Warren Gatland says he is “not 100 per cent convinced” Welsh regional rugby will undergo the proper reset he believes it needs.
Wales face Six Nations title favorites Ireland in Dublin on Saturday and the contrast between the two long-term rivals could not be greater. On the pitch, Ireland have lost just two of their last 40 home Tests and victory over Wales would equal England’s record of 11 consecutive Six Nations wins. Meanwhile, Wales have lost nine of their last 10 Six Nations games and the story is similar off the pitch.
Ireland have thrived on a system of centrally signed players that has laid the foundations for dynamic, successful provincial teams, while Wales’ four professional divisions are bracing for deep budget cuts that will come into effect from next season.Asked to assess the main differences between Irish and Welsh rugby, Gatland said: “I think they [Ireland] Just set up the right structure.
“Maybe if I look at the last time I was here [between 2007 and 2019], we kind of papered over the cracks of what was going on in Welsh rugby. We have an opportunity to reset, and unfortunately, I’m not 100% confident that we’re going to have a proper reset in our zone.
“Sometimes you can feel like you’re on a sinking ship and you’re trying to plug the holes. So we still have a lot of work to do. It’s taken a long time [in Ireland]But that was helped by performances from their provincial team, which have transferred over to their international squad.
“We may have been the exact opposite. We were the exact opposite. Now, we may be reflecting on where our region is. We have to think about closing that gap.”
quick guide
Wales XV to face Ireland
exhibit
wells C Winnett (Cardiff); J Adams (Cardiff), G North (Ospreys), N Tompkins (Saracens), R Dyer (Dragon); S Costello (Scarlets), T William S (Cardiff); G Thomas (Ospreys), E Dee (Dragon), K Assiratti (Cardiff City), D Jenkins (Exeter, captain), A Beard (Ospreys), A Mann ( Cardiff City), T Reffell (Leicester City), A Wainwright (Dragon).
replacement R Elias (Scarlets), C Domachowski (Cardiff), D Lewis (Harlequins), W Rowlands (Racing 92), M Martin (Cardiff), K Hardy (Scarlets), I Lloyd (Scarlets), M Grady (Cardiff) ).
Gatland believes having the right infrastructure in place across Wales’ four professional divisions – Cardiff, Scalai, Ospreys and Dragons – is vital.
“I continue to talk about infrastructure, getting the right infrastructure, the right environment, the right S&C [strength and conditioning] Coaches, medical staff, quality coaching, training facilities, venues and more,” he added. “Forget about the players. You know? [infrastructure] Yeah, and then you start forming your team.
“My advice to all divisions is don’t worry about the players. If that means picking young players to join your squad, make sure you spend the money on your facilities, make sure you spend the money on the right people in your environment .”
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s game at the Aviva Stadium, Gatland said: “A lot of people said we were underdogs but that was not our motivation. The motivation was to get better from the first and second games. The pressure you put on yourself. We’ve been talking all week about not being afraid to go out there. It’s going to be a big challenge for us, but you’ve got to accept it and you’ve got to be excited about it.”
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Ciarán Frawley will make his first Test start for Ireland, replacing injured full-back Hugo Keenan. The versatile 26-year-old has made two previous appearances as a substitute, including playing the final four minutes of the Championship opener away to France.
Keenan has almost always worn the national team’s No. 15 jersey for the past three years, but suffered a knee injury in the second round against Italy and will miss the game against Wales.
quick guide
Ireland XV vs Wales
exhibit
Ireland C Frawley (Leinster); C Nash (Munster), R Henshaw (Leinster), B Aki (Connacht), J Lowe (Leinster); J Crowley (Munster) , J Gibson-Park (Leinster); A Porter (Leinster), D Sheehan (Leinster), T Furlong (Leinster), J McCarthy (Leinster), T Beirne (Munster) , P O’Mahony (Munster, captain), J van der Flier (Leinster), C Doris (Leinster).
replacement R Kelleher (Leinster), C Healy (Leinster), O Jager (Munster), J Ryan (Leinster), R Baird (Leinster), J Conan (Leinster), C Murray (Munster), S McCloskey (Ulster).
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has included Munster head coach Oli Jager, who has not represented the team, as a substitute since the 36-0 win over Italy on February 11 Since joining the team, he has made seven personnel changes to the starting fifteen. Captain Peter O’Mahony, prop Tadge Furlong and center Bundy Aki are back from injury, while lock Tadge Beirne, forward Jamison Gibson-Parker and flanker Josh Vander Freer was also recalled.
Second row James Ryan, wing Ryan Baird, number eight Jake Conan and center Stuart McCloskey sit on a six-man bench made up of forwards and guards. Forwards Finley Billam and forward Craig Casey were ruled out of the match in Round 23 after starting against Italy. Lock Ian Henderson, who picked up a foot injury while playing for Ulster, did not feature, while center Gary Ringross remains sidelined after missing the first two rounds with a shoulder problem.
