Why Gatland was left fuming by England’s Six Nations conduct
WARREN Gatland has slammed England’s conduct at the Principality Stadium following their 21-13 defeat to Wales in this year’s Six Nations.
Writing in his new autobiography, Pride and Passion, Gatland reveals Eddie Jones’ side attempted to make “a quick getaway” instead of participating fully in the after-match function, before demanding televisions showing highlights of the match were turned off inside the stadium.
Describing it as “a bit rich”, Gatland pointed out Wales had often hung around for 90 minutes following defeats at Twickenham waiting for England players to fulfil commercial obligations.
Unhappy Wales team manager Alan Phillips duly rammed that point home to the England management after learning of their plan.
And Gatland revealed his anger after entering the room where the postmatch players’ event was held to find the TV screens were blank because England couldn’t stomach watching it.
The former Wales coach didn’t find out until later England had asked WRU chairman Gareth Davies for the off buttons to be pushed.
“If I’d known it at the time, I would have hit the roof,” wrote Gatland in his book, which is out today.
“I’d had my nose rubbed in it on more than once occasion up the road in London. Here in Cardiff, such behaviour was suddenly deemed improper.
“What a joke. When you lose in rugby, you should lose well.”
Gatland also lifted the lid on what happened the day before Wales mounted a brilliant fightback to mug England 28-25 at the 2015 World Cup. He revealed England stars Billy and Mako Vunipola visited the Wales team hotel the night before the crunch pool match between the nations at Twickenham. And he learned from their visit all was not well in the England camp as they felt the “immense pressure” of being World Cup hosts.
The Vunipola brothers had turned up at Wales’ base in Weybridge, Surrey, for a chat with their relative and close friend Taulupe Faletau. Gatland insisted he didn’t have a problem with Billy and Mako Vunipola having a coffee with Faletau at Wales’ World Cup headquarters.
“I butted in to tell Taulupe he’d have been free to pop over to the England base in nearby Bagshot,” said Gatland.
“At which point Mako piped up: ‘Do you think he’d have been allowed in, the way things are with us right now? There’s no fun or smiling over there.’” ■ PRIDE and Passion My Autobiography by Warren Gatland is out today, published in hardback by Headline.
CARDIFF Blues have been told of the importance to get their Challenge Cup campaign off to a flying start in Italy on Saturday.
John Mulvihill’s side kick off their European season in Calvisano and jet off to the club close to the banks of Lake Garda on the back of a morale-boosting 30-17 PRO14 victory over the Cheetahs at the Arms Park last weekend.
The Challenge Cup provides good memories for the Blues.
Two seasons ago they emerged from a daunting pool including Toulouse, Sale Sharks and Lyon to lift the trophy beating Edinburgh and Pau in the knockout phases and then emerging 31-30 winners over Gloucester in the final played at the San Mames Stadium, in Bilbao.
The Blues’ Euro venture this term takes in clashes with Leicester Tigers and Pau after the Calvisano opener, and with the Italians perceived as the weakest of their Pool Five opponents, 10-times capped Welsh international Josh Turnbull has spelt out the need for the region to make a quickfire start.
Turnbull, who has featured in every game for the Blues, was part of the 2018 squad who lifted the Challenge Cup in Spain.
And while admitting Calvisano will be an unknown quantity he insists his side are hungry to repeat their European success this season.
Turnbull told the Blues website: “Calvisano will be a little bit of the unknown, even though we have faced them a few years ago in the same competition.
“They’ve got some past professional players there and it will be a test for some our younger boys who have been given an opportunity this weekend to go out and play.
“It’s important that we play well in this Challenge Cup campaign, and we know what success tastes like in this competition, particularly in Bilbao, and we’re hungry for more.
“It’s important for us, as a squad, to have some success in Europe and we want to kick start that campaign with a bang out in Italy this weekend.
“We want to concentrate on ourselves, particularly against a side like Calvisano, who we don’t know a great deal about.
“It’s important to start the pool stage with a win.”
Last week’s PRO14 win over the Cheetahs brought a four-game losing streak to an end, and Turnbull, who crossed the whitewash at the Arms Park, was delighted to see his side rediscover their attacking identity.
“Obviously, the first game went well for us out in South Africa, but it was a little bit difficult after that, with a few consecutive losses within small margins.
“The performances weren’t quite there as a collective but last weekend, against Cheetahs, we were excellent.
“We really showed our intent as a playing group with the way we want to play.
“We stamped our authority on the game early doors and came out with an intent to attack and play good rugby.
“We started feeling a bit of pressure but it was a good victory and as a squad we can be pleased with the way we developed throughout the game.
“It was just great to see the boys go out there and play with a smile on their faces.
“We scored a couple of good tries and chucked the ball around a bit, and showed a bit of the rugby we played last season.”
Calvisano rely very much on a homegrown squad with just three of their players coming from outside of Italy in South African duo, lock Adam Wessels, full-back Kayle van Zyl plus Argentine centre Facundo Garrido.