Usual, but Six proud moment
anyway. Last year is last year.
Everyone starts on zero, the Italians are in front of us and we have to knock them over. Then we have to worry about the Irish and the French, English and Scottish.
That’s the way we’re approaching it.
To repeat what they did last year, we have to win every game, which we know will be very difficult.
But that will be our aim, we’ll take each week as it comes and work hard to achieve it.
Q: You’ve touched on the Englishbased players, is it a concern that Louis has signed a long-term contract at Gloucester? WP:
Louis and I have had a chat about that. The more players we have playing in Wales does benefit us when we’re in camp.
There’s no doubt about that.
Q: It’s Leon Brown’s first involvement in the Six Nations, what have you made of him? WP:
He’s a young prop that is nowhere near the finished product.
He’s doing a lot of good work, as all the props are, with Jon Humphreys, he’s learning a lot and he’s getting better every session.
He’s come a long way in a very short space of time. He’s an exciting prospect because he fits the profile we’re looking for.
He’s a big man, which helps at the lineout, he’s very quick in training, he has fast feet. It’s just getting into good habits and making sure he can repeat good performances week-in and week-out.
I think he deserves an opportunity and he’s trained well.
Q: Will you allow yourself a moment for it all to sink in on Saturday or is it straight business? WP:
It is business as usual, but it will be a special moment. I’m sure I will enjoy it internally and I’ll have a smile on my face.
It will be a very proud moment.
Q: Do you have family coming over? WP:
My two sons are over from New Zealand and one has brought their partner. They’re pretty excited about being here. My wife and stepdaughters will be there so it will be a great occasion.
Q: What’s Gareth Davies’ injury and will he be fit for Ireland? WP:
If it was a World Cup final, we would have considered him but it’s not. It’s the opener of a competition that spans eight weeks, so we have to make sure that when he does take the field, he’s 100 per cent fit.
He wasn’t quite 100 per cent, but he should be fine next week.
It’s the same with Owen Watkin, he’s in a similar boat.
Liam Williams is improving daily and the plan there is to hopefully have him right for next week.
Q: You’ve had two hamstring injuries in the first two weeks, is that just bad luck or do you need to look at the way you train? WP:
We’re talking about the [training] ground, it’s very soft and very heavy under foot.
We’ve had a lot of rain, so the surface is something that has been discussed.
There’s not a lot we can do about it at this stage, the weather is the weather.
Q: Is that why you’ve trained at the Principality Stadium today? WP:
From our point of view, it’s been about just getting a surface that we can do some scrummaging on. We haven’t completed a scrum down on our training pitch all week.