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Wales head coach Warren Gatland is hoping the troubled Six Nations campaign can be put to bed as attention turns towards the World Cup in France.
This selection comes after seeing his side finish fifth in the Six Nations.
“There was no doubt that on reflection I probably didn’t realise how much those things impacted on the players in terms of what was happening off the field,” said Gatland.
Wales only won one game against Italy during the Six Nations tournament and were beset by off-the-field issues which culminated in the senior squad almost going on strike against England over contractual issues before the threat was called off.
“There was definitely a bit of a split in the group in terms of a number of issues,” said Gatland.
“Time is a good healer and I think from having spoken to a few players and I know Huw Bennett [Wales strength and conditioning coach] has spoken to a number of players, they’re excited about moving forward and preparing for the World Cup.”
Bennett has been named as the WRU head of physical performance to replace Paul Stridgeon who is moving back to France to be with his young family after a heart-to-heart conversation with Gatland.
“I probably instigated that a little bit earlier and not after the World Cup,” said Gatland.
“He’s been away from his family for a number of years in terms of travelling backwards and forwards. He’s got a couple of young daughters and a young son who is just two and asked is there any chance he can be released from his contract early.
“I went and spoke to the union and they gave their blessing for him to be released and to go back to France. We supported that 100%.
“He’s going to be a big loss in terms of what he’s contributed to Welsh rugby over the years.
“We’ve got someone like Huw who has been number two in that position for a long time now and who we feel is going to be brilliant in terms of stepping up with the experience he’s got and the respect of the squad.
“He’s someone who is going to be different but is going to do a great job.”
Fitness first
Bennett’s first job will to be ensure Wales players are fit with intense training camps planned for Switzerland and Turkey in July.
“During the Six Nations we were reasonable but not anywhere near as good as we were in the past,” said Gatland.
“That’s something we pride ourselves on in terms of playing for 80 minutes and not going away, working incredibly hard for each other, and having that desperation.
“You’ve seen that in the past and it’s something I’ll be focusing on.
“There were a number of times during games where teams had made breaks against us that I felt we didn’t work hard enough to get back and weren’t desperate enough.
“There were a number of things going on off the field but we’ve got to get back to that.”
Gatland caused a stir after the Six Nations campaign by picking a British and Irish Lions Test 23-man squad that included no Welsh players.
“It’s only one man’s opinion,” said three-times Lions head coach Gatland.
“I’ve always prided myself in terms of being straight up and honest. That’s where I felt we were at that point in time.
“I’ve been asked to do a similar exercise in terms of my time with the Lions and picking a best Lions 23 from the time I’ve been involved.
“There will definitely be a significant representation of Wales players in that from the four tours I’ve been involved in.
“I haven’t had any feedback from the players in terms of why they weren’t selected but I’m happy to have that discussion or debate if anyone thinks they’ve been unfairly treated or should have been in that 23.”
Room for optimism?
Wales open their World Cup campaign against Fiji in Bordeaux on 10 September before further group games against Portugal, Australia and Georgia.
With the world’s top five-ranked sides, Ireland, France, South Africa, New Zealand and Scotland, in the other half of the draw, Gatland remains optimistic about Wales’ chances.
“We’ve got a tricky draw because that Fiji game is first up and I look back to 2019 when they pushed Australia pretty hard and it was only until the last 20 minutes Australia got on top of them,” said Gatland.
“It is going to be a real tough one first up when they are fresh and ready to go, but the exciting thing is you look at the other side of the draw and you get through your pool and to the quarter-finals and it is about taking one game at a time.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do but there is an opportunity to come in under the radar without too many expectations.
“There will be internal expectations upon ourselves and we will work incredibly hard to hopefully put ourselves in a position where we are competitive but also put ourselves in the frame later in the tournament.”
