zealand and Australia. Four matches that are
:06:11. > :06:20.billed as friendlies, but as Rob Harris reports, there is so much
:06:20. > :06:25.In current form, Wales remain the leading lights of the northern
:06:25. > :06:28.hemisphere, but are about to lay it all on the line, as the world's
:06:28. > :06:33.best teams arrive on British soil. It is a massive challenge for the
:06:33. > :06:41.acting head coach, keen to atone for a 3-0 series defeat in
:06:41. > :06:49.Australia. Agor y bleidlais is to win all four games. That is our
:06:49. > :06:52.mindset. -- ORACLE is to win all four games. Most of the team have
:06:52. > :06:57.returned from ate porridge training camp. It has served them well ahead
:06:57. > :07:07.of the World Cup and Six Nations. - - returned from a Polish training
:07:07. > :07:08.
:07:08. > :07:12.camp. We did a lot of fitness. always, there has been speculation
:07:13. > :07:17.surrounding selection. Jamie Roberts has held on to his spot
:07:17. > :07:21.despite competition. A lot has been made of the kicking and I agree it
:07:21. > :07:27.has not been up to scratch and I'm disappointed. Obviously I would
:07:27. > :07:37.like to be paying -- playing better but I have had a few injuries but
:07:37. > :07:38.
:07:38. > :07:42.you just do the best you can. Blues announced this week Jamie
:07:42. > :07:48.Roberts will be leaving at the end of the season, with Racing Metro is
:07:48. > :07:53.likely destination. Prior to that, he had been singled out for
:07:53. > :07:57.criticism in the press. The only thing that matters to me is my
:07:57. > :08:01.coaches, fellow players and parents. Whatever some clown journalist
:08:01. > :08:07.wants to write about my form, guys who have not experienced rugby at
:08:07. > :08:17.the highest level, it does get over my head. Eyebrows also raised at
:08:17. > :08:17.
:08:17. > :08:25.the selection of Scarlets scrum- half Tavis will. I am over the moon
:08:25. > :08:31.for Tavoris Cloud. It is not get replacing or bringing Kong.
:08:31. > :08:36.also probably Mike at these moment in time is probably available for
:08:36. > :08:41.Australia. We cannot get to the Australia game with three or four
:08:41. > :08:45.key players not available. Up front, there is an Adam Jones for shaped
:08:45. > :08:49.hole to fill that management is confident his regional team-mate
:08:49. > :08:54.Aaron Jarvis is up to the task. have been delighted with his
:08:54. > :08:57.performances for the Ospreys when he has replaced Adam, and the
:08:57. > :09:02.impact of Matthew Rees as hooker and Gethin Jenkins, two British
:09:02. > :09:07.Lions players, Winnie that experience. And although many
:09:07. > :09:15.thought they would see very Warburton combination in the back
:09:15. > :09:19.row, it is dross Turnbull who will start as blind-side flanker. We did
:09:19. > :09:23.discuss the other two left and right but you have to do things
:09:23. > :09:28.naturally. We are probably better off to have a specialist six. We do
:09:28. > :09:33.a lot of tackling and make the sevens look good. There is more at
:09:33. > :09:38.stake than usual this autumn, with the 25th league World Cup draw
:09:38. > :09:48.taking those in December. If world -- Wales can break into the world's
:09:48. > :09:53.top four, they will avoid the southern hemisphere Super Fowler.
:09:53. > :09:57.So what are the challenge posed Argentina? Gone are the days of the
:09:57. > :10:01.Pumas arriving at prepared. This is a team battle-hardened after their
:10:01. > :10:05.first season competing in the rugby championships against the top three
:10:05. > :10:11.teams in the world. We are very aware of the fact that they have a
:10:11. > :10:16.good scrum. So we have to make sure we really don't take too long to
:10:16. > :10:21.get into it. Why a hat -- one thing you have to do with Argentina is
:10:21. > :10:27.take them out of their comfort zone. That is what we have been trying to
:10:27. > :10:33.get our mindset rant. We will be ready for kick-off on Saturday.
