The 39-man party have started preparing for their tournament opener with France in Paris on February 1 where Wales will hope to start with a bang.
Gatland’s players in contention to feature in that game played their last matches at the weekend and there were plenty of positives to take as all four regions – quirkily – took on French opposition! Wales’ Scarlets contingent were actually in Paris as they went head-to-head with TOP14 giants Racing 92 in a high-scoring encounter.
Wayne Pivac’s side were eventually beaten 46-33, but two tries from Johnny McNicholl and one from Wales squad member Steffan Evans saw Scarlets play their part.
Dan Jones kicked two conversions and a penalty, but head coach Pivac believes wing Evans is hitting form just at the right time ahead of the Six Nations.
“I’m really pleased for Steff. He has worked very hard at his game in order to get back into the side,” said Pivac.
“We were disappointed not to win the match, but we are very pleased with our performance. We wanted to finish our campaign with a good performance to take into our Guinness PRO14 fixtures.
“There were a couple of critical moments in the game during the second half which didn’t go our way. We made a few mistakes, especially not taking the ball from the kick-off which gave them some field position. Sides at this level will punish any mistakes you make.”
Cardiff Blues produced a fine team performance to down Lyon and end their own Champions Cup campaign on a high.
A 33-14 win over more French opposition saw scrum-half Tomos Williams stake his claim for a place in the Wales squad for Paris as he scored a try and also delivered a sumptuous offload.
Williams’ outrageous pass out of the tackle set up a superb team try for Blues winger Owen Lane while Wales fly-half Jarrod Evans was also involved in the score. Gareth Anscombe, who had a fine Under Armour Series for Wales at the end of 2018, kicked four conversions from full-back.
“Tomos is the number one or two scrum-half in Wales at the moment,” said Cardiff Blues head coach John Mulvihill.
“As a squad who are not as deep as the teams we’ve faced in Europe this season, I think the boys can take a lot of credit out of their performances in this competition. They’ve done really well.
“We’re at the top limit of where we can perform and I think our fans, our players, and our board will be really happy with the way we’ve fronted up this year in the Heineken Champions Cup.
“The players want to compete in the best competitions in the world. That’s where you want to test yourself.”
In the European Challenge Cup, there were defeats for the Ospreys and the Dragons at the hands of Pau and ASM Clermont Auvergne respectively.
Still, Wales’ coaching staff are excited about what’s to come in the weeks ahead from their team.
Attack coach Rob Howley said: “It’s a stable backs unit from the autumn and so it should be. When you’re coming off the back of an autumn series when you’ve played four and won four and extended your winning run to nine, those players deserve another opportunity.
“The self belief and confidence they will have gained from the Argentina tour and the Under Armour series and winning against Australia and South Africa will stand them in good stead. We are going into the toughest competition in the world and we look forward to the Six Nations every year.”
Wales’ 2019 Guinness Six Nations fixtures:
Friday, February 1: France (A) – Kick-off: 8pm
Saturday, February 9: Italy (A) – Kick-off: 4.45pm
Saturday, February 23: England (H) – Kick-off: 4.45pm
Saturday, March 9: Scotland (A) – Kick-off: 2.15pm
Saturday, March 16: Ireland (H) – Kick-off: 2.45pm
