Adams wants to join list of World Cup wing legends
OITA, 15 Oct - Josh Adams wants to add his name to the roll-call of World Cup wing legends as he targets more tries in Wales's glory bid.
The Cardiff Blues flier is the joint top scorer in the tournament - alongside Japan's Kotaro Matsushima - with five from the pool games and is just one off the Welsh tournament record of six set by Shane Williams in 2007.
But Adams also has his eye on the overall record for a single RWC of eight - shared by the New Zealand's Julian Savea (2015) as well as fellow All Black Jonah Lomu (1999) and South Africa's Bryan Habana (2007), whose tries are showcased in this clip.
"It wouldn't be bad to join that list, would it?" said Adams, who scored against Uruguay on Sunday to follow up his hat-trick against Fiji and one against Georgia.
"There are some legends there. It would be great if I could join, but most importantly we need to win the games first.
"Fingers crossed, with three more games to go hopefully, I can pip him (Shane Williams). We'll wait and see."
As he looks to add to his tally in Sunday's quarter-final against France at Oita Stadium, Adams admits his rapid rise has left him stunned.
The 24-year-old made his Wales debut as recently as the 2018 Six Nations after his displays for Worcester caught the attention of head coach Warren Gatland.
He helped Wales to the Grand Slam this year, scoring in successive games against Italy, England and Scotland, and now has nine tries from 18 appearances.
"It's the biggest week of my career," said Adams, who played in all four games as Wales topped Pool A with a perfect record.
"I’d never have said 18 months ago that I’d be standing here, but I’m over the moon. When (Wales captain) Alun Wyn Jones said we're 240 minutes away from glory, it does put it into perspective a little bit, doesn’t it?
"We've got a really tough 80 minutes on Sunday, but there's no reason why this group of players can’t achieve something special. We've got belief in each other."
Wales beat France the last time the teams met in Paris in February when they trailed 16-0 at half-time on a rain-lashed night. A couple of French errors sparked a comeback and Wales triumphed 24-19 to take the first step towards a third Grand Slam under Gatland, who leaves his role at the end of the World Cup.
But Adams knows les Bleus cannot be underestimated.
"France are renowned for being able to turn it on and when they do they're extremely dangerous," he said. "At times in this competition they've looked really, really good."
RNS ig/sg/lm/bo
