Six Nations rugby: Warren Gatland says Wales will be ready for England’s ‘Warrenball’

Wales coach Warren Gatland. Photo / Photosport

Warren Gatland believes England are intent on playing “Warrenball” under Steve Borthwick and that the new coach has already turned his back on starting with both Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell.

Gatland’s mischievous comments are sure to light the fire before England’s visit to Cardiff on Saturday. The “Warrenball” nickname came from a previous Red Rose regime, with attack coach Brian Smith coining the moniker to describe Gatland’s direct playing philosophy. It is fair to say, it was never meant as a compliment and the Wales head coach sees the irony.

“They may have come to the conclusion that the Smith-Farrell axis hasn’t worked as well as they would have liked,” he said. “Going forwards I think it will be one of those at 10 and they’re using Ollie Lawrence [at inside centre] to play Warrenball, aren’t they? We had Jamie Roberts doing it. Why do you get criticised for using big men to get you across the gain line, on the front foot and able to play some positive rugby?”

Gatland is not expecting an expansive game plan from Borthwick, who was his forwards coach on the 2021 Lions Tour. There have been criticisms of England’s lack of attacking ambition in their opening two fixtures – a third consecutive defeat by Scotland followed by a far from convincing victory over Italy – but Gatland believes his counterpart will concentrate on the basics. “With Steve coming in there will be a genuine focus on their set-piece,” he said. “Scrum, maul, line-out and making sure they get that right. They kick a lot and we’re mindful of that.”

Gatland: ‘The game’s going to be played’

Gatland was talking with the backdrop of a strike threat by the players if their demands to the Welsh Rugby Union and regions are not met by Wednesday. They are protesting about the delay in a financial agreement being signed and contract negotiations being stalled in the process. One unnamed player, who has appeared in Wales’s first two games – thumping losses by Ireland and Scotland – has revealed he has been on antidepressants because of the uncertainty of whether he will still have a job come the summer.

The WRU has indicated that players’ salaries will be cut by 30 per cent. Gatland, however, is certain that his team will be at the Principality Stadium.

“The game’s going to be played,” the New Zealander said. “I’ve seen these sort of things happen in the past and I’m confident it will go ahead. The strength of New Zealand rugby has always been the ability to change incredibly quickly. To effect change in Wales is time-consuming. I think it’s something that, as an organisation, we need to be a lot better at. Everyone in the game needs to take responsibility, not just the union. We’ve got to take away our parochialism. Let’s make the best decisions for the game as a whole.”

Since returning to the Wales hot-seat in December after a three-year absence, Gatland has seen not only this controversy blow up, but a sexism scandal in the WRU that prompted the resignation of chief executive Steve Phillips.

“Yeah, it’s been a few challenging weeks,” he added. “And then obviously, we’re not playing as well as we’d have liked. Now I have a clear head about what we need to do going forward. I’ve probably been a little bit softer than I might have been in the past in terms of selection issues for players who have given away silly penalties. The players are aware of that now.”