All change as Gat plans for Japan

WITH the NatWest 6 Nations mountain unscalable again, Wales must now look into the distance and start plotting a route to the looming beast in the east. The result against Italy in Cardiff tomorrow — aside from being a foregone conclusion — is of course important. Warren Gatland will want proof he is on the right track as he plans for the 2019 World Cup in Japan. Having made 10 personnel and one positional change after the 37-27 defeat by Ireland, Gatland said: ‘We are still looking at players stepping up and getting opportunities. The exciting thing is looking forward to that period where we will have a couple of months together building up towards Japan.’