The excitement and anticipation for the mega event was evident on the faces of the members of the Wales Men’s Hockey Team as they touched down at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.
“We are really excited to come and play our first world cup in India, it really is a privilege to be here but ultimately we are here to play hockey, playing against India in front of the Indian fans is the icing on the cake.” said head coach Danny Newcombe as quoted by Hockey India.
The Head Coach also sounded off a warning to all the other teams in Pool D, which includes host India, Spain and England, saying that the Welsh team are not going to crumble under any kind of pressure.
“This player group is quite experienced, most of us have been together for almost six years and we earned the right to be here we are not here to just participate in the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela,” he asserted.
Wales’ Captain Rupert Shipperley in his statement said that his side is keen to ensure the year begins with a bang in Odisha. The FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela is especially important for the Wales men’s hockey team as it will be their first-ever prestigious tournament. Wales open their FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela campaign against England on January 13 and play Spain on January 15, in the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela.
Adding to his statement Shipperley said, “We are here to win, it’s as simple as that. We are not here to just make up the numbers, we are here to cause an upset”
The Wales team had previously played the Indian Men’s Hockey Team at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and had been handed a 4-1 defeat. However, Captain Shipperley believes his side have worked on their game, and are ready to take on the hosts in Bhubaneswar on January 19 at the Kalinga Stadium.
“We are looking forward to playing India in front of their fans, it is going to be a special occasion. We have faced all the teams in our pool before and we know what to expect, we are just raring to go now,” said Shipperley