Welsh by choice, world class naturally

Cunningham's power is the Principality's main weapon

Catching Keiron Cunningham when he is off the rugby field can be just as thankless a task as trying to get hold of him on it.

Catching Keiron Cunningham when he is off the rugby field can be just as thankless a task as trying to get hold of him on it.

It was on Wednesday, anyway, when the Wales squad followed their morning training session, alongside Swansea's union players such as Scott Gibbs and Arwel Thomas, with a tour of the Mumbles. It took time, a helping hand and a car chase around the winding roads of the Welsh coastline, but he was eventually pinned down in a seaside café.

Cunningham is the star of the Wales team in this tournament - the St Helens hooker is widely regarded as one of the best British players. The fact that he was the only Great Britain player named in the rugby league writers' World XIII last year is proof of the respect he commands.

His team manager, Mike Nicholas, even suggests that he is one of only a very small handful who could get a place in the all-conquering Australia side. "And that's the benchmark," he points out.

The prospect of playing with, rather than against, the favourites might appeal to some, but the man himself has eyes only for Wales. "Both my brothers, Edward and Thomas, played for Wales," Cunningham, who turned 24 on Friday, said. "They were big stars in the late Seventies and really set the tone for the family. I had the option of playing for England, but I have family in Swansea and it is nice to carry on the tradition."

The fact that he is the latest in a long line of Cunninghams to have represented his country no doubt helped him make up his mind. So too, though, did the realisation that Wales have a good chance of progressing, if not as far as the last four as they did in 1995, then at least to the knock-out stages.

Three stern tests stand between them and that goal, however. They come in increasing order of difficulty, against the Cook Islands today, Lebanon on Thursday and the tournament's second favourites, New Zealand, a week today.

The Cook Islands may sound like Ainsley Harriot's latest television program, but they could prove a harder nut to crack than people think. "Everyone expects us to win this one easily, but it's not going to be a pushover," Cunningham said. "They have flown a long way to take part, so you can be sure they are not just here to make up the numbers. They are big and strong and they have, in my club team-mate Kevin Iro, one of the best players in the world. This guy can win you games on his own."

Cunningham added: "The important thing for us is that we win our first two games. We don't want it to come down to last group game against the Kiwis, with us needing a win to stay in the competition. Instead, we want to assure qualification and then go into that big match at the Millennium Stadium confident and relaxed."

Wales perhaps do not possess quite the strength in depth of five years ago, but the mood in the camp is positive. And with the likes of Iestyn Harris, now their captain, Anthony Sullivan, Paul Atcheson, Lee Briers, Mick Jenkins and Justin Morgan in their ranks, anything is possible. "I think we can do as well, and maybe, just maybe, better than five years ago," Cunningham, ever the optimist, said.

Wales, though, are equally capable of falling at the first, as their union cousins did against Samoa, both in the 1991 and 1999 World Cups. "We've worked hard on our preparation," Cunningham explained, "so we're not planning to get knocked out early on."

Representing Wales in a World Cup has been a season-long ambition for Cunningham, but the dream nearly failed to materialise when, having lit up the match with his powerful running and ferocious tackling, he picked up an injury during the Grand Final victory over Wigan earlier this month.

"I had set my eyes on winning the Super League with Saints and then playing for Wales in the World Cup, so I was worried when I picked up the knock," Cunningham said. "But I was lucky to come across an unusual remedy. When we were in South Africa [for a one match warm-up before the tournament], the Loftus Stadium had an oxygen chamber. Being surrounded by pure oxygen is supposed to help you heal quicker. It by-passes your red and white blood cells and puts oxygen straight into your plasma. I tried it, and luckily for me it worked.

"You wouldn't want to be claustrophobic, though. I was in there with Anthony [Sullivan] and Iestyn [Harris], and Anthony actually started panicking like hell. We were at five metres when he lost all the colour in his face and then began screaming and shouting. Eventually we calmed him down and got down to 14 metres. It was a bit of a struggle, but worth it in the end because we're all fit and ready for the World Cup."

And Cunningham believes that this could, at long last, be the tournament to raise the sport's profile throughout Britain.

"We are still football mad, but league is slowly getting there," he said. "I love my shooting and fishing and I'm appearing in an article in Country Life magazine. It's not the main story or anything, but it's still a real honour for me; something which never would have happened had it not been for the World Cup."

A few good results, and Cunningham could soon find himself on the front cover.