I’ve been here seven years forward to facing All Blacks’
Will you be singing both national anthems this weekend?
“No. No!”
Scott Williams and Alex Cuthbert were brought in to the squad this week but no back-rower cover. Are you happy with the cover there?
“FIRSTLY, Ellis was a race against time and he’s just missed out. He’ll be at the game on the weekend for arguments sake and if we have an injury, he’ll jump onto the bench.
“That’s where we are at with the squad with numbers. We have a requirement of numbers. We’re at that at the moment.
“Seb is one we’ve picked in the squad to play lock and six. We have others in the squad who have gone across to play seven at Test rugby, like Ross Moriarty and Aaron Wainwright.
“Outside of scrum and lineout, roles are fairly similar and we’re comfortable with what we’ve gone for with what we had available.”
Could you have brought in for an extra back-row had you wanted to? “THOSE are administrative discussions we had behind the scenes. We’ve got the number we want, but if we wanted to bring in Jac Morgan, we could have.
“For this particular game, we’ve gone for Taine, Aaron and Ross, who can go across if need be. Seb is a big mobile bloke who can add to our lineout. Where you gain from one, you might gain in another area from another player.
“We weight that up, look at the weather and what we’re expecting. We think Seb will be the person required this weekend.”
It’s an all-Dragons back-row - how will they’ll work together?
“THEY’VE been working together for a month.
“If you’ve been watching of late, Taine’s involvement and work-rate has improved. He’s got himself fitter since the summer which was one of his work-ons. Also, his discipline is a lot better and he’s working harder and is hungrier over the ball.
“We think he’s improving as an allround 7. He’s a player we’ve had in previous squads and we want to keep on working with him and developing him. He brings other aspects to the seven game as well.
“He’s got a lot of power, he has good anticipation and he has big moments in games. It’s just getting that all-round game going and this is going to be a big test for him.
“Ross brings a hard edge. He’s a big defender with a huge work-rate. You’re going to need that in this game.
“Then you have the athleticism and footwork of Aaron.
“You have the hard-nosed defender, the attacking game of Aaron and the all-round game of Taine. Hopefully they’ll all work together.”
Is it frustrating playing these matches outside the Test window?
“I think sometimes in rugby, you have to look at it and say the game is bigger than just one particular match. It’s about looking after the game in general.
“Looking at the finances in this country, without this fixture, we’d be in big trouble. In terms of the rugby, it’s a massive challenge. We love a challenge.
“We see it as an opportunity to learn more about players. We’ll look back on this game regardless of performance when we come to the World Cup and we have more options to select from. It’s a great fixture and we want to go out and prove people wrong.
“It’s as simple as that.”
Would you like to see a time when finances are healthier so these games aren’t needed?
“Those decisions are made by others. You know the answer I’m going to give.
“At the end of the day, we prepare sides for what is put in front of us. It’s a challenging autumn, we know that, but it’s an exciting autumn as well.
“It’s exciting not just for us, but the fans. We’ve got fans back at the ground. A bit more normality. We’ve missed those things in the past.”
Wales have been traditionally slow starters in the autumn - can you explain why?
“I can’t really explain what’s gone on in the past, but I can talk about what I’ve observed this time around. You’re getting players from club rugby.
“We’re probably a little bit underdone if you compare us to New Zealand with what they’ve come from in terms of international rugby.
“Our squad has been split across many teams, playing four games. Some of the boys have maybe played one of those games.
“So you expect it to be a slow start. But we’re doing everything we can in camp to make sure we start as well as we can.
“The fact there is a crowd there, an awesome atmosphere and the bus ride, I like to think we’ll start as well as we can. Preparation has allowed us two weeks and that’s what we’ve worked with.”
Is the onus on the first 20 minutes then, to ensure you’re not out of the game before it’s even begun?
“ANY game, whatever it is, you need a fast start and that’s what we’ll be trying to do.”