Tue. Jan 14th, 2025
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Gatland admits there will be no immediate winning miracle cure with his national side now mirroring the results of the four regions and Under-20s as players experience more defeats than victories.

“The sad thing at the moment is we’re probably a reflection of what Welsh rugby is like,” said Gatland of his Wales national men’s team.

“We were probably the anomaly in the past, where we weren’t that, we were able to control that or step outside what was happening behind.

“So people are aware of the changes that need to be made to hopefully improve Welsh rugby going forward.

“It’s not going to happen overnight, it’s going to take a little bit of time.”

Gatland accepts the review was wide-ranging.

“It was pretty encompassing, not just looking at the team but looking at the whole of Welsh rugby over the last 15-20 years,” said Gatland.

“The pathway system, the academies and the Under-20s programme, and all things like that. It looked at things to be put in place for the future.

“There was some criticism of things, which you expect in any review. There were things for us to look at in terms of some changes they felt we could make going forward.

“There are a number of things for us that are not going to make the difference in the short term but will make a difference in the long term.”

Gatland admits he has changed his approach to dealing with players over the years.

“I suppose you probably need to temper yourself a little bit to what you might have been in the past in terms of the language you might have used and how direct you were and potentially how critical you were,” said Gatland.

“Sometimes you ask the question – are players today as resilient as they might have been, as tough as they might have been?

“I’m definitely conscious, and not just me, but all the coaches are conscious of the way we speak to the players and language we use in terms of maybe not knocking their confidence.

“So there’s definitely been changes probably with the players in terms of that.”

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