WALES were last night being tipped to reach the World Cup final by a growing army of rugby legends, led by former Ospreys and New Zealand great Justin Marshall.
Cautious admiration of Warren Gatland's side before their 22-10 quarter-final victory against Ireland has been replaced by an array of stunning tributes and bold predictions of what they are capable of achieving down under.
Wales face France in their Auckland semi-final on Saturday, but while Les Bleus rediscovered some of their old selves by beating a poor England side, the manner of the performance from Sam Warburton and co in Wellington has seen the hype surrounding them go into overdrive.
Marshall heaped praise on Wales, and was joined by former All Black greats Andrew Mehrtens and Ian Jones, as well as respected pundit Stuart Barnes.
Even Chris Rattue, the Kiwi newspaper columnist who once dubbed Wales the "village idiots of world rugby" complimented Gatland's men on having discovered a "new magic".
But it's the comments of Marshall, who spent two seasons in the Welsh game with the Ospreys, that carried particular weight.
"Wales have had the talent but, as I've said on many occasions in the past, their biggest problem was they lacked confidence when they tackled the leading nations," he said.
"But they've found it now.
"This Welsh team we are seeing here in New Zealand is playing without fear. It's fantastic."
Marshall, now a leading rugby pundit in New Zealand, wasn't shocked by their 22-10 quarter-final triumph over Ireland in Wellington last weekend.
"It didn't surprise me that they won, but it did surprise me how effectively they won," he beamed.
"I thought Ireland would put them under more stress defensively and Wales would have to work a lot harder.
"But, from the first few minutes when they started well and scored a try, they just looked in control of the match.
"That's what surprised me – that such a youthful team were able to stay in control and look so calm and composed.
"It's a big ask to get through to the final of a Rugby World Cup but, on the evidence of what we've seen in this tournament, you'd have to say there's not a lot of flaws there.
"They are doing all the things they need to do. They believe in the game-plan, they look fit and they are not suffering any injuries; there's also great competition in the squad.
"They have all the ingredients there to move forward.
"And there's no reason why can't do that: firstly because of the rugby they are playing and, secondly, because of the way the squad has come together.
"Wales's line-speed was incredible in defence and frustrated Ireland. They came up quick and forced them into one-out runners, while their intensity at the breakdown made Ireland commit numbers.
"Ireland just ran out of ideas. They looked clueless because of how good the defence was.
"I had my doubts Rhys Priestland had the composure to kick big goals for Wales, but he did that comfortably.
"I also didn't know whether he could direct the team around the field, but combined well with the likes of Jamie Roberts.
"Roberts is an absolute colossus. He's working in tandem with Priestland, making good calls and good decisions, and the other younger players like North and Scott Williams, when he has played, are picking their moments to project themselves and they are doing it at the right time.
"They don't look like they are in their late teens or early 20s. They look like they've been around the Test scene for many years."
Former All Blacks No 10 Mehrtens, who partnered Marshall in the 1995 final, advised: "Stick your cash on Wales to get into the World Cup final.
"France may have a slight edge on Wales in the scrum and line-out, but Wales are young and vigorous. They have shown themselves to be a very fit, resilient side.
"I like the Welsh backs. They look up at the shape of the game ahead of them and play to that while Mike Phillips is the half-back governor.
"They play with excitement, accuracy and their support play is a great indicator about a team's self-belief and passion."
Jones meanwhile expects a Wales versus New Zealand final, while former England outside-half Barnes predicted Australia would provide the opposition for Gatland's up-and-comers.
"The Welsh story is amazing," said Barnes, who was a pupil at Bassaleg Comprehensive School and played for Newport.
"They are a completely different team, even from what they were in August.
"It was quite stunning to watch how they played against Ireland – they have set this tournament alight."
Ex-lock Jones said: "The performance from Wales was outstanding, the complete game of the World Cup. They can go into next weekend with so much confidence."
Rattue refused to apologise for his "village idiots" jibe, maintaining it was an apt description of Wales in 2006.
But he conceded: "Wales now have a team that wants to strike during games instead of before them.
"It is abundantly clear their team is among the best organised at the World Cup. That old Welsh magic may be long gone but the new magic is working pretty well.
"France are the northern hemisphere team best armed to win the World Cup final, yet a feeling says they won't get the chance."
Wales' clash with France will be refereed by Ireland's Alain Rolland, who handled the 2007 final between England and South Africa. New Zealand's semi with Australia on Sunday will be controlled by South African Craig Joubert.
Lock Luke Charteris and outside-half Priestland, who were both forced off during a bruising encounter with Ireland nursing shoulder injuries, are apparently making good progress ahead of the biggest date of their rugby lives.
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