Gatland explained that the 54-strong squad would be cut down to 45 for the training camp in Switzerland and then will be further reduced for the next camp in Turkey. Wales three Summer Series matches are as follows:
SUMMER SERIES
Saturday 5 August: Wales v England – Principality Stadium (17.30)
Saturday, 12 August: England v Wales – Twickenham Stadium (17.30)
Saturday 19 August: Wales v South Africa – Principality Stadium (15.15)
GATS ON THE 54
“We’ve gone for a bigger squad than normal. In previous World Cups, we’ve picked up a number of injuries towards the end of tournament. This gives this group of players the chance to come in for the first five weeks and get conditioned.
“We’ll reduce the squad to about 45 for Switzerland and then again when we go to the second camp in Turkey. There’s a good opportunity for a number of new players in Wales to come in and to impress the coaching staff in that first part. There’s a bit of jeopardy with us reducing the size of the squad as we go on. It’s a great chance for players to make an impact.”
There are 10 players who haven’t been capped by Wales before in the 54-strong squad. Included among them is the Montpellier prop Henry Thomas, who has already won seven caps for England. He has been able to be included under the new World Rugby eligibility law, which allows players who haven’t been capped for three years to apply to play for another country.
They have to qualify through birth, or their parents and grandparents having been born in the country for which they want to play. In Thomas’ case, his father Nigel is from Swansea and used to play for London Welsh.
ON HENRY THOMAS
“He was involved last year with Montpellier when they won the Top 14 title. We spoke to him about his availability a number of years ago and we think with his experience and he brings something different. Competition for places in the tight-five is a big focus for us. We need players that give us athleticism and mobility to improve our game in that area.
“He’s 31, he’s been around, he’s experienced, and hopefully he will come in and make an impression. He’s certainly pretty excited about it. Winning silverware in France was big for him and gave him confidence. You’ve got to be pretty tough to play up front in France given how big some of the forwards are there. You’ve got to bring a physical element and be strong at the set-piece, but he’s also got some good ball-carrying ability and is pretty mobile getting around the park.”
ON THE TIGHT FIVE
“It is an area in which we definitely need to improve. Looking at the age-profile, some of those youngsters coming into the squad – Corey Domachowski, Kemsley Mathias, Kieron Assiratti – are all in their mid-twenties. There is a good chance for some of those guys to make an impression and be around for a number of years. We’ve been impressed with how the two props scrummaged for Cardiff against Sale and the Ospreys. They’re at the right age, and they’ve been around for a while, and now there is a chance for them to develop. We see some real growth in them and hopefully that will show in the first part of this camp and in the future.”
ON CORY HILL RETURNING
“He’s an outstanding line-out caller, gives us the mobility and athleticism we’re looking for in our tight five and I think he’ll put some real pressure on the other second rows. Like Will Rowlands, he will also bring experience.
ON WILL ROWLANDS AVAILABILITY
“The PRB (Professional Rugby Board) has said that Will Rowlands is eligible. He’s still with the Dragons until the end of the year. He might get a couple more games which would make him eligible from the point of the 25-cap rule. He’s got 23. At this stage, we’ve been told by the PRB that Joe isn’t available.”
ON LOSING JOE HAWKINS
“I spoke to him two or three times and we told him we thought he was a big part of our future, and definitely in the 23 either in the midfield or at No 10. He’s made his decision to go to Exeter and we’re disappointed he’s made that choice. He feels at the moment that going to play club rugby in England will be good for his development. I’ve got to respect that decision, but I know from a coaching perspective and a coaching team, we’re disappointed to lose someone of his potential and his talent at least for the next few years.”
Another loss to Gatland’s squad is head of physical performance, Paul ‘Bobby’ Stridgeon. His replacement was announced by Gatland after the squad launch.
ON HUW BENNETT’S NEW ROLE
“Bobby is moving back to France shortly and Huw Bennett is taking over from him. Bobby’s going to be a big loss in terms of what he’s contributed to Welsh rugby over the years, but we’ve now got someone like Huw, who has been his No 2 for a long time. We feel is going to be brilliant and he’s certainly got the respect of the squad. He’s someone who is going to be different but is going to do a great job.
“Bobby’s been away from his family for a number of years in terms of travelling backwards and forwards. He’s got a young family in France. I spoke to the Union and they gave their blessing for him to be released early to go back to France and we supported that 100 per cent.”
ON FITNESS LEVELS
“I think we were reasonable in the Six Nations, but not anywhere near as good as we were in the past. That’s something we pride ourselves on in terms of playing for 80 minutes and not going away. We work incredibly hard for each other. There were a number of times where teams had made breaks against us and I felt we didn’t work hard enough to get back. We weren’t desperate enough. There were a number of things going on off the field, but we’ve got to get back to that. We’ve got to build up a mental toughness again and get back to what we prided ourselves on – and what other teams respected us for. Getting the players in early in large numbers will hopefully pay significant dividends for us moving forward in terms of getting back to the levels we want as a squad.”
ON THE SIX NATIONS
“We were disappointed with the Six Nations, although we definitely improved as the campaign went on. We scored four tries in the last two games, but it wasn’t good enough from our standards. We feel we’ve got the biggest uplift and amount of growth of all the teams in the Six Nations. In the past, we’ve always prided ourselves on how hard we work during World Cups. I don’t think this campaign will be any different. As a coach, I get really excited about preparing for and playing at World Cups. You feel like a club side at times because of the time you get with the players.”
ON THE WORLD CUP
“We’ve got a tricky draw because the Fiji game is first up. In 2019, they pushed Australia pretty hard and it was only until the last 20 minutes that the Wallabies got on top of them. It’s going to be a real tough one first up when they are fresh and ready to go. We’ve got a lot of work to do but I think there is a little bit of an opportunity to come in under the radar without too many expectations.”
ON CAPTAINCY
“We haven’t selected a captain for the World Cup. I’m not sure it’s appropriate to be naming one at the moment and I don’t think we need to. Ken Owens did a great job for us in the Six Nations in difficult circumstances. We know how respected he is in Welsh rugby and I’m pretty sure he’s going to fight pretty hard for his place.
“The first thing for Ken is to earn his place and then when we start getting a little bit closer, we’ll start thinking about a World Cup captain. The good thing about that position (hooker) at the moment is we’ve got a lot of opportunities. Three of players we’ve chosen have come back from injury and haven’t been involved for a while – Dewi Lake, Elliot Dee, who I think is playing some good rugby at the moment, and then Ryan Elias. There is going to be some real competition there.”
