You’re looking in the wrong place for sympathy.
Warren Gatland’s impressive record of three Six Nations titles and two Grand Slams has not been built on European success with the regions.
Irish rugby fans are getting their heads around no Champions Cup quarter-finalists for the first time since 1997-98, but that’s almost the norm for the Welsh regions at this stage. You have to go back to Cardiff Blues in 2012 for the last time the Principality had a representative in the last eight of the European Cup.
So excuse the Wales coach if his heart was not bleeding following Leinster, Munster and Ulster’s failure to progress from the pool stages.
“Have you seen our record?” asked Gatland in London at today’s Six Nations launch in London
“There’s two ways to look at it: when your provinces, or your regions or your club sides are doing well, particularly in European weekends and people come into camps having made quarter-finals, players come through the door with a spring in their step.
“That brings a positive vibe to an environment and conversely, the other way is that if they are disappointed it is a chance for them to think about what they have done in the past and concentrate solely on the national team and giving back to what makes that successful.”
Gatland believes his Irish counterpart Joe Schmidt will be reminding the players of their back-to-back Six Nations titles ahead of Sunday week’s opener against Wales.
“I’m sure that’s what Joe will so with the Irish set-up – players will be disappointed, particularly the Munster and Leinster players in the way they have performed. Ulster got pretty close to making the quarter finals and Connacht have done well.
“I think Joe will just put those results out of the players’ minds and remind them of what they have achieved in the last two years. In the last two years they have won the Six Nations.
“That’s the job of what a coach has to do and it’s what we have to do on a regular basis. The players come to us and we have to focus on what we have achieved for Wales, to put on that jersey and go and represent your country and make a nation proud”
Not scared of a little bit of mischief ahead of a big game, Gatland played it pretty safe when asked about Ireland’s conservative gameplan under Schmidt.
“Ireland’s game plan has been incredibly good for them. If you’re beating teams and being successful it’s hard to go away from that.
” Joe has been tight in the way he plays the game, you saw that with Leinster. I’m sure the Irish will be a bit more expansive. I can understand why they’ve played that way. It’s hard to get away from that.”
Whether it is more famous Gatty “mind games” or not is unclear, but he has backed Ireland to let loose this spring.
“I’m sure the Irish will play much more expansive and look to catch teams out.”
Here’s hoping Warren.
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