WHEN NAMING HIS team for this weekend’s Championship decider, Warren Gatland took the opportunity to have a swipe at the Six Nations fixture scheduling.
Wales, Ireland and England are level on points heading in to the final weekend of the Championship with Gatland’s men needing a big win to set a points difference target for Ireland and England to overhaul in their games later on Saturday.
With the accepted wisdom saying that the Six Nations is a tournament where momentum is vital, the Kiwi groaned that his Welsh side started this campaign against England and would prefer facing “lesser nations” early on.
“The last 15 years have been very tough on England and Wales in terms of the draw we have both received,” Gatland said in his St Patrick’s Day press conference reported by WalesOnline.co.uk.
I don’t know who is making that draw. One team has had a pretty easy run in the last 10 or 15 years and even over the next two or three years.
“Whether that is the broadcasters having an influence I don’t know. It is a tough tournament to win. If you win your first game and you get a bit of momentum, you put yourself in contention.”
Though Wales faced one of the “lesser teams” Gatland mentions to open last year’s tournament, a glance beyond that shows Ireland have opened the tournament against Italy seven times since the Azzuri joined the competition.
“I don’t know [if there should be a clear rota],” Gatland added. I don’t make the draw. I have just looked at the last 10 or 15 years and seen who has played who first in the competition. Some teams have obviously had easier starts on a regular basis.”
Slow starters
Though the former Ireland and Lions coach stood over his criticism of the fixture schedulers, he had earlier bemoaned his own side’s tendency to struggle in the early stage of the Championship.
“We look back and sort of kick ourselves because we could potentially be playing for a Grand Slam. The unfortunate thing for us is that sometimes as a team we have been slow starters. I don’t know how many times in recent years we have ended up with England as the first game and that’s always a tough game.
“It would be nice if you were getting one of the lesser teams to be able to build a bit of momentum. That’s always the challenge for us. If you look at the next two years we play Ireland first up away, which is going to be tough, and then we play England again first up.”
