By Paul Jones
Warren Gatland insists it’s a good thing that he will collide head-on with the best team in the world when his second stint as Wales coach begins in just 51 days.
Under the re-fashioned Gatland era, Wales kick off their Six Nations campaign against Ireland in Cardiff on February 4.
Ireland will arrive as the world-ranked number one team, and Gatland said: “It’s probably good, as they are the best team in the world, and rightly so.
“Getting them first up at home is not the worst thing. It’s a tournament of momentum. You win your first game and you’ve got a good chance of doing well.
“To get them first up, it’s probably the one game you want at home – playing against the best team where there is probably a bit more pressure on them.
“I think we will be pretty excited about getting ready for the game.
Warren Gatland insists he can make a success of his second stint as Wales coach by insisting on "a no excuses culture."
More on @SkySportsNews pic.twitter.com/Ksv3j1gPpM— Graham Thomas (@Graham_Thomas) December 13, 2022
“My upbringing in New Zealand, we always believed if you work hard, you get results.
“That has always been my attitude, never ever afraid to take something on and believe if you do something, you can do something special.
Gatland had eight weeks to prepare for his first audition in the Six Nations in 2008, when he inspired a Wales team that had been knocked out of the World Cup in the pool stages by Fiji a few months earlier to notch a first win at Twickenham against England in 20 years.
Now he has 51 days to try to master-mind a game plan to overcome the world’s top-ranked team, Ireland, when Andy Farrell’s side will head to Cardiff as tournament favourites.
Given his last Six Nations game was a 25-7 drubbing of the Irish in Cardiff to secure his third grand slam in 2019, he returns knowing exactly what to expect and how to get the most out of a playing group that still contains many of the players he coached previously.
“How do you create an environment where there are no excuses? Roger Lewis and Martyn Phillips [previous chief executives] gave us the tools to create that environment, so when players come into camp, we could get the best out of them,” Gatland said.
Warren Gatland Wants No Excuses From Wales Players As He Aims for 2023 World Cup . . . And Keeps Door Open for Lions Tour Number Four https://t.co/66IPvuPruP via @Dai_Sport_
— Dai Sport (@Dai_Sport_) December 14, 2022
“We prided ourselves in the past on being able to do that. The challenge is doing that in the coming weeks so that players are excited about wearing that jersey and leaving everything out on the pitch in terms of getting performances and results.
“What are the expectations at the moment? I’d probably need a discussion on that, but you’ve always got to believe and dream.
“I look at success as not always being about winning but about overachieving. With my upbringing in New Zealand as a Kiwi, we always believed if you work hard, you get results – that’s always been my attitude and you must never ever be afraid to take something on.
“I wouldn’t be here doing the job unless I thought we were capable of winning things.”
The uncompromising approach he adopted in his first stint in charge earned Wales three grand slams, a No 1 world ranking and two World Cup semi-finals. If things looked bad when he took up his appointment in 2007, the landscape is not that much healthier now.
He has returned at the end of a year in which Wales won only three times, lost at home against Italy and Georgia and surrendered a 21-point lead to Australia in their last match. That led to the sacking of Wayne Pivac and an SOS call to Gatland.
Gats is back… @ITVWales pic.twitter.com/dnTQU2SLTt
— Matthew Southcombe (@MattSouth7) December 13, 2022
“It’s always a bit of a rollercoaster in Welsh rugby but you’re judged on two things – one of them is the Six Nations,” Gatland said.
“It’s probably been a little bit up and down, although potentially a grand slam could have been won in 2020. There’s no doubt Covid has had an impact on things in the last few years as well.
“The Six Nations is incredibly important, as is trying to do well in a World Cup year. That’s my focus for this year, getting this team up and running for a good Six Nations and then France.
Gatland said that he has not had any discussions so far with Wales’ current coaching support staff – the likes of Stephen Jones, Jonathan Humphreys and Gethin Jenkins – who worked alongside Wayne Pivac.
“I haven’t spoken to any of the coaches,” he added. “There was a review process conducted by the union, and I am going through that process at the moment.
“I’ve got to make sure that I do the right thing and make the best decision for Wales and the team. That’s ongoing at the moment.”
“I wouldn’t be here doing the job unless I thought we were capable of winning things.”