Wales Six Nations Squad 2025

[dirty harry]

I can't see Wales winning a game. Even when Gats was talking about beating France, you could tell deep down that he knew he was talking utter b******s. Looking at the fixtures, France, Ireland and Scotland are write-offs for this Welsh side in my opinion. They shouldn't beat England either but if we have a shocker of a 6N then maybe Wales have a shot at home. Italy is the big one for Wales, and I think the Italians have a better team and are playing at home.

Agree with 100% of this...

Except my delusion wants to call you names and berate your England team!!!

I still think a miracle in Paris leads to a grand slam, that's all I'm going to say, except my tenner is spent at william hill

 

[Welsh Exile]

Good to see Ellis Jenkins reading my mind and saying how he was very surprised with Gatlands comments about the review. I honestly couldn't believe what I was reading when I saw it. Absolutely amazing how detached Gatland is from reality and how he clearly thinks he's above such nonsense. In any other job you'd probably get the sack for those kind of comments. And on top of that, due to the nicey nicey rugby culture in the media you didn't even have a journalist push back on those comments when he made them.

 

[dirty harry]

Good to see Ellis Jenkins reading my mind and saying how he was very surprised with Gatlands comments about the review. I honestly couldn't believe what I was reading when I saw it. Absolutely amazing how detached Gatland is from reality and how he clearly thinks he's above such nonsense. In any other job you'd probably get the sack for those kind of comments. And on top of that, due to the nicey nicey rugby culture in the media you didn't even have a journalist push back on those comments when he made them.

What comments, I've been out of the loop last few weeks

 

[Welsh Exile]

What comments, I've been out of the loop last few weeks

"I think for us it gave us an insight into some of the things that they found challenging and things that they wanted more of and stuff," said Gatland when asked what he had taken from the players' feedback. "So we've taken that on board. But you've also got to realise that they are still young players as well, and that's a small moment of their thoughts.

The questions that I ask sometimes - of the players that have given feedback and stuff, what has their experience been in a professional winning environment? None of them have really had that experience, so for them how do they know what that looks like?

Even the people doing the reviews or being part of the review process, those are the questions that I asked myself in terms of what is their experience or involvement in high-level professional sport winning environments. I'd like to think that we've got people who have been involved with that environment and are lucky enough and able to draw on those past experiences and know what it feels and smells like to be part of it."

 

[dirty harry]

"I think for us it gave us an insight into some of the things that they found challenging and things that they wanted more of and stuff," said Gatland when asked what he had taken from the players' feedback. "So we've taken that on board. But you've also got to realise that they are still young players as well, and that's a small moment of their thoughts.

The questions that I ask sometimes - of the players that have given feedback and stuff, what has their experience been in a professional winning environment? None of them have really had that experience, so for them how do they know what that looks like?

Even the people doing the reviews or being part of the review process, those are the questions that I asked myself in terms of what is their experience or involvement in high-level professional sport winning environments. I'd like to think that we've got people who have been involved with that environment and are lucky enough and able to draw on those past experiences and know what it feels and smells like to be part of it."

So I'm not sure what players gave what feedback...

But this is a generic pretty accurate statement. It probably applies to us Fans too, we can have an opinion, but it's based on fantasy as we don't know what is actually going on.

Any links to player comments etc?

 

[Welsh Exile]

So I'm not sure what players gave what feedback...

My guess, Anscombe, Plumtree, Dyer and Llewellyn gave negative feedback.

 

[Welsh Exile]

So I'm not sure what players gave what feedback...

But this is a generic pretty accurate statement. It probably applies to us Fans too, we can have an opinion, but it's based on fantasy as we don't know what is actually going on.

Any links to player comments etc?

Warren Gatland questioning Wales review feedback was 'poor' - Ellis Jenkins - BBC Sport

Former Wales duo Ellis Jenkins and Jonathan Davies question Warren Gatland's decision to raise concerns over the validity of some feedback given during a recent independent review into Welsh rugby.

www.bbc.com

 

[IT157]

Are you sure about that?
Italy beat Wales and Scotland and drew with France last 6N.
They are no longer pushovers.

Yes.

 

[OllyM97]

Yes.

The only thing that might get Wales the win over Italy is pure desperation to stop the losing streak - but I just don't think they are good enough. In Rome I reckon if both teams play to their maximum, Italy are 8-10 points better.

 

[dirty harry]

Warren Gatland questioning Wales review feedback was 'poor' - Ellis Jenkins - BBC Sport

Former Wales duo Ellis Jenkins and Jonathan Davies question Warren Gatland's decision to raise concerns over the validity of some feedback given during a recent independent review into Welsh rugby.

www.bbc.com

Scanned that, and I side with Gatland.

No point sugar coating it, what real input can players like Winnet, Dyer, Botham offer someone like Warren Gatland? They havnt won many games between them, let alone silverware.

Same can be said of the number crunchers and pen pushers. With the greatest of respect, but I wouldn't take the opinion of Abi Tierney on board, not over my own, or even my missus opinions (who has played international rugby).

I keep referring back to working with Townsend, but that was a real eye opener as to how clueless the average fan is, he has 100% to do everything I thought he would, and may well go down as Scotlands greatest coach (in certain aspects).

So I work in the third sector, and all the range now is including the service user in every aspect of decision making. So, I used some uni students, conducted a focus group using homeless service users, and discussed the barriers to enterprise services, and used their experience of hostel living to make improvements.