:10:33. > :10:37.I am joined by former Wales captain Gwyn Jones. Good to see you. Let's
:10:37. > :10:41.start with the news that has come this week about yet more player
:10:42. > :10:46.drain, Jamie Roberts. Are you surprised he is leaving the Blues?
:10:46. > :10:50.I do not think anyone is surprised. It has been talked about for a long
:10:50. > :10:55.time. I can understand that the Blues are upset because they have
:10:55. > :11:01.looked after him and they have allowed him to play so much for
:11:01. > :11:06.Blues -- Wales and not so much for the Blues, so they might have
:11:06. > :11:09.expected some will be there, but he is keen to use rugby as a passport.
:11:09. > :11:16.Let's go on to the series, starting this Saturday with Argentina. A
:11:16. > :11:21.huge task? A difficult task, are theseth, because Argentina are a
:11:21. > :11:26.good side, but it is four games in four weeks which is the thing. It
:11:26. > :11:30.is a tough month for rugby. On the back are the regional game which
:11:30. > :11:36.has reached record over the last few weeks, especially in Europe, so
:11:36. > :11:42.they have to try to bring the Welsh squad back together. What about the
:11:42. > :11:50.team, then, the changes? Injury has unforced most. The any selection
:11:50. > :11:54.decision was to bring in Tavis well ahead of Mike Phillips and again
:11:54. > :11:59.this place into Gatland small. And the manager saying, if you go
:11:59. > :12:03.brought you might miss out. So a bit of a warning shot to those who
:12:04. > :12:09.are going to leave, but that is the only big decision. Let's look up
:12:09. > :12:14.front. Traditionally, historically, perhaps where Argentine have been
:12:15. > :12:18.strongest, how will Wales do? a challenge. They do not want to
:12:18. > :12:22.get caught down into the challenge. That has been the difficulty for
:12:22. > :12:26.them, scrum, line-out... They have to be able to stop Argentina
:12:26. > :12:35.dominating in those areas. Once they can do that, they want to move
:12:35. > :12:41.Argentina Iraq. Week sought Rob Howley in that piece saying he is I
:12:41. > :12:44.think three Quins out of four. were semifinalists in the World Cup,
:12:44. > :12:49.they're playing at home, I think people would expect them to beat
:12:49. > :12:54.Samoa and Argentina. They have every chance of beating Australia,
:12:54. > :12:59.who have with a windy outside. And any comes up against the All Blacks.
:12:59. > :13:03.They are number one in the world, but I do not think they have quite,
:13:03. > :13:11.for Wales anyway, the invisibility tag that they used to have. We will
:13:11. > :13:16.take a closer look at Argentine Shawky. To cycling and after the
:13:16. > :13:20.success of Four Geraint Thomas in London 2012, with his second gold
:13:20. > :13:25.medal, Wales has a new crop of young, talented cyclists looking to
:13:25. > :13:29.follow in his tracks. Welsh Cycling have set up their own team to
:13:29. > :13:32.compete alongside Team GB at international events, and to give
:13:32. > :13:42.the next generation the best possible build-up to the
:13:42. > :13:52.
:13:52. > :13:55.It is a long-term project. He is easy to say we need medals at the
:13:56. > :13:59.Commonwealth Games, but to get to that they need the racing and the
:13:59. > :14:04.competition. That is when you stop thinking about the World Cups. I
:14:04. > :14:07.thought, if we can go to the World Cups and race at that level, be
:14:07. > :14:11.competitive, offer the right experience, when it comes to the
:14:11. > :14:15.Commonwealth Games, although the expectation on Wales to perform at
:14:15. > :14:20.that level, the actual level of the competition is probably slightly
:14:20. > :14:23.less than what they have experienced at the World Cups.
:14:23. > :14:28.Winning two medals in the Track World Cup in Colombia was a success.
