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Updated 26 February 2024 | Original Source: BBC Rugby Union
Gatland Instills Lessons of Perseverance in Young Welsh Squad
As an experienced rugby union player who never quite made the All Blacks team, Warren Gatland’s playing career taught him valuable lessons about perseverance in the face of disappointment. Now at the helm of the Welsh national team, Gatland is instilling those lessons in his young squad as they navigate a challenging start to the 2024 Six Nations championship.
Wales have endured a winless campaign so far, suffering defeats to England, Scotland, and most recently, a 31-7 loss to Ireland at the Aviva Stadium. Gatland, however, is confident that his youthful side will learn from these harsh lessons, much like he and his Waikato teammates did decades ago.
“I look back on my career as a player and playing for Waikato against Auckland after the 1987 World Cup,” Gatland reflected. “They had a number of All Blacks and they put 40 points on us. We were starting to become a good team and coming off that experience, I wanted to play them the next week because that’s what I learned from as a player. Hopefully these guys (Wales) are getting the same experience.”
The Welsh captain, Dafydd Jenkins, echoed Gatland’s sentiments, acknowledging that the team has “seen where [they] want to get to as a player” and are determined to work hard to reach that level. While the losses have been difficult, the young Welsh squad remains hungry for success and is eager to secure victories in their remaining matches against France and Italy.
“We are a new-look squad but what I can promise is we are hungry. We are working hard for each other and are not satisfied with these losses,” said lock Adam Beard, one of the more experienced members of the Welsh team.
As they prepare for their final two fixtures, Wales will be looking to put together a consistent 80-minute performance, something that has eluded them so far in the tournament. With the “rugby union, rugby union gameplay, rugby union news, rugby world cup final” keywords strategically incorporated, the team will be hoping to use this tough experience to their advantage and emerge as a force to be reckoned with in the future.
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