Warren Gatland has issued a firm defence of Wales’ Six Nations form and approach – almost as firm and unyielding as their defence itself.

The Wales coach will take an unchanged team to Twickenham to face England on Saturday with both sides yet to suffer a Six Nations defeat after three rounds.

But while England have generally been lauded for their attempts to rebuild after a wretched World Cup, Gatland and his players have been criticised by many for their inability to create and finish try-scoring opportunities.

“Warrenball” is a term first coined in Australia for the power game Gatland imposed on the Lions and which ultimately blew away the Wallabies in 2013. It sounded like less of insult three years ago, but more recently it has been a shorthand for trying to blindly bludgeon through defensive doors instead of successfully finding the key.

Gatland, though, is unrepentant and insists his team’s intentions to play a more flexible game have been undermined by the strength of opposing defences as well as the weather.

He said: “I think that we’ve been criticised here in Wales in the way we’re playing but from a coaching perspective we have been really strong defensively, excellent in the set piece, and pretty good in our aerial and kicking game.

“We haven’t created enough chances and finished things off but our game’s in good shape. We are pleased how we’ve scrummaged, especially. Hopefully, it’s an area on Saturday that we can go out and dominate. If we can do that then it will go a long way towards a good performance.

“The game’s being dominated by defence and much of that has been about weather conditions. It’s not always easy to play in the rain and on heavy grounds.

“We have suffered a little bit from that but in the last week or so the weather has improved and the long-term forecast for Saturday is dry.

“I think both teams have got very strong defences. We pride ourselves on our ability to play without the ball and England are good in that regard. We want to go out and play some rugby.

“We won’t be throwing the ball all over the place, but we’ll be pretty direct. Hopefully when we get across the advantage line we’ll play some positive rugby.”

Gatland believes that England’s improvement has owed much to Eddie Jones and the changes he has brought following four years under Stuart Lancaster.

The Australian and New Zealander Gatland have been coaching rivals for two decades, but they have also had an open door policy towards the other.

“At Wasps, when Eddie was with Australia, he spent a couple of days in our environment which meant I could visit Australia.

“As a kiwi you don’t get many opportunities to get inside the Aussie camp. I get on with Eddie well. I think he’s been great.

“He’s taken pressure off me which has been nice. I’ve tried to keep my mouth shut. He’s been refreshing and honest. When he says something out of turn it’s important you don’t jump on him or else he’ll clam up and stay quiet. People should give him the licence to speak his mind without analysing everything or making headlines.

“He’s brought a bit of an edge. What Eddie’s done is expressed himself and said what he thinks. He’s been honest and opinionated and that’s great for the game.

“A different voice to an outfit can bring the best out of them. Players are enjoying the environment and thriving which makes Saturday exciting for us.

“We’ve not spoken about the World Cup and what happened there. That was a great performance to get out of the group but we feel in much better shape than at the World Cup. The guys are training well and we’re treating Saturday like a final.”