Warren Gatland talks up ‘underdogs’ tag as Wales prepare for Ireland opener

WARREN Gatland believes Wales will relish being underdogs for Saturday’s Six Nations opener against Ireland. The Principality Stadium encounter kicks off Gatland’s second stint as Wales head coach, with his previous reign between 2008 and 2019 yielding four Six Nations titles, three grand slams and two World Cup semi-finals.

Ireland will arrive in Cardiff as the world’s top-ranked team following a memorable year when they beat New Zealand twice, South Africa and Australia. But they have lost their last four Six Nations games in the Welsh capital since defeating Wales 10 years ago.

Kyle Sinckler and Eddie Jones on the training ground last year

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“I think all the Welsh like to be underdogs,” Gatland said. “We know how good a team they are. You don’t become the No 1 team in the world without consistency. We realise what a challenge that will be, and they have the continuity of being unbeaten in the autumn as well and the confidence that brings.

“The underdog tag is something I’ve found in the past the Welsh boys tend to relish. They like people writing them off, as it tends to motivate them. I am confident we will give a good account of ourselves on Saturday and give a good performance.”

Full-back Leigh Halfpenny will make his first Wales start for 19 months, having last featured in the line-up when Wales beat Canada during their 2021 summer internationals. He is joined in the back-three by Josh Adams and Rio Dyer, while Gatland has selected six Ospreys forwards, plus centre Joe Hawkins, with Saracens’ Nick Tompkins missing out.

Ospreys scrum-half Rhys Webb is set for a first Wales appearance since November 2020 after being named on the replacements’ bench, where there are roles for Exeter lock Dafydd Jenkins, Webb’s regional team half-back partner Owen Williams and hooker Scott Baldwin. Leicester flanker Tommy Reffell is also among the substitutes, with Gatland selecting a starting back-row of Jac Morgan, Justin Tipuric and Taulupe Faletau.