Gatland eyes southern hurdle
Wales coach Warren Gatland was already looking forward to next year’s three-Test series in Australia after a 24-18 defeat by the Wallabies on Saturday.
The Welsh may have reached the semifinals of this year’s World Cup but the tournament saw them beaten 17-16 by South Africa in pool play and go down 21-8 to the Wallabies in the third-place play-off in Gatland’s native New Zealand.
Saturday’s result here at the Millennium Stadium meant Wales had won just one of their last 16 matches against the Tri-Nations teams, who also include world champions New Zealand in their ranks.
And the defeat – which saw the Test return of skipper Sam Warburton after the flank was sent off in Wales’s 9-8 World Cup semifinal loss to France – would have been heavier but for an injury-time try by Welsh great Shane Williams in the wing’s final fixture before retiring from international rugby.
Wales, however, were leading 6-3 after 49 minutes when fullback Leigh Halfpenny was yellow carded for tackling Australia flyhalf James O’Connor without the ball.
By the time Halfpenny returned, Australia had scored three converted tries and were 24-6 in front.
No wonder Gatland, asked how Wales could improve against the Tri-Nations and so become a major world force in rugby union, replied: “It would help if we didn’t give away a yellow card, I think.
“We’ve been saying we want to play these teams week-in and week-out,” added Gatland, who before the World Cup was given a four-year contract extension with Wales that will take him through to the 2015 edition in England.
Gatland said southern hemisphere players gained a lot from their elite club competition -Super Rugby.
“There’s no doubt they have the benefit of playing Super Rugby in the Tri-Nations where that level of intensity week-in and week-out does prepare you and our players don’t quite have that same luxury.”
Gatland, now in charge of a largely youthful squad, added: “There’s no doubt the preparation for the World Cup, the couple of months we had together, playing week after week, definitely helped us to have what was considered a pretty successful World Cup.
“We’ve got a great opportunity looking forward to the Six Nations and then we’ve got three Test matches against Australia in the summer and that’s exciting and then an autumn series with southern hemisphere teams coming here.
“For these youngsters, they will learn a huge amount,” said Gatland, citing the example of blindside flank Dan Lydiate, 24 later this month, whose first Test start came two years ago against Australia.
“He learned a lot from that day,” Gatland said. “He was a little bit out of his depth two years ago, but how much has he improved since then by us sticking with him and having the opportunity to play these teams on a regular basis?
“That’s turned him into a very important player for Wales.”
AFP