:14:28. > :14:38.To the project. The reward for the Riders is an exhaustive training
:14:38. > :14:39.
:14:39. > :14:43.programme ahead of the next event, There are a lot of early mornings
:14:43. > :14:49.and at lunch back on the track. Caps on the sofa and watch
:14:50. > :14:57.television! A track race is about 60 minutes. We're going around six
:14:57. > :15:01.kilometres an hour by the end. Looking up at the clock and seeing
:15:01. > :15:11.how much I have done, it is not the best feeling of morale but that is
:15:11. > :15:11.
:15:11. > :15:20.All the World Cup is a track based event, training on the open roads
:15:20. > :15:24.around south-east Wales is key to future success indoors. On a
:15:24. > :15:29.Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday we have got a road in the morning and
:15:29. > :15:38.to track in the afternoon. That is giving you your base and a level of
:15:38. > :15:42.endurance. Sundays it is tough but insurable but other days it feels
:15:42. > :15:46.like you hit a brick wall but you get through it and have the
:15:46. > :15:52.motivation to get you through your sessions. It is exciting that I get
:15:52. > :15:56.to race with the best in the world and I'm still the youngest. Huge
:15:56. > :16:00.opportunity because every time you go to an international event or a
:16:00. > :16:05.World Cup, the amount of experience he gained his invaluable. You get
:16:05. > :16:10.to learn more about yourself when you're racing, you get to work on
:16:10. > :16:15.any weaknesses and build on your strengths. It is a huge advantage.
:16:15. > :16:24.There is little rest after the morning's exertions and it is back
:16:24. > :16:32.An opportunity for the Welsh riders to do more World Cups through the
:16:32. > :16:37.winter. If the girls got a sink -- silver-medal -- the girls got a
:16:37. > :16:41.silver medal which was great for them. Then I was ill for much of it.
:16:41. > :16:51.I missed the second day but then came back and came third in the
:16:51. > :16:54.points race. To come back with a medal, I had a smile on my face.
:16:54. > :17:00.The support from sports psychologists, physiologist its, it
:17:00. > :17:04.is a big team effort to help us get to get -- get a fair we want to get
:17:04. > :17:08.to. The brain controls everything your body does, so if you can make
:17:08. > :17:16.your brain work as effectively as possible then you will get the most
:17:16. > :17:20.out of your body when you're out on the track or on the road. There is
:17:20. > :17:30.a lot work teams going to Glasgow. The Olympic champions are going to
:17:30. > :17:30.
:17:30. > :17:34.be there. It will be better to aim for a time rather than a position.
:17:34. > :17:41.We are getting stronger, we are getting our track legs back, so
:17:41. > :17:45.will slowly build on Columbia. is like a home World Cup, really,
:17:45. > :17:51.to be with the Scottish crowd. They are other Celts, so hopefully they
:17:51. > :17:58.will get behind us! I do not want to put too much pressure on myself.
:17:58. > :18:02.I will see what happens. At back to California now and to the build up
:18:02. > :18:09.of the Nathan Cleverly fight. And to the tragic story of the last
:18:09. > :18:17.Welshman to box in LA. Johnny Owen was that the Welsh,
:18:17. > :18:21.British,, Welsh and European champion. Fighting at the Olympic
:18:21. > :18:26.Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles, or one was ahead on points in the
:18:26. > :18:32.9th round. However, heavy blows took their toll and he was floored
:18:32. > :18:37.twice. He was knocked unconscious and rushed to a local hospital. He
:18:37. > :18:42.would never regain consciousness, eventually losing his battle on 4th
:18:42. > :18:44.December 1980. It is no longer a boxing venue, but
:18:44. > :18:53.there is something quite poignant about being here ahead of your
:18:53. > :18:59.sight. It is quite so real beings two-tier outside his building. To
:18:59. > :19:05.think that myself on Saturday night, I am fighting about half-a-mile up
:19:05. > :19:10.the road from a world title. It is a strange feeling, but it is one
:19:11. > :19:15.that I feel inspired by. God bless Johnny Owen and rest in peace. I
:19:15. > :19:20.feel that I should be under pressure but I think that being and
:19:20. > :19:30.coming year has kind of given me strength and confidence. It makes
:19:30. > :19:32.
