Six Nations 2025: Wales head coach Warren Gatland sends warning to rivals after winless 2024 marketing campaign | Rugby Union Information

Warren Gatland has warned that individuals ought to write Wales off at their peril on this season’s Guinness Six Nations, regardless of the workforce being on a report dropping streak. 

The shape information suggests one other tough marketing campaign for Wales after accumulating the picket spoon final season for the primary time since 2003, with Gatland’s facet on a run of 12 successive Take a look at defeats and with out a win since beating World Cup pool opponents Georgia 15 months in the past.

Head coach Gatland has been in a position to reinforce his squad with returning gamers like Liam Williams, Josh Adams and Taulupe Faletau – who’ve 255 caps between them – though he misplaced Autumn Nations Sequence captain Dewi Lake to harm.

Mason Grady, Sam Costelow, Ryan Elias, Archie Griffin and Adam Beard are additionally sidelined forward of a ferociously-tough opener in opposition to France in Paris on January 31, with 17 gamers in Gatland’s 34-strong squad having made lower than 10 Take a look at appearances.

“For us, the challenge was that after the World Cup we lost 18 players and so much experience,” mentioned Gatland, talking on the Six Nations media launch in Rome. “You choose kids, and it takes a bit of little bit of time. Among the kids, seeing them develop goes to be an actual optimistic.

“We’re in a pleasant place as a result of there isn’t any expectation. Persons are writing us off. And I mentioned the identical factor earlier than the World Cup (Wales had been quarter-finalists). Lots of people had been saying that we would not even get out of our group.

“The message that time was you write us off at your peril, and things haven’t changed there. This is such a tough tournament to win. It is so hard. When you look back and you have won a Six Nations or a Grand Slam, there will be a couple of decisions that have gone your way, the bounce of the ball or you’ve had some luck in the tournament.”

Wales are an 80/1 likelihood with some bookmakers for the title and it will likely be a substantial achievement in the event that they threaten a top-three end, a far cry from when Gatland loved Grand Slam successes in his stint as Wales boss.

“It is the strongest that I’ve ever seen the Six Nations in terms of the quality of players and the quality of the teams,” Gatland added. “I can remember going back a long time when everyone would just be talking about France and England at the beginning of a Five Nations or a Six Nations tournament and who was going to win out of them.

“The others had been type of attempting to combat for the scraps. Persons are writing us off, and I mentioned it earlier than the World Cup as effectively, you write us off at your peril. We’ve simply obtained to create some confidence and self-belief inside our group, and virtually like a siege mentality when it comes to going to Paris.”

Townsend: Scotland can compete despite key injuries

Gregor Townsend insists Scotland have the depth to overcome the devastating loss of Sione Tuipulotu to injury for the entire Guinness Six Nations.

Tuipulotu, Scotland’s captain and star centre, should bear surgical procedure to restore a pectoral muscle that was broken in coaching with Glasgow Warriors final week and isn’t anticipated to return till later within the season.

Stafford McDowall is the main contender to be paired alongside Huw Jones, however Rory Hutchinson and Tom Jordan are additionally choices.

“It’s a real blow for Sione so close to the tournament and it’s a blow to the tournament and our supporters that they don’t get to see him playing,” Townsend mentioned. “However as a workforce it’s a must to settle for that accidents occur and that is why you create depth over an extended interval.

“We have some really good 12s in our squad that now have an opportunity they probably didn’t think was coming along. We’re backing them to go and grab that opportunity.”

Tuipulotu’s absence sees Rory Darge and Finn Russell take over as co-captains – roles they carried out in final yr’s Six Nations till the Australian-born 27-year-old was put in as skipper for the autumn.

First-choice second-row Scott Cummings is also sidelined for the entire competitors due to a fractured arm, whereas hooker Dylan Richardson has been dominated out with a shoulder harm.

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