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Alex King has hailed the hard work of Wales\u2019 Rugby World Cup squad and says their quarter-final achievement has been \u201cfour months in the making\u201d.<\/p>\n
It was towards the end of May that head coach Warren Gatland and his assistants began work with an extended training group.<\/p>\n
That came on the back of a dismal Six Nations campaign, where Wales only avoided the wooden spoon by beating Italy in Rome.<\/p>\n
Off-field issues in the Welsh professional game such as finances and contractual uncertainty for players, meanwhile, almost led to a full-blown national squad strike ahead of Wales\u2019 Six Nations clash against England.<\/p>\n
But the transformation quietly began at Wales\u2019 training base in the Vale of Glamorgan, before punishing camps in Switzerland and Turkey moved preparations to another level.<\/p>\n
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A record 40-6 victory over Australia confirmed Wales\u2019 place in the last-eight for the fourth World Cup in a row, setting up a probable appointment with Argentina in Marseille on October 14.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am just delighted for the lads,\u201d Wales assistant coach and attack specialist King said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have worked so hard \u2013 four months in the making. We are now in the quarter-finals, but we want to really focus on Georgia next week to finish top of the group.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know how hard that Georgia game is going to be, and then we can see what happens, going forward, after that.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was awesome (against Australia), wasn\u2019t it? We knew how important the game was for both countries.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe scored a really good try early on, and it probably settled a few nerves.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe then just managed to get control of the game, our set-piece got on top and we managed to keep the scoreboard keep ticking over.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you are playing a team that is low on confidence, the game just goes away from them. We were able to establish a good lead and stay in control to the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two of Wales\u2019 three tries came from impressive creativity, with Gareth Davies scoring the first following captain Jac Morgan\u2019s break, then Gareth Anscombe\u2019s superbly-placed kick into space being finished off by Nick Tompkins.<\/p>\n
On Davies\u2019 score, King added: \u201cThe guys work hard, and it is nice when one comes off like that.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard to break down defences at this level because they\u2019re so well organised, but Gareth Davies did the support line and Jac was superb. It set the tone, really, and gave us a foothold in the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the teams that are going to go far (in the World Cup) will bring a balance of structured and unstructured (play).<\/p>\n
\u201cWe realise that it wasn\u2019t perfect, and no game ever is, and realise we have things to build on. But it is a good foundation to build from.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there is anything, there is some work in the 22 we need to tidy up on.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is one of the hardest places to attack because you have got a front line of 15 defenders.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought Gareth finding space in the back-field for Nick Tompkins was an example of where we can go to with our kick-space.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThere are always things to work on, and we want to get Louis (Rees-Zammit), Josh (Adams), Rio (Dyer) and Liam (Williams) on the ball as much as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes a game works out that way, sometimes it doesn\u2019t. But that is the plan.\u201d<\/p>\n