Gatland proud to hang on as Wales strike late
WARREN Gatland was preparing to address Wales’s exit from the Rugby World Cup when Ross Moriarty scored the match-winning try that ensures his reign as head coach will have two more matches remaining.
Wales fought back from the brink to snatch a 20-19 victory over France at the death, with Les Bleus reduced to 14 men for the final half an hour after Sebastien Vahaamahina’s disgraceful deliberate elbow on Welsh flanker Aaron Wainwright.
The score, which came in the 76th minute off the back of a French five-metre scrum, ensured that the quarter-final at the Oita Stadium would not be Gatland’s final game in charge of Wales, with Dan Biggar’s subsequent conversion booking them a place in next weekend’s semi-finals and the third-place play-off at the very least.
“I went through lots of different emotions,” Gatland (below) said. “What am I going to be saying in here? What will I say on the TV, so you’re thinking of those potential scenarios.
“France played exceptionally well and they’ve made a lot of progress over the last five months [since the Six Nations]. They had a simple game-plan, were very strong off nine, used strong runners to get gainlines and some offloading that was exceptional. I went through a lot of emotions. I’m really proud on how we hung in there.
“We need to go away and have a look at some critical areas of our game. Just the way teams have been quite effective at playing against us and getting some success. They were very direct and got gainline so we need to address that.”
Wales were left shellshocked early on when Vahaamahina and Charles Ollivon scored early tries to put France 12 points to the good, before Wainwright replied with a breakaway try that added to a Dan Biggar penalty, cutting the lead to just two points.
However, a third first-half try from Virimi Vakatawa stretched the advantage, only for the red card to swing the game in Wales’s favour and after Biggar had added his second penalty, Moriarty struck the decisive blow.
Gatland had sympathy for Vahaamahina, but did agree with the red card issued by referee Jaco Peyper.
Off: ref Jaco Peyper red cards France’s Sebastien Vahaamahina
“The officials dealt with it appropriately,” he said.
“I don’t think anyone could complain about that. The right decision was made. Rugby is heat of the moment stuff and he made an error of judgement.
“When you have got a lot of testosterone involved in some pretty high intensity games, that will sometimes happen. He’s made a poor decision.”
Departing French head coach Jacques Brunel also had no complaints with the decision.
“The red card I don’t contest, when you see the images it’s very clear,” said Brunel.
“He had a reflex action and made contact with his face, we cannot deny that so I don’t have any problem with that decision.”
But Brunel was unhappy with the ruling surrounding the final try, with the ball stripped out of the hands of Louis Picamoles by Tomos Williams and regathered by Justin Tipuric, allowing Moriarty to dive over and send Wales into the last four.
“There are other decisions that I don’t totally agree with,” Brunel added. “I think the scrum at the end, we lost the ball and we tried to control the ball.
“I would like to see it again because I think there was a player who pulled on the ball and it went forward, and the other player catches it. Those are the images I would like to see again, and I was disappointed with it.”