Gatland expects Moriarty to hit top gear in Toyota City after relegating Dragons star to the Wales bench

IF, or when, Ross Moriarty enters the fray in Wales’s opening Rugby World Cup match against Georgia on Monday, he is likely to be fired up.

At least, that is his coach Warren Gatland’s hope after dropping his No. 8 to the bench despite him having been a mainstay in the Wales starting XV for the last 18 months.

Dragons team-mate Aaron Wainwright has been promoted to the starting line-up, with Josh Navidi packing down in Moriarty’s position.

Moriarty, a feisty character who will shy away from no confrontation, expressed his disappointment to head coach Gatland when he was informed of his decision. And the Wales boss is keen to see what sort of reaction it provokes on Monday.

“He’s not too happy with me,” chuckled the Wales boss.

“But I have to say that from the initial disappointment and the chat we had, he’s turned that around.

“He’s been positive, vocal at training, and he’s been what you expect of someone who knows they are disappointed but also knows what their role is in the team, which is to help the side prepare.

“That’s all I can ask as a coach. I’m interested to see what his reaction will be when he comes on the field.”

Explaining his decision, Gatland added: “One of the things about Ross – and I had a good chat with him about this – is that he’s disappointed.

“He hasn’t been where he has needed to be in a couple of games and at training. There are a few things for him to work on.

“He’s a fantastic ball carrier and there were some things we worked

on defensively last week in terms of changing his tackle technique. He probably ended up on the ground too much and wasn’t able to compete on the ball. I’m expecting, when he does get on the field, a really positive reaction from him.”

It’s been a difficult week for the Wales camp following news that attack coach Rob Howley is being investigated for an alleged breach of World Rugby’s betting rules.

Fronting up at a press conference in the immediate aftermath of the news, Gatland was visibly shaken. But he cut a far more relaxed figured ahead of the game in Toyota City.

“Alun Wyn Jones made a good comment to everyone: these things happen, you lose players, the wheel keeps turning and you have to move on,” said Gatland. “It’s been tough but you have to draw a line in the sand, concentrate on what your job and your role is. A number of players and staff have reached out to Rob – the biggest thing we can do is offer him as much support as we can.

“We can’t change what has happened but it is important we do provide support. That’s important. There are a lot of good people out there who have reached out to offer him support.”