Western Mail
This front page is the impactful result of Wales victory against Australia in the pool stages of the 2023 Rugby World Cup which secured Wales’ progress to the last 16 in the quarter-finals. The key match kicked off at the OL Stadium in Lyon at 20:00 GMT on Sunday, September 24, 2023, putting that innate pressure on the production team to do the final result complete justice given off-stone was 22:30 - any turnaround would be tight. What each and everyone of us at the Western Mail is acutely aware of is how much rugby appeals to our readership - particularly achievement at national level - which is why every effort is made to give it insightful, in-depth coverage and appropriate space in each edition. Key is also reflecting the sheer mood. Anticipation for the tournament had grown with Warren Gatland’s return as head coach but Australia were a testing prospect to overcome in the pool stages if Wales were to advance. Once the win was secure, the Western Mail’s head of production Wayne Davies selected the powerful on-the-whistle image by Getty Images photographer Jan Kruger of Wales centre Nick Tompkins celebrating the victory on pitch at full-time. Amid a sea of red, the strength of the clear shot completely mirrored the mood as Wales had not just beaten Australia but had done so in style. Wayne also managed to find time to cut out Tompkins hand and hair, before putting a fully appropriate headline and subhead on the page, to fully tap into the readers’ emotional response to Wales’ brilliant display during the game, with an element of excitement too that Wales were the first team to be confirmed for the final 16. This is all the more impressive given working from home does not necessarily allow the immediate collaboration and being all gathered around a screen in a newsroom can. The treatment proved an obvious success with our readers - the September 25 edition of the Western Mail was, in circulation terms, up 32% week on week, and up an excellent 17.8% year on year. This feels incredibly heartening in terms of knowing our readership, and in these challenging times for print.