Wales ‘pumped up’ as Gatland’s casualties get clean bill of health
Injury worries subside ahead of France clash We are so focused on staying here, says coach
in Oita
Warren Gatland believes Wales go into their quarter-final against France in the best possible state of body as well as mind, as he allayed fears that a mounting injury toll would affect the team’s chances by naming a full-strength XV to play at the Oita Stadium tomorrow.
As Wales look to make it through to their second World Cup semifinal in three tournaments, the head coach is upbeat. The Welsh have become genuine contenders, a more settled, savvy outfit at peace with themselves and the expectations gathering around them.
“We are very focused on wanting to stay in this tournament,” Gatland said. “There is a lot of confidence in this squad, given we feel we have not given an 80-minute performance yet. We have been good in patches, but we have been building nicely this week.”
Gatland was relieved to be able to name a full-strength side, with injury doubts over Hadleigh Parkes (shoulder), fellow centre Jonathan Davies (knee), wing George North (ankle) and fly-half Dan Biggar (head knock) all easing.
France were their semi-final conquerors in 2011, aided enormously by an early red card shown to Sam Warburton, and even though Gatland takes solace from Wales having won seven of their past eight encounters, he will know that the line-up announced by France contains 14 of those who started so well against Argentina on the opening weekend of the tournament.
France had their own injury concerns over wing Damian Penaud and scrum-half Antoine Dupont. Their presence in the team adds zest and cleverness to the French cause, a sense of menace of which Gatland is all too aware.
“There has been an edge this week because we know it’s now the knockout stage,” he said. “The message to the players we’ve been driving is you’ve got two choices here: we are either on the plane on Monday going home, or we are here until the end of the tournament.”
Gatland reported that Shaun Edwards, the defence coach, had been “edgy and pumped up” over the past few days, angered that the team had conceded a try against Uruguay last Sunday, knowing that only the sternest, steeliest resistance would do to combat the threats that France present, even if only sporadically. Captain Alun Wyn Jones spoke to the team in the changing room after their last pool game and gave them a tantalising target of “240 minutes to glory”, but stressing the need to perform in every one of those minutes.
There is little doubt that Wales go into this quarter-final in better shape than they did four years ago, when they were filleted by injury and were unable to replicate the form they had shown to beat England in their pool encounter when they came up against South Africa. Since then they have a record-breaking streak of 14 wins and another Grand Slam to their name. What was once considered exceptional is now considered the norm.
Wales know that within their management, and in players such as Jones and Davies, they have a bank of rugby intellect as well as hard-headedness that has enabled them to win key matches. On the big stage, they do not tend to fluff their lines.
“Michael Cheika [the Wallabies’ head coach] said we were favourites against Australia and we handled that,” Gatland said. “It comes with the territory. If you take out the World Cup warm-up games, we have won 18 competitive games in a row, we are Grand Slam champions and we know as we go on in tournaments we get stronger and more confident and more cohesive.
“As coaches and players, this is what you do all the hard work for. It’s all for big moments and to try to get to finals. As a coaching group, we’ve had success in big matches when it’s really counted, whether that’s been in Grand Slam games, European finals or Premiership finals with Wasps or even on Lions tours as well. We’ve got a pretty good formula about getting things right. It’s not just about the physical preparation, it’s about being mentally right and the top two inches. If you get that right in big games, it can often make a big difference.
“It is important to keep the scoreboard ticking in knockout games and we did what we needed to do in kicking two dropped goals against Australia. We’re in a good place.”
France are nowhere near that sort of settled state, neither sure of themselves as a team nor even of each other. Hooker Guilhem Guirado has been restored to the captaincy despite reports of friction with coach Fabien Galthie. There is no place for barnstorming wing Alivereti Raka in the match-day squad, France opting for the experience of Yoaan Huget.
But Gatland knows how to project self-assurance. He was asked for his worst and best memories of games against France. The 2011 semi-final loss was the worst. And the best? “This Sunday,” he replied.