Warren Gatland hails return of ‘X-factor’ player as ‘a real confidence booster’ for Wales as they look to end nightmare run against Italy
Wales number eight Taulupe Faletau and head coach Warren Gatland.
Wales head coach Warren Gatland believes the return of the vastly experienced Taulupe Faletau can provide his young side with a real boost in confidence when they face Italy in Rome on Saturday.
The experienced number eight is set to win his 105th Test cap for his country at the Stadio Olimpico as Wales look to end a 13-match losing streak which stretches back to 2023.
In fact, Wales last tasted victory at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France when they clinched a 43-19 victory over Georgia in their final pool game – a match which was also the last time Faletau played for his country as he also sustained a broken arm in that clash which kept him on the sidelines for a lengthy period.
Lengthy stint on the sidelines
The 34-year-old spent half a year on the sidelines but after making a full recovery he suffered another setback in his comeback match for Cardiff when he was subsequently ruled out for another six months due to a fractured shoulder.
He was absent for Wales’ Six Nations opener with France last week as a precautionary measure with a knee issue but Gatland is happy that he will finally make his long awaited return to Test action. This has all but boosted Wales’ Six Nations title chances on SmartBettingGuide and other platforms.
“Taulupe wasn’t quite ready for last week but now he’s ready to go. It’s a real confidence booster for us,” admitted the coach. “He has experience and probably a little bit of X-factor.
“We know what an outstanding player he’s been in the past for Wales and even though he hasn’t had a lot of games in the last few years, just having him back gives everyone a lot of confidence.”
Faletau’s return at the base of the scrum means Aaron Wainwright moves to the replacements bench. Wainwright was forced off the field four minutes into the game against Les Bleus after receiving a nasty cut to his face.
“I spoke to Aaron early in the week and he said he was 100% keen to be available. He wasn’t looking at any opportunity to not put himself in contention to be selected,” said Gatland.
“He didn’t get much time last week so it’s good to see him back and hopefully having an impact off the bench.”
Both Wales and Italy are chasing their first wins of this year’s championship. Wales suffered a 43-0 loss to France while Italy were beaten 31-19 by Scotland at Murrayfield.
“We possibly didn’t express ourselves as much as we could have last week,” added Gatland.
“There were some opportunities and we’ve spoken about being calm and relaxed, particularly on attack – when we get chances, we need to make sure we execute them.
‘It’s just getting the balance right and not overplaying’
“We did a heat map on us and France and found they made most of their tackles in the middle of the park while we tended to make a lot of our tackles around the 22. It’s just getting the balance right and not overplaying.”
After that poor started to the competition, Gatland wants an improved performance from his troops and a victory is a must as they look to break their worst losing streak in their history.
“We’ve spoken as a group about how important this game is for us,” said Gatland.
“The players have responded well, in terms of taking some leadership and ownership this week. They’re aware of how important this game is.
“You just try to be as positive as you possibly can and try to keep away from the white noise from the outside. That’s hugely important.
“Being down here in Nice this week and away from things has been a positive for us as a group. We are focusing on ourselves and preparing for this week.”
He added: “People throw out comments like it’s a ‘must-win’ game, but you never talk about that as a group. You never say it’s a ‘must-win’ game you just make sure you do the right things as a group and in your preparation.”
READ MORE: Super Bowl finalists offer advice to ‘hard worker’ Louis Rees-Zammit on his next career move
