GAT’S WALES REIGN IN HIS OWN WORDS

WHAT RECORDS MEAN TO HIM...

“My wife has put my medals in a frame and I’ve had that many blazers I don’t know what to do with them all! Trudi has cut off all the pockets and put those in a frame too. Apart from that I don’t really keep memorabilia, I give it all away. I haven’t got anything from the past in my drawers at home. I’ve got no stash of kit either, just a couple of jerseys. The accolades are nice, but they’re not something I try to worry too much about.”

HIS BEST WIN WITH WALES...

“It would have to be the first game at Twickenham against England in 2008 because it had been so long since Wales had won there. There’s no doubt that was the start of everything and to win that game first up and create that confidence and self belief was important.”

AND HIS WORST DEFEAT...

“My biggest disappointment was the loss against France in the 2011 World Cup semifinal. When Sam Warburton got sent off I was comfortable we would win and that we were under no pressure. It was such a big game, but I had never sat in the box before feeling that it was going to be reasonably easy. We should probably still have won the game.”

THE 2015 WORLD CUP VICTORY OVER ENGLAND...

“My reaction was about a lot of things. We’d been written off, we were playing England who were hosting the tournament, and they were at home. To cope with the injuries we had and to hang in the game and win it showed real character. Dan Biggar ended up at full-back, we had our replacement nine on the wing, and we had a couple of other injuries as well. There was a display of emotion from me which I don’t usually show.”