RWC 2015 fallout: Wales coach Warren Gatland reveals he rang Stuart Lancaster to offer sympathy

England know they are in the worst possible place when they start receiving the tea and sympathy treatment from Wales. Warren Gatland, the devilishly clever coach who has led the Red Dragons to a World Cup quarter-final place at the expense of the red rose, may have been the very model of sincerity when he expressed solidarity with his opposite number Stuart Lancaster, but that will not stop them crying with laughter in Newport and all points west.

“I absolutely have sympathy with Stuart,” commented Gatland, who found himself being roasted alive in a sporting wildfire when he dropped the great Irish centre Brian O’Driscoll from the Lions Test team in Australia two years ago. “There’s a little bit of assassination by the media going on. When I rang him in the week, he texted back and said he appreciated the support. I just hope he’s OK – him and his family.

“That’s more important than rugby. We’re all in this together. I understand the pressures of professional sport and the things we have to deal with as coaches.”

The New Zealander then reflected on what the vast multitude of rugby followers believe was the turning point of England’s benighted campaign: that decision by Chris Robshaw, the captain, to go for broke against Wales by trying to win the game through a line-out drive rather than ask Owen Farrell to kick a late penalty and settle for a draw that might well have seen the hosts through to the knockout stage.

“One kick,” Gatland said with a shake of the head. “Had they taken those three points, I don’t think all this would have been the same.” Which led to the obvious follow-up question: might he be interested in the England job if Lancaster voluntarily falls on the point of a very sharp sword? “I don’t think they could afford me,” he responded, grinning like a Cheshire cat. It was a memorable answer, characteristically waspish.

Almost by way of rubbing English noses in the stinking cowpat of their own outmoded conservatism, Gatland has settled on a cutting-edge selection for Saturday’s meeting with Australia, the other survivors of the “pool of death”, at Twickenham – a fixture of considerable significance, given that the winners will avoid an increasingly confident South Africa in the last eight and put themselves as far away from the All Blacks as it is possible to get.

For one thing, he has asked the powerful wing George North to bring his strength and size to the outside-centre role as a means of neutralising the Wallaby midfielder Tevita Kuridrani. For another, he has opted to pair his two specialist open-side flankers, Sam Warburton and Justin Tipuric, in the same back row, thereby emulating the Australians’ “double trouble” approach to scavenging in the loose. (Even though the Wallabies have lost Michael Hooper to suspension, they will stay with the zeitgeist by running the brilliant open-side prospect Sean McMahon alongside David Pocock.)

open image in gallery

Dan Lydiate’s injury problems – the blind-side flanker took a smack in the eye socket during last week’s highly physical encounter with Fiji – clarified Gatland’s thinking to a degree, but he was tempted to use Tipuric in this game from the outset.

“He deserves an opportunity because he’s been outstanding,” the coach said. “There’s a horses-for-courses element because we need to match Australia at the breakdown, where the contest will be fierce.”

Warburton, the most effective breakaway forward in the European game on his day, will have slightly less of a licence to roam the wide blue yonder with Tipuric in the equation, but the captain seemed perfectly happy with his lot. “I’ll still try to play like an open-side flanker – still try to hover,” he said. “And anyway, I like playing alongside Justin. He lifts my energy when I see him haring around. It makes me want to be where he is on the field.”

Gatland has made further changes by picking Gareth Anscombe, a fellow New Zealander, at full-back and restoring Liam Williams to the starting line-up at left wing. Up front, the props Paul James and Samson Lee have been handed the task of stabilising a creaking scrum – the old hand Gethin Jenkins and the newcomer Tomas Francis move aside – while Luke Charteris, some player on his day, joins the magisterial Alun Wyn Jones in the engine room.

Australia, meanwhile, have made changes for a variety of reasons. Leaving aside Hooper’s suspension, there is an injury issue with Rob Horne – the left wing suffered shoulder damage early in the comprehensive victory over England six days ago – and a tactical switch in the second row. Drew Mitchell, who has been summoned back from club rugby with Toulon in France, replaces Horne, while the super-bright lock Dean Mumm gets a start ahead of Rob Simmons.