Gatland’s World Cup snub will leave McNicholl ‘bitter for the whole of his life’
WALES international Johnny McNicholl says he will be bitter for the rest of his life over Warren Gatland leaving him out of his World Cup plans last year.
The New Zealand-born star had been in sparkling form for the Scarlets last season and while injury meant he missed out on the Six Nations, was arguably the form full-back in Wales heading into the summer.
After a strong campaign, McNicholl was hopeful that he would get to add to his 10 Welsh caps at the World Cup, while he was “100 per cent” confident that he would at least make it to the training camp.
However, when Gatland named his initial 54-man training squad for the tournament, the now-33-year-old was left stunned to learn that he had been left out.
The Wales boss had named five potential full-back options in the wider squad, with Leigh Halfpenny, Louis Rees-Zammit, Liam Williams, Tom Rogers and Cai Evans all involved before the latter two were cut ahead of the tournament.
The omission came as a huge shock to McNicholl, who has since left the Scarlets to rejoin the Crusaders in Super Rugby and seemingly end his international career.
It also followed a series of injury setbacks for the New Zealander, who won his final cap against Italy in the 2022 Six Nations.
Appearing on the What a Lad podcast, hosted by Crusaders assistant coach James Marshall, McNicholl reflected on how his Wales career came to an end.
“I got injured at really bad times for campaigns,” he admitted.
“I made the Six Nations [in 2020] and then Covid hit, so we missed out on a game then and then during all the Covid games I was dealing with an ankle injury.
“I got a chance to play one of the last games against Georgia, I think it was, and then I popped my rib out in that game so I missed the rest of them.
“The following Six Nations I made the squad and my form wasn’t good. I had gone into that campaign with a little bit of a form slump.
“I started the first game, had a bad game and then never really got a look in.”
But the upcoming World Cup gave him extra motivation to impress the returning Warren Gatland and break back into the international fold.
However, despite his best efforts, scoring six tries in his final 11 games of the season, McNicholl was still overlooked.
“With the World Cup looming after that Six Nations, I was really keen to make it and definitely 100 per cent thought I was going to make this World Cup camp, to prove myself,” he said.
“I was playing great club rugby, I was probably the form 15 at the time and I didn’t get a look in. I think they picked five [full-backs] and I didn’t even make the camp.