Search for
Search for
Search forGatland hopes to smash down barriers
Friday, November 21, 2008, 17:18
The Wales head coach believes his reigning RBS 6 Nations champions have nothing to be intimidated by.
And winning the mind games might just help Wales in their ultimate aim of ending a 55-year, 19-Test wait for glory against New Zealand.
Gatland said: "There is that aura and mystique about them, but if our guys were in the gym against their guys, we are bigger than them physically.
"Myself and Rob Howley (Wales attack coach) were sitting there at the game between Ireland and New Zealand last Saturday.
"We were only six or seven rows from the front, and the All Blacks substitutes were warming up.
"Rob turned around and said to me 'they are not that big, are they?' I've been saying this for a while, but it is not until you see it for yourself.
"And it is about just trying to transfer that over to the players.
"There are a number of (New Zealand) players that I've coached and know some of their strengths and weaknesses, and players I've coached against in the last few years.
"The one thing you've got to do is respect them. You have got to have enormous respect for who they are and what they've achieved.
"But you have got to make sure that is not just outright adulation and putting them too much on a pedestal.
"If you do that, you are in for a very long day at the office.
"There are things they are good at, but there are also aspects of the game where there are a certain number of weaknesses."
Comment on this story