:19:32. > :19:35.me want to perform on Saturday A mile up the road from the Olympic
:19:35. > :19:39.Auditorium is this place, the Staples Center, holder of the
:19:39. > :19:45.Lakers, the Kings and the clippers and home patch for this legend of
:19:45. > :19:54.the sport, Oscar De La Hoya. Nathan Cleverly is about to be introduced
:19:54. > :20:02.to the American public. I want to introduce to you, with our record
:20:02. > :20:06.of 24 or tree or and 11 knockouts, Nathan Cleverly. We at what you're
:20:06. > :20:11.poster behind you. His name is not on the poster. He is that an
:20:11. > :20:16.indication of where he is right now in regards to his name in the US.
:20:16. > :20:21.His name will be splashed inside the ring. This is a big stage now.
:20:21. > :20:28.Nathan Cleverly, his fight have not been televised here in the States.
:20:28. > :20:38.But this is the opportunity. People have described you as the most
:20:38. > :20:41.
:20:41. > :20:49.I would not go that far. Should Nathan Cleverly win this fight.
:20:49. > :20:57.Does he need a selling point? think he has got the tools. He is
:20:57. > :21:04.good-looking, well-spoken, it all starts with winning. If he performs,
:21:04. > :21:14.then we start looking at a secondary opportunities. Duty that
:21:14. > :21:16.
:21:16. > :21:22.next step, he has to overcome Shawn Hawk,. -- overcomes on Oct. I am a
:21:22. > :21:31.native American from Sceptre Court of. I grew up fighting. -- South
:21:31. > :21:37.Dakota. I am not afraid of nobody. I do not think a lot of people know
:21:37. > :21:41.a lot about Shawn Hawk. We know that he is from South Dakota and
:21:41. > :21:45.has an extensive amateur career. I do not think that he will be the
:21:45. > :21:52.toughest enemy that anything will ever ace, but we have got to wait
:21:52. > :21:58.and see. People are seeing that they expect Nathan Cleverly to win.
:21:58. > :22:03.How would to counter that? He is a world champion so when not win to
:22:03. > :22:08.take any short cuts. I am going to do what I have to do. Nathan
:22:08. > :22:14.Cleverly is the guy that, if he has a great fight, fans love poems. In
:22:14. > :22:23.boxing, like unchanged are you overnight and this could be his big
:22:23. > :22:26.opportunity. And Sport Wales cameras will be at
:22:26. > :22:32.the big fight, as a lookout for more or behind the scenes coverage
:22:32. > :22:36.on next the's show. By then, Wales will be hoping to head into their
:22:36. > :22:40.second autumn international on the back on the victory over Argentina.
:22:40. > :22:48.Or can the Pumas do what they did 11 years ago and when at Cardiff
:22:48. > :22:53.this weekend? -- win at Cardiff. August last year, a World Cup
:22:53. > :22:57.rehearsal and centre-stage the Wales as they beat Argentina. In
:22:57. > :23:02.the tournament itself, there was promise, with victories over
:23:02. > :23:07.Scotland and Romania. But you can stop New Zealand? Not Argentina.
