Lake would love to continue as Wales captain

Dewi Lake has played 15 internationals for Wales

Ospreys hooker Dewi Lake says he would love to retain the Wales captaincy after leading the side in Australia.

Wales lost the Test series 2-0 but Lake impressed after taking over as skipper from lock Dafydd Jenkins, who led his country during the 2024 Six Nations.

Lake's fellow 2023 World Cup co-captain Jac Morgan is fit again after missing the Six Nations and summer tour through injury and the flanker has been named as the Ospreys' new permanent captain.

With Wales facing Fiji, Australia and South Africa in November, Lake says he would like to keep the national role as head coach Warren Gatland ponders his decision.

"I'd love to continue, I'd never turn it down," said Lake.

"It's not my decision to make. There's plenty of good leaders in that team and plenty to come back as well.

"If it's there, I'm never going to turn it down but it could be anyone."

Learning lessons

Jac Morgan (left) and Dewi Lake (right) were named as Wales' first World Cup co-captains by Warren Gatland (centre)

In Australia, 25-year-old Lake had the captaincy role on his own after sharing the responsibility with Morgan last year.

While Morgan was first choice in his position and led Wales in the important games against Fiji, Australia and Argentina, Lake was captain his for the Portugal and Georgia games as he battled with form and fitness.

"I found out a lot about myself in that World Cup and about that leadership role in general," said Lake.

"It's tough because I had not nailed myself down to be starting.

"I missed that first game against Fiji off the back of injury and didn't play my best rugby against Portugal, so I didn't get back in the team for Australia.

"It's tough to feel like you've got to be a leader or captain of a team where you're not actually really nailed down as a starter or a bench player.

"So I probably didn't put my best foot forward in that role at the World Cup.

"It was a tough experience but second time around I felt much better, a lot more comfortable, got on with it, played my game and let things take care of themselves.

"In the summer I felt like I found my feet, was consistent in my role and I just loved doing it."

Public perception

Dewi Lake addresses his side after a defeat by Australia

Lake, who like Morgan missed the Six Nations because of injury, excelled on his return to the side in the summer, despite defeat against South Africa at Twickenham and two losses against the Wallabies.

"It was amazing," said Lake.

"Any time you get to play for your country, it's an honour.

"We would have liked a result to go our way. I think we should have had it, especially in the second Test against Australia.

"We outplayed them and were a better team, but a few costly mistakes awarded them tries.

"The summer on the whole was amazing with the group of boys and the experience I had being in Australia for the first time."

Wales have slipped to 11th in the world rankings and have lost nine consecutive internationals.

"The public are right to want results, that's why we play the game and we should be putting some of these teams away," said Lake.

"We're not far away. Some of the rugby we created in Australia was good, we just didn't finish it off.

"It's that last 5% we need now and the more time we have together, the better we're going to get.

"But we can't keep using it as an excuse for results that should have gone our way.

"At some point, we have to start winning these games and seeing positive results.

"It's always going to be the same message. We might play nice rugby but if we don't get results, it doesn't matter."

History boys

Dewi Lake and Warren Gatland

Lake pointed to learning the lessons from the Wales side that were number one in the world in 2019 after winning the Grand Slam earlier that year.

"If you go to the period where Wales were the most dominant, where they won 14 games in a row, they had forgotten how to lose at that point," said Lake.

"It wasn't that the rugby they were playing was unbelievable or they were untouchable.

"They were just a team that was so confident in their ability that by 80 minutes they'd be in front.

"They never got worried or chased the game because they knew how to win.

"That's where we need to get to. That comes with experience and being a part of something like that where you learn to win.

"You have to win to know what it feels like and how to do it. That's why it's so important, we get that win on the board."

Vital victory

Dewi Lake is a former back rower

Wales managed to get a last-gasp victory against Super Rugby side Queensland Reds in a friendly in the final game of the season in July.

"Although it wasn't a Test match, that Reds game in the third week was huge for us because that monkey's off our back," said Lake.

"I know most of the public won't see it as an important win or anything like that, but for us as a group internally it is.

"We trained and played the same as we did for a Test match, we still pulled on the jersey.

"To win in the Wales jersey is what we needed for confidence and we can build on that going forward.

"So it may not count outside, but for us it does."