Cardiff — Wales coach Warren Gatland has insisted his team need no extra motivation heading into Saturday's Six Nations match against England after a week of off-field disruption over player contract issues.
"I don't think there is any lack of motivation, the history and passion between Wales and England and getting up for the game. I am confident the guys will be ready," Gatland said Thursday after naming a team that featured nine changes from the one well beaten 35-7 by Scotland.
Welsh players have been locked in talks with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) all week over a range of issues, not least future contracts.
Compromises were reached on Wednesday.
Those included reducing to 25 the controversial 60-cap minimum Test selection rule for players at clubs outside of Wales.
They also included guaranteed representation at Professional Rugby Board (PRB) meetings and the inclusion of a solely fixed contract alongside fixed-variable hybrid contracts (80% in set wages, with 20% as bonus payments).
"These are circumstances that have been brought on by ourselves and we can only take responsibility for those things ourselves," said Gatland, who admitted to having not been consulted on the cap level for players not based in Wales.
"The focus needs to be purely on the next few days, training well, drawing a line in the sand with what has happened and then bringing out the passion, history and expectation that comes with an England-Wales fixture."
Gatland acknowledged that it was a hugely important game for both England and Wales, who have won five of their last seven fixtures against the English in Cardiff.
"For both of us, this game is absolutely massive," he said.
"If we win on Saturday, and then we go away to Italy and France and we can finish the Six Nations on a real positive," the Kiwi coach said, with Wales having conceded over 30 points apiece in their losses to Ireland and Scotland.
"And for them, a loss on Saturday and their last two games are France and Ireland, which are pretty challenging as well. It is definitely a huge game for both England and Wales."
A toll for Owens
Gatland said there was no denying the threatened strike action had been mentally draining.
"We had a meeting with the players just to announce the team. We said it's an opportunity to draw a line in the sand and focus completely on preparing for Saturday," he said.
"There's no doubt that this week has taken a bit of a toll on (captain Ken Owens) in terms of being caught in the middle of things and discussions.
"He's done a fantastic job in terms of supporting and leading the players.
"I made a joke that he looked 10 years younger this morning. It was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders."
Gatland also insisted he would not be using any external factors to wind up his players.
He has been known to do in his first successful stint as Wales coach between 2007-19, when the Welsh won four Six Nations titles, including three Grand Slams, and reached the semi-finals of the 2011 and 2019 Rugby World Cups.
"I don't think, with a game like this, that you can try and create anything out of nothing," the 59-year-old said.
"I might have said some things in the past that have backfired on me. There's no winding up the opposition because I think this game takes care of itself."
AFP