:23:07. > :23:12.There was no morning post World Cup, what followed was a five-match
:23:12. > :23:17.unbeaten run, including victories over Italy and France. A perfect
:23:17. > :23:22.launch pad for the Rugby Championship. There was one defeat
:23:22. > :23:28.to South Africa and one drop against the Springboks. A sign of
:23:28. > :23:34.better times ahead? That was about as good as it got. Next came five
:23:34. > :23:38.successive defeats. Iran Australia close twice its -- tries but lead
:23:38. > :23:41.at 75 points in all against New Zealand. Soap which side will be
:23:41. > :23:50.see in Cardiff tomorrow? Perhaps they have never been better
:23:50. > :23:58.prepared to face Wales. It is the first time that we are not coming
:23:58. > :24:05.from six months without seeing each other. Of course, we have many
:24:05. > :24:11.things to improve on as a team. Hopefully this is the start of that
:24:11. > :24:21.growth. We learned a lot. Most things are that the improved with
:24:21. > :24:23.
:24:23. > :24:30.the ball. The intensity with which these teams play, we must learn how
:24:30. > :24:37.to bring it down and and bring velocity to the ball. It helps when
:24:37. > :24:43.you have got your talisman around and after missing the Rugby
:24:43. > :24:52.Championship, this man has fond memories of Wales. I started in
:24:52. > :25:02.Wales in 1988 and I let in 2001. -- 1998. It was a big result and a big
:25:02. > :25:03.
:25:03. > :25:08.game for the team. This team is well prepared and hopefully we will
:25:08. > :25:13.show off some of the rugby we have been trained to develop. It should
:25:13. > :25:23.not be any surprises here for Wales, they know Argentina will be big,
:25:23. > :25:23.
:25:23. > :25:29.brutal and good luck or what could be a pleasing debut. It is about
:25:29. > :25:35.strength and hopefully it will be a good move for us to target them. It
:25:35. > :25:42.will be a massive battle. I think if you can get our dominance out
:25:42. > :25:48.front in the scrum, then we will have a good save. We will have a
:25:48. > :25:58.big chance. But do they have the nous to win in Wales in the -- for
:25:58. > :26:00.
:26:00. > :26:07.the first time in 11 years? They have won the Six Nations this year,
:26:07. > :26:13.they are very competitive. The play good rugby. They have a good system
:26:13. > :26:23.of attack. They have very good individual players. We are prepared
:26:23. > :26:31.for a difficult game. I think it will be tough. We're going out into
:26:31. > :26:35.the game with huge respect. They are such a good side.
:26:35. > :26:38.Yes, the Pumas are in town and ready to take on Wales here at the
:26:38. > :26:46.Millennium stained -- Millennium Stadium. How fearful should Wales
:26:46. > :26:53.B? Healthy respect. They performed well in the championship. They wear
:26:53. > :26:59.without some of Birstall words. -- they were without some of their
:26:59. > :27:07.stalwarts. They have some more variety and can take advantage of
:27:07. > :27:11.this model. From the World Cup, it went from playing northern-
:27:11. > :27:14.hemisphere rugby to the championship and back to northern
:27:14. > :27:19.hemisphere rugby, 13 months of relentless rugby and I think they
:27:19. > :27:25.might be a little bit tired. A in terms of first game, how important
:27:25. > :27:32.is the back wheels good of to a good start? First time for the boys
:27:32. > :27:36.to get back together. Momentum is everything. They are on such a
:27:36. > :27:41.roller-coaster of rugby over the next month. A good when and then
:27:41. > :27:46.see what happens against the big boys. But yes, momentum behind them.
:27:46. > :27:53.All these things are important. A good when will be a good boost to
:27:54. > :27:58.the spot. Rob Howley once for went after four, of what will happen?
:27:58. > :28:03.think three is very possible. I think Australia will struggle. We
:28:04. > :28:09.should beat Argentina. When we need Europe -- when we meet the All
:28:09. > :28:16.Blacks, will base that again. I think the actor for is acceptable,
:28:16. > :28:23.at two out of four at... -- I think three out of four is acceptable. I
:28:23. > :28:26.think Wales will win by at least seven. It might take a little while
:28:26. > :28:30.before we get to the last 20 minutes to show that will stop
:28:30. > :28:36.Thank you very much. That his offer this week. We are
:28:36. > :28:41.back next Friday, 9:35pm. We are looking forward to Swansea City's