HEAL’ BE A REAL ADDITION TO US

SCOTLAND boss Gregor Townsend admits, having met with Ben Healy last November, he was confident the Munster out-half would do a deal with Edinburgh for next season.

That, in turn, would pave the way for his inclusion in the 2023 Scotland Six Nations squad.

“I was speaking with him about two years ago in

Glasgow at a time when

Warriors were talking to him but they didn’t sign him then,” said Townsend.

“He was over for one of our internationals in

November and I caught up with him the day before it.

Squad

“He’ll definitely add to squad, he is a different type of player to the other no10s we have in squad.

“He has shown in those last three games for Munster, against Ulster, Lions and Toulouse, that he can thrive in big games.”

“Well obviously all the hype is certainly WARREN-ted, pardon the pun …” he notes, grinning from ear to ear before deciding two-nil is enough of a spar for the minute.

“Look, obviously Warren’s proven he is a serial winner, especially in this competition, and he’ll certainly bring that to his squad and have them ready.

“Cardiff has always been a difficult hunting ground for us, and rightly so.

Hardest

“It is one of hardest places to go in world rugby, so it really doesn’t matter who’s in charge or what type of team they put out there.

“We all know what playing at home means to them, so therefore it’s a massive task first up.

“But we pride ourselves on getting up to speed as soon as we possibly can and be at our best when it matters.”

The tactical deal with Wales is actually far simpler than most imagine, Gatland’s espouses fitness above all else with size as a firstcousin — the skill-sets are for the wider backs.

This is actually something Ireland have been working on for some time, with the November internationals used, in a number of cases, to test stress-limits.

Caelan Doris and Tadhg Beirne, in particular and in the aftermath, were remarkable examples of

this.

Said Farrell: “Tadhg got through the three games in November and then went to play five games in the weeks after for his province and he did very well. “He probably deserved his rest after that.”

Certainly, Farrell is under strict IRFU instruction to put out the best possible team each of the five Six Nations game over the seven weekends — it’s policy.

And the coach maybe planning

WARRENTED: Ireland coach Andy Farrell STEVE Borthwick has distanced himself from the Eddie Jones era by promising an end to England mind games. At the launch of the 2023 Six Nations Championship the new England head coach said he had no interest in winding up the opposition. “I’m going to be authentic and not play mind games,”