Warren Gatland has admitted that he will find it hard lending his support to Pool A rivals Australia, who face hosts England on Saturday at Twickenham.
Should Australia beat England the result will see Gatland’s side through to the quarter-finals after beating Fiji 23-13 yesterday while Stuart Lancaster’s side will be eliminated from their own tournament.
New Zealander Warren Gatland told the BBC: “If we were being selfish about our own destiny Australia can do us a big favour.
“But it’s a bit hard for a Kiwi to be cheering Aussies, so I think I’ll be quite neutral for this weekend.”
Wales currently sit top of Pool A with 13 points – four ahead of Australia while England find themselves seven points behind.
All three nations are still in the race for qualification but whichever one of the three fails to qualify will deem the tournament a disappointment.
And should the World Cup hosts record a victory over Australia on Saturday they will then find themselves as favourites once again with their only remaining fixture against minnows Uruguay – who both Australia and Wales recorded bonus-point victories over already.
Wales have Australia still to play and should England win this weekend then there is a real possibility that all three could finish on level points – with the decision then coming down to points difference.
