Gats to get three more goes at English

WARREN Gatland is set to get three cracks at Eddie Jones before stepping down as Wales coach with home and away warm-up matches with England pencilled in ahead of next year’s World Cup.

The outspoken Jones, whose controversial pops at Wales skipper Alun Wyn Jones and Rhys Patchell ahead of last weekend’s Six Nations clash enraged Welsh fans, has a 4-0 win record over Gatland since taking charge of the Red Rose following their 2015 World Cup humiliation.

Wales host England at the Principality Stadium during next year’s Six Nations but the back to back European champions are poised to return to Cardiff ahead of the global showpiece.

Wales are also set to take Jones’ charges on at Twickenham in fixtures which replicate the run-up to the 2011 World Cup and proved hugely important in Gatland moulding a team that was to reach the semifinals of the tournament.

The clash at Twickenham resulted in the emergence of Rhys Priestland as World Cup playmaker following the withdrawal of Stephen Jones during the pre-match warm-up with a back problem.

Wales went down 23-19 but turned it around in the rematch in Cardiff, winning 19-9 and helping build the confidence which was to result in them reaching the last four of the World Cup in New Zealand.

They went out 9-8 to France after having skipper Sam Warburton sent off for a dangerous tackle and losing scrum rock Adam Jones to injury, both early in the match, and were beaten by Australia in the bronze medal play-off for third in the tournament.

The neighbours didn’t meet before the 2015 World Cup because they were in the same group – Wales mugging England 28-25 at Twickenham – but had fixtures in 2007 and 2003.

England inflicted embarrassing defeats on Wales on each occasion, powering to a 62-5 victory over then coach Gareth Jenkins’ team in 2007 while a third-choice line-up beat Steve Hansen’s side 43-9 in the Welsh capital four years earlier.

Wales have been defeated 12-6 (last weekend), 21-16 and 25-21 by England in the Six Nations on Jones’ watch.

They also faced them in a warm-up game ahead of the 2016 tour of New Zealand, going down 27-13 at Twickenham.