Wales boss Pivac has no time for Six Nations hate speak
“We know who hates who and who likes who”
AS A former policeman used to dealing with real-life tragedy and trauma, Wayne Pivac has an acute sense of perspective when it comes to some of the pre-match language being used in this Six Nations.
Use of words like ‘brutality’, ‘war’ and ‘hate’ does not impress the new Wales head coach and he is finding the mud-slinging between England and their rivals all a bit unnecessary.
Wales’ trips to Ireland are hardly occasions where the teams lace daisies into each other’s hair – but worldly-wise Wayne does not feel the need to employ any Eddie Jones-style incendiary tactics.
‘Hate is a pretty strong word,’ said the former Auckland copper, 57, referencing the feisty build-up to tomorrow’s Calcutta Cup showdown between England and Scotland in Murrayfield.
‘I don’t think there’s any need for that. We talk about getting in the trenches and all teams do. Players are usually reflective of what they’re hearing from coaching staff.
‘Yes it’s a contact sport, it’s a gladiatorial sport and you’ve got to have the mindset right. We all know who hates who and who likes who.
‘No matter who is the opposition, we have a job to do and that’s try to win. Everyone is pretty much the same underneath.’
Having taken over from Warren Gatland – whose team revelled in the grit and gruesomeness of these away days – Pivac hopes his Wales side are still the same under the attacking layers he is trying to add.
‘I don’t think these players would have changed much with the changing of the coaches in terms of how they approach a game, mentality and physicality,’ he added.
‘It’s getting the mental side of the game and the physical side of the game married up and making sure we can do what we do at home when we play away, to a man from one to 23.
‘If the conditions dictate...then we have to win games through an arm wrestle as well and this team has been very good at doing that in the past.’
Storm Ciara is set to bring 50kph winds and driving rain to Dublin tomorrow so Pivac knows a far more physical challenge awaits Wales than their glitz and glamour show against Italy.
‘Ireland are very strong,’ he said. ‘We’ve got to bring a physical edge. My experience at a lower level with the Scarlets against Leinster – which was full of Irish players – and when you play the likes of Munster and Ulster if you don’t bring that physicality you are going to come off second-best.
‘They are very good at grinding teams down, getting go forward and once they get the go forward then penalties tend to come. They’ve got a good set-piece which puts pressure on. They get to the sidelines and get the drive going and then it’s deja vu.
‘It’s been an enjoyable week and you can tell it’s a bigger game than last week just from the reaction of the players. That’s without us poking and prodding them.’
For tomorrow’s match between two of the three unbeaten teams left after the first round of Six Nations matches, Pivac has made one change.
In comes the form centre Nick Tompkins for Johnny McNicholl, as George North moves back to his more familiar home on the wing.
There are significant changes on the bench, with Rhys Carré, Adam Beard, Gareth Davies, Owen Williams in for Rob Evans, Cory Hill – who has a leg knock – Rhys Webb and Jarrod Evans.
Wales want a first win in Ireland since 2012 in this tournament - but it is hardly a matter of life or death. WALES: L Halfpenny; G North, N Tompkins, H Parkes, J Adams; D Biggar, T Williams; W Jones, K Owens, D Lewis; J Ball, AW Jones (capt), A Wainwright,
J Tipuric, T Faletau. Reps: R Elias, R Carré, L Brown, A Beard, R Moriarty, G Davies, O Williams, J McNicholl.