We’ve got big-game heads on – Gatland

WARREN Gatland is relishing the prospect of a World Cup quarterfinal against France and has backed Wales’ big-game mentality.

Wales will contest a third successive World Cup last-eight clash of Gatland’s reign when they tackle Les Bleus in Oita tomorrow (8.15am).

Wales have beaten France in seven of the last eight meetings since suffering an agonising 9-8 2011 World Cup semi-final defeat against them.

And Gatland, whose time with Wales ends after the tournament, said: “As coaches and players this is what you do all the hard work and training for.

“It’s all for big moments and to try and get to finals.

“As a coaching group we’ve had a lot of success in big matches when it has really counted and mattered, whether that has been in Grand Slam games, European finals or Premiership finals with Wasps, or even on Lions tours as well.

“I think we’ve got a pretty good formula as a group about getting things right.

“It’s not just about the physical preparation, it’s about being mentally right and those top two inches everyone talks about.

“If you get that right in big games it can often make a big difference.

“I keep saying we are in a good place, we’ve prepared well and the preparation is done.

“In the next 24 hours, we will start building nicely, but we can’t play the game before we are ready, and that’s important. It’s all done from the coaching perspective now. It’s down to the players in the next 24 to 48 hours to really take ownership and control, and they’ve been doing that brilliantly already this week.”

Wales have won 19 out of their last 22 Tests, which included a record 14-game unbeaten run, and a 100 per cent Pool D record was their best group stage performance at a World Cup since 1987.

“You have to bring things that are a little bit different, that teams are not expecting,” Gatland added.

“Often it is games that you have lost that are more significant in helping you prepare as coaches.”

■ More build-up: Pages 40-45