The top 3 barriers to services?

- Staff are grass, see you next tuesdays.
- Police are pigs
- Noone ever actually helps

Top 3 answers to improving living conditions?

- PS 5s for every room
- Cannabis should be allowed
- Hostels should be segregated by sex

So as you see, those involved in an industry, are not necessarily those whose ideas you should consider fully, context is king.

 

[Welsh Exile]

Scanned that, and I side with Gatland.

No point sugar coating it, what real input can players like Winnet, Dyer, Botham offer someone like Warren Gatland? They havnt won many games between them, let alone silverware.

Same can be said of the number crunchers and pen pushers. With the greatest of respect, but I wouldn't take the opinion of Abi Tierney on board, not over my own, or even my missus opinions (who has played international rugby).

I keep referring back to working with Townsend, but that was a real eye opener as to how clueless the average fan is, he has 100% to do everything I thought he would, and may well go down as Scotlands greatest coach (in certain aspects).

So I work in the third sector, and all the range now is including the service user in every aspect of decision making. So, I used some uni students, conducted a focus group using homeless service users, and discussed the barriers to enterprise services, and used their experience of hostel living to make improvements.

The top 3 barriers to services?

- Staff are grass, see you next tuesdays.
- Police are pigs
- Noone ever actually helps

Top 3 answers to improving living conditions?

- PS 5s for every room
- Cannabis should be allowed
- Hostels should be segregated by sex

So as you see, those involved in an industry, are not necessarily those whose ideas you should consider fully, context is king.

So basically Gatland is always right, do as you're told and don't anyone dare question anything he does because they don't understand or aren't worthy. I said at the time he was channelling his inner Trump.

As I say, if you're a senior manager, a massively underperforming one I might add, and your bosses conduct a review via a third party and you came out with those comments about not only the colleagues that work under you, but the review itself, you'd likely be fired in a high pressured job in the city for example.

Having said all that it's hard to say without knowing what was said and a million other things but the thing that surprised me most about it was that he was talking about it in public. As Foxy said keep it in house but he obviously is pretty ****** off about it.

 

[AlRums]

I keep referring back to working with Townsend, but that was a real eye opener as to how clueless the average fan is, he has 100% to do everything I thought he would, and may well go down as Scotlands greatest coach (in certain aspects).

Townsend has the highest Scotland coach win percentage of the professional age. Not bad considering Ireland and France dominance the last few years.

 

[Booboobang]

Scanned that, and I side with Gatland.

No point sugar coating it, what real input can players like Winnet, Dyer, Botham offer someone like Warren Gatland? They havnt won many games between them, let alone silverware.

Same can be said of the number crunchers and pen pushers. With the greatest of respect, but I wouldn't take the opinion of Abi Tierney on board, not over my own, or even my missus opinions (who has played international rugby).

I keep referring back to working with Townsend, but that was a real eye opener as to how clueless the average fan is, he has 100% to do everything I thought he would, and may well go down as Scotlands greatest coach (in certain aspects).

So I work in the third sector, and all the range now is including the service user in every aspect of decision making. So, I used some uni students, conducted a focus group using homeless service users, and discussed the barriers to enterprise services, and used their experience of hostel living to make improvements.

The top 3 barriers to services?

- Staff are grass, see you next tuesdays.
- Police are pigs
- Noone ever actually helps

Top 3 answers to improving living conditions?

- PS 5s for every room
- Cannabis should be allowed
- Hostels should be segregated by sex

So as you see, those involved in an industry, are not necessarily those whose ideas you should consider fully, context is king.

Not really sure how you can think this response is actually good tbh.

Number 1 even if everyone knows that playerpool is **** surely the coach who is meant to be instilling confidence shouldnt be saying it, he is part of that lack of a winning enviroment, he is coaching it. You can think something, and not openly degrade those you are trying to inspire.

Number 2, somewhat linked to number 1, there is acomplete void in self awareness, he bombed out of the chiefs, has been ******** the bed and hasnt coached sustainable winning rugby for going on 6 years at this point, when you are consisstently not good at your job, or are atleast not getting results it is maybe at that point you need feedback into what you are doing wrong, you refer to townsend and coaches as an appeal to authority as if they are infalable, just not true, one of townsends biggest strengths has actually been in resolving issues he has had with players not dictating to them that they are god awful and are a bunch of losers who can offer him nothing.

In gatlands case if anything he is a man in desperate need of a self review as his methods no longer work, not with the lions, not with the chiefs who drastically improved with the same player pool after he left, and sure as hell not with wales now. We can refer to townsend here again, since november what have both coaches been doing, what has their output been? Townsend has been coaching scotlands development system and the emerging scotland team to improve the player pool, talking about how exciting these players are for the future.... Gatland has complained about his player pool said they dont know how to win and that they shouldnt be reviewing him a man who has done a whole lot of losing for half a decade, maybe he could take on board and try and improve? Maybe he could improve his coaching team? Hell maybe he could actually get of his arse and go and do some clinics or coaching age grade players like townsend has been to try and help solve the problem long term

Currently Gatland is a old man, who cant communicate with young players, who doesnt get results, and does nothign for the nations rugby between windows despite taking a huge pay packet to improve rugby in the country. It could literally not get worse. If it was gatland of a decade ago saying it? I would get it, but now? He is just as big a loser, wins that long ago mean nothing after sustained losing.