By Ryan Gould, Date: 8/11/13
Former South Wales Scorpions star Christiaan Roets is calling on the people of Neath to turn up in their droves to support Wales when they visit The Gnoll to take on the Cook Islands on Sunday in Rugby League World Cup 2013 (kick-off 2pm).
The Crusaders centre had a two-year spell with the Scorpions before moving north, and he is hoping that the South Wales faithful will cheer on their national side as they look to leave the tournament on a high.
“It’s really important for Wales to finish on a win and hopefully the people of south Wales will help us to do that”, he said. “We’ve all worked really hard for this tournament – but it hasn’t paid off so far as it should have.
“Our preparation has always been great but the execution has really let us down so far, and that’s a bit disappointing. It would be great to finish our group game on a high.”
Like all of the RLWC2013 fixtures so far, Wales’ clash with the USA last weekend in Wrexham was well attended, and Roets certainly delivered on his World Cup debut with his two tries and all-round impressive display.
However, the 26-18 loss wasn’t what the centre had hoped for and he is looking for improvements this weekend.
“It was an awesome crowd in Wrexham – there was a great turnout and support during the game”, he added.
“I’m glad about the two tries I scored, it’s an honour to score tries for your country. But it was a disappointing result. We tried to come back but it was just far too late.
“They were a very physical side. They ran hard, were very physical in defence and were really up and focused for the game. We’ll go back to the drawing board, look at what went wrong and then fix it for the Cook Islands game.
“I’m pleased that we have had games at Wrexham and now in Neath. South Wales Scorpions was where I started as a professional Rugby League player so I’m looking forward to going back there and being in the home changing room once again.”
The main stand is sold out for Wales v Cook Islands at The Gnoll in Neath this Sunday but there are limited tickets available for the Family Stand and for the terracing. Go to www.rlwc2013.com to buy. Prices are £10 for adults and £5 for concessions.
