Wales face arguably their biggest challenge in Six Nations history this season as they go into the tournament following 12 successive Test defeats and with a head coach under huge pressure. Warren Gatland’s team are not expected to feature at the competition’s business-end.
And it is easy to see why, having not won a Test match since beating Georgia during the 2023 World Cup and reeling from an autumn campaign that produced landslide losses against Australia and South Africa after being defeated by Fiji. Gatland then came under further scrutiny as the Welsh Rugby Union conducted a detailed post-autumn review, with another one promised after the Six Nations.
Although he was given the green light to continue, Gatland’s future as Wales boss remains a subject of debate among fans and commentators. Wales ended up with the Six Nations wooden spoon last season, losing all five games for the first time since 2003, and some bookmakers rate them an 80-1 title chance this time around.
A fiercely-difficult Paris opener against France is followed by a trip to Rome. Lose both and another barren campaign beckons as Wales’ remaining appointments are with Ireland, Scotland and England. “We know it is about performances and results. Those first two games are really important for us,” Gatland said.
“That game in Paris will be tough, then it’s the Italy game. It is about momentum. “You get some good results and you never know what can happen in this tournament. “Everyone is talking about it being challenging, but for us, we definitely need to show an improvement in performance.
