Coach brushes off criticism after Dublin defeat
WALES boss Warren Gatland has brushed off the scathing remarks former Ireland forward Alan Quinlan.
Gatland, infuriated the Munster legend, who launched an astonishing attack on the Wales boss, with his postmatch comments in the wake of Wales’ 19-10 defeat to Ireland in Dublin.
After that game, the Kiwi suggested that Ireland got on top in the match after reverting to a simplistic tactical approach.
“Ireland went back to what they are traditionally good at,” Gatland said. “I think 85 per cent of that second half was off nine, off nine, off nine and Bundee Aki was effective in gain line stuff. They just played phase, after phase after phase, see if they can get a penalty chance, kick the ball down the field and then try and squeeze you in your 22.”
It prompted Quinlan to fire back at the Wales head coach, telling Off The Ball he thought Gatland was talking ‘absolute bulls**t’ and insisting the comments were ‘condescending and insulting.’
It was a remarkable broadside as he went on to insist that Wales were the less ambitious of the two sides.
But the comments didn’t register with Gatland, who insisted he was praising Ireland.
“I haven’t got a reaction to that,” said Gatland, who gave Quinlan his Ireland debut in 1999, “I thought I was pretty complimentary about Ireland.
“I said they deserved to win and choked us in the second half. They played a style of rugby which was successful so I don’t know how he could interpret that.
“They dominated us and choked us in the second half. There was no bitterness about the result.”
Gatland’s attention remains firmly on Wales’ quest for Rugby World Cup glory in Japan, where his side are currently preparing for their opening game against Georgia next Monday.
One of the biggest issues the team will face in the Land of the Rising Sun is not necessarily the heat, but the humidity that comes with it.
Some of Wales’ games are likely to be akin to wet weather rugby given the amount of moisture and sweat that is expected to be on the ball.
Wales have been battling that by smothering their training balls in baby oil.
“We’ve been to two camps where one was altitude and it was very hot in Switzerland and late 30’s in Turkey,” explained Gatland.
“We’ve done as much as we possibly can in terms of dealing with the heat. I think the humidity is going to be a factor.
He added: “We’ve been using wet balls and been using baby oil on them as well. We’ve taped them up as well and we’ve already been through that process in the camps we’ve had before we’ve been away.”