Wales head coach Warren Gatland has his sights set on their Six Nations opener against Ireland, with the World Cup also in his immediate planning.
The showdown with Ireland at the Principality Stadium is less than two months away and Gatland knows getting off on the right foot would be huge for his side.
Wayne Pivac’s departure from the Wales hot-seat coincided with Gatland‘s return as head coach, returning to the job after leaving following the 2019 World Cup.
Ireland first up in Six Nations
Somewhat poetically, the New Zealander’s last Six Nations outing with Wales was a win over Ireland. However, he knows the Irish this year are a different beast.
“They are the best team in the world and rightly so,” Gatland told the media before revealing that taking on one of the best sides first might work in their favour.
“Getting them first up at home is not the worst thing. It is a tournament of momentum and if you win your first game you have got a good chance of doing well.”
He added: “Getting the Irish first up is probably the one game you want at home. There is probably a bit more pressure on them and we will be pretty excited about getting ready for that game.”
It’s well documented that Wales have endured a difficult year as shock home losses to Italy and Georgia led to Pivac’s departure following the Autumn Nations Series.
Gatland therefore has a significant job on his hands turning the ship around but he revealed the expectation of the Welsh public is something that drives him on.
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“International rugby is always a challenge and when I first spoke to Steve Phillips (WRU CEO) I was remembering the good times I had here being involved in games played in front of 75,000 people,” he recalled.
“There’s a lot of pressure and expectation but that motivates you and gets you excited. I don’t think things have changed from when I first arrived at the end of 2007 β there’s always been expectation and history in Wales.
“For us as a team, it’s all about working hard and preparing the best way that we possibly can to perform well and get results. Those are the expectations when you pull on that famous Welsh jersey.
“It’s always a bit of a rollercoaster. You have some success and good times and you’re judged on two things, one of which is the Six Nations.
He continued: “The Six Nations is incredibly important. My focus for this year will be on getting this team up and running for a good Six Nations campaign and then trying to do well in France in a World Cup year.
Busy 12 months ahead for Gatland
“We’re in a tricky group to try to get out of next year, but that’s the challenge. If we can get out of that, we can go a long way in the tournament. It’s a busy 12 months, but I’m looking forward to it.
“We’ve had Australia in our group before and had some tight contests. We’ve got Georgia as well and we can’t underestimate them. Fiji will also be tricky. The hardest thing with international rugby is the limited preparation time, but the beauty with the World Cup is the time you get together.
“It’s like being with a club side or regional team. Your preparation is so much better in terms of the depth you can go into and the fine-tuning in the time you spend together β that’s what’s exciting with World Cups.
“We’ve had success with that in the past and we’ve been unlucky not to make finals. Hopefully we can continue in that vein.”
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