Wales vs Ireland: With Japan 2019 on the horizon, Warren Gatland’s grand plan is coming into vision
In his 12 years in charge, Gatland has banished Wales' deep-rooted cultural issues and implemented a philosophy of resilience, professionalism and inner belief within the side
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Your support makes all the difference.Pandemonium is a given on the streets of Cardiff on Saturday when a Grand Slam is on the line for Warren Gatland’s men in his last Six Nations game in charge of Wales.
The visitors are Ireland, who themselves still have an outside chance of claiming the Championship, and the heady mix of titles, farewells, Storm Gareth and a post-Cheltenham comedown should ensure the streets of the Welsh capital are chaotic, disorderly and colourful come Saturday night. As you were then.
Where the seismic change has occurred in Wales in the 12 years since Gatland took charge has been on the field.
When the New Zealander took over in 2007, the national team was a chaotic mess riven with in-fighting and hamstrung by a drinking culture which betrayed a stark lack of professionalism just when other countries were getting their houses in order.
For whatever reason, the chaos, confusion and freewheeling spirit associated with amateurism proved harder to shift in Wales than elsewhere.
“There’s a culture of complacency, the players having an undue influence, the new coach must address the problems,” said former Wales captain Ieuan Evans in 2007 after Gareth Jenkins was sacked following World Cup pool stage defeat to Fiji. It was to prove Wales’s nadir.
Twelve years on and the current Welsh squad is nothing if not unified behind Gatland and the professional principles he has steadfastly insisted must underpin everything his players do.
Brutally tough strength and conditioning sessions are accepted as the norm, defensive structure is king – thanks largely to the input of Shaun Edwards – and squad cohesion is an absolute priority as Gatland and his coaching team have set about transforming his players’ collective psyche.
In Alun Wyn Jones, who will become Wales’ joint most-capped player of all time on Saturday, the New Zealander has been fortunate to be able to call on one of rugby’s finest professionals to act as his on-field lieutenant and example setter.
Wales have not set the world alight in this tournament but they have proved once again they possess the qualities of resilience, determination and inner belief which their coach, and top teams, must have.
How else could you explain them overturning a 19-0 deficit to France, coming back from behind against England and defending the way they did against Scotland?
This is a Welsh team with none of the frills of the past but all of the foundations needed for a successful future.
Perhaps most excitingly for Wales supporters, there is so much more to come from their team.
Four wins from four in the Championship, and a winning streak now stretching to 13 games, supports Gatland’s theory his players have “forgotten how to lose”, but with players as talented as Jon Davies, Liam Williams and Justin Tipuric amongst their number, there is also a sense that an all-court game is waiting to break free.
Throw in the fact Wales have gone through this campaign without injured leading players in Taulupe Faletau, Aaron Shingler, Ellis Jenkins, Leigh Halfpenny and Dan Lydiate, and the belief Gatland could be building for the ultimate sign-off in Japan later this year only grows.
Gatland has taken his fair share of criticism for his selection, notably in picking a second team to play Italy for two years running, but he has been proven right on countless occasions and the depth he has built in his squad is testament to his policy.
Josh Navidi, Josh Adams and Adam Beard would not have received the international exposure they have without Gatland’s grand plan to build for the World Cup and not simply live in the present.
Six months from the tournament in Japan, the policy looks like it could pay off handsomely.
Ireland will be hardy opponents at the Principality Stadium on Saturday. They have won there three times in the past 12 years and would like nothing more than to spoil their former coach’s party as he goes in search of what would be the third Grand Slam of his reign. With the Principality Stadium roof open, the wind blowing and titles to play for, Ireland will look to make the game as unstructured as possible.
But with home advantage, a settled team and high-quality leadership on and off the field, it is hard for the neutral to look past a Welsh win.
There will be chaos on the streets of Cardiff on Saturday night come what may. But on the field, despite the wind and rain, there will be calm, order and probably a Wales win.
For that, the Welsh public can thank Warren Gatland.
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