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The 'jealousy' factor driving Wales in Grand Slam decider
By Online Editors
Warren Gatland readily accepts there is "added spice" when Wales play Ireland as he looks to sign off in the Six Nations with a title and Grand Slam.
Both teams, who meet in Cardiff on Saturday, are chasing silverware - along with England - as this season's tournament builds towards a thrilling conclusion.
But Wales have control, knowing that victory over Ireland would secure a third Grand Slam of Gatland's reign and see them crowned champions for the first time since 2013.
It will be former Ireland boss Gatland's final Six Nations Test as Wales head coach, and he is relishing the high-octane occasion that will inevitably unfold.
"I think the added spice is that with the PRO14, the players know each other," Gatland said.
"We respect them hugely for what they have achieved. They are number two in the world, and their provinces have had a lot of success in the PRO14 and in Europe, and sometimes it can breed a jealousy.
"You respect them, but you are desperate to want to beat them. That sometimes creates the edge. A lot of it stems from that.
"They have been incredibly successful. I take my hat off to their provincial rugby and what they have achieved in Europe, the PRO14 and what the national team has done. We have got to strive to do that.
"For our group of players I know they get incredibly motivated to play against Ireland, as they want to beat them because a lot of them have been on the losing end on a number of occasions, particularly to their provincial teams."
Wales' tense 18-11 victory over Scotland at Murrayfield has set up their latest Grand Slam tilt, and Gatland will become the first coach in Five or Six Nations history to mastermind a clean sweep three times if his players pull it off.
"If we do that it would be unbelievable," Gatland added.
"I have had ten Six Nations, and when I look back I am proud of what we have achieved in terms of consistency in the Six Nations.
"We have had a few seconds, a couple of Grand Slams, a Championship as well, but our win record has been excellent - particularly against those big teams.
"We want to finish it off. When someone presents you with an opportunity to win a Grand Slam, you want to take it with both hands."
Wing George North is set to be among three survivors from Wales' starting XV that clinched the 2012 Grand Slam by beating France, joining captain Alun Wyn Jones and centre Jonathan Davies.
"Sometimes, winning is winning, regardless of how it looks," said North, reflecting on the Scotland success.
"There is a good belief in the squad, a good vibe. We can go toe-to-toe and we can go through the ugly parts and dog games out when we need to.
"There is plenty to work on from our point of view - too many handling errors, too many turnovers. We've got a big week of preparation to put it right.
"Obviously, it (title and Grand Slam) would be a wicked way to finish this tournament, but I am sure the boss man 'Gats' will have a few things to sort out this week with us and make sure we are flying on Saturday."
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Latest Comments
You’ve got to look forward to next weekend more than anything too.
They really use this sorta system? Much smaller pool of bonus points available, that would mean they have far less impact. Interestingly you must be withen winning range/chance in France’s Top 14 league, rather that just draw territory, so 6 points instead of 7. Fairly arbitrary and pointless (something the NRL would do to try and look cool), but kinda cool.
I said it Nick’s and other articles, I’m not sure about the fixed nature of matchups in these opening rounds. For instance, I would be interested in seeing an improved ranking/prediction/reflection ladder to what we had last year, were some author here game so rejigged list of teams purely based of ‘who had played who’ so far in the competition. It was designed to analyze the ladder and better predict what the real order would be after the full round robin had completed. It needed some improvement, like factoring in historical data as well, as it was a bit skiwif, but it is the sort of thing that would give a better depiction of what sort of contests weve had so far, because just using my intuition, the matchups have been very ‘level appropriate’ so far, and were jet to get the other end of the spectrum, season ranked bottom sides v top sides etc.
Go to commentsAs a former rugby player, I spent 20 years as a specialist tackling coach in the AFL, SANFL, and Southern Football League. During this time, I was fortunate to be part of teams winning seven premierships. I believe there is a valuable place for cross-code coaching in these sports. I made many lifelong friends and enjoyed sharing knowledge and skills from different sporting backgrounds, which is encouraged at many elite levels.
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