Wales rugby crisis: Warren Gatland to learn fate in coming days
Gatland is currently working on the basis that he will be in charge of his 150th game for Wales, the Six Nations opener against France in Paris on January 31.
First on the agenda is improving the fitness of the team, which they have worked hard to match all year long.
The youth on his team doesn’t help. In 2014, Freddie Thomas breathed new life into the squad, being a second-half substitute against South Africa and the 15th player not to feature for his country this year.
Gatland said: “It’s amazing how much a difference of just over 12 months can have. You lose all the appearances and all the experience and it’s always been a challenge. There’s no doubt about it. at this point.”
“In the past, our cycles have been geared towards the World Cup.
“You might lose three or four players, but you end up with a team that you want to be around for the next cycle, and the transition is slow and gentle. But we don’t have that luxury this time.”
While former players such as Tom Shanklin, Mike Phillips and Alex Cuthbert questioned how Gatland could stay, current players have come out in support of the under-fire manager. Believes the performance against South Africa proved he still has the ability to change the room on the side.
“I thought at the end of today if this group of players can learn from today and put in a lot of hard work, there’s hope for the future,” Gatland said.
“Some young and inexperienced players will learn a lot from playing against the world champions and people should be proud of that effort.”
