Wales faces an uphill battle on Saturday afternoon as they take on last year’s Six Nations Champions, Ireland at Principality Stadium. That challenge was made no easier after Warren Gatland left his role as Wales’s head coach last week with Matt Sherratt taking over the role for the remainder of the Championship.
Wales are currently on a run of 14 consecutive Test defeats and have not been given a chance for Saturday’s encounter, with some Irish outlets stating if Ireland are “reduced to 12 men, then it would be game on.”
If they fall to another agonising defeat on Saturday, it would mean their ninth defeat on the bounce in the Six Nations, taking over their previous worst run in the five nations between 1994-96.
Speaking at the Vale Resort where Wales train, Mike Forshaw, the defence coach of Wales, spoke openly about Wales’ chances but stated being at home could be a helping hand.
Scroll down for the five main talking points.
1- Should we be writing Wales off on Saturday?
“It is our first home game and I think it is a sell-out,” said Forshaw.
“I know we will have a bunch of blokes who will work hard for each other. You can never question the effort of these lads. It is a game no one expects us to win, so it’s a game for us to go out there and put our stamp on.
“They (Ireland) go through more phases than anybody else and are really difficult to contain. So for us, it is about how we manage that game and the territory.
“The lads here don’t die wanting. They’ll be effort. Once the team is named this evening, I think there’ll be some positivity.”
2- 2024 Champions head to the Welsh Capital.
Wales take on Ireland, who have won both of their opening two games against England (27-22) and Scotland (32-18). They currently sit on 10 points compared to Wales’ single bonus point, and the last time they met in Cardiff it finished 34-10 in favour of Ireland.
Forshaw explained what he expects from Ireland: “It’s a massive challenge.
“We’ve got to be a bit patient. It’s a tough job to create something in four sessions. I think we’ve got about 12 sessions over the next three games. We lose players in fallow weeks. Matt knows what he’s after.
“I think from a defensive point of view, they play a lot of long phases. It’s a massive challenge. We played them last year and did a good job of containing them. They get more entries in your 22 than any other team. That’s where it becomes difficult.”
3- “He’s a great guy”- Forshaw on the appointment of T. Rhys Thomas
Also announced this morning was that T. Rhys Thomas had been added to the coaching setup for the remainder of the Six Nations. However, like head coach Sherratt, they will both return to their clubs come the conclusion of the Championship.
He represented Cardiff, Dragons, Wasps and made 27 appearances for Wales. Thomas’s role will mainly focus on improving forwards skills as he will work closely with scrum consultant, Adam Jones and forwards coach Jonathan Humphreys.
“I think he’s worked with Matt before,” added Forshaw.
“He’s been brought in to do some fundamentals around the forwards. He’s a great guy. I look forward to working with TR over the next few weeks.”
4- New appointments to the Welsh squad- Evans, Anscombe and Llewellyn.
Wales interim head coach Matt Sherratt has wasted no time in bringing new faces into his squad, with a trio of call-ups confirmed to have joined his training group today. Sherratt took over from Warren Gatland early last week after the New Zealander could not lead Wales to a Test match win in 14 consecutive fixtures.
Harlequins fly-half Jarrod Evans along with Gloucester fly-half Gareth Anscombe and centre Max Llewellyn, have been called up to the Welsh squad for the remainder of the Six Nations.
“They’re all good players. It just adds to our depth. They’re all good players in their own right,” said Forshaw.
“Whoever gets to play, we need to step up as a team.
“Gareth and Jarrod have come in. You’ve got Dan Edwards, who I’ve been impressed with. We’ll see what route we go down.”
5- “He’s worked with quite a lot of the players- Forshaw on Matt Sherratt’s appointment
“I know Matt, not just from this morning, but going to Cardiff a lot.
“He’s a very personable guy, very focused on his attack. We were installing some early parts on that. He’s laid back. We had a good meeting on that last night.
“He’s worked with quite a lot of the players. He’s coached in a few environments. The players have been comfortable this morning.
“There’s a lot of language, but I don’t think his coaching will frighten players.
“The lads here don’t die wanting. There’ll be a real confidence when we pick the team. Players sometimes feel a responsibility when coaches leave,” Forshaw concluded.
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