Leigh Halfpenny likely to miss Six Nations

Gatland said he welcomed being written off, claiming Wales – who play two of their pool games on home soil in Cardiff – are content the pressure of expectation is relieved due to the loss of a combined 78 caps of experience.

Years ago at the Ospreys, a number of the region’s then younger players spoke of how playing alongside Gavin Henson – a player whose towering faith in his own talents was matched in those days only by his ability to deliver – encouraged them to take the field with their own self-assurance levels topped up. “But for me now it is just taking one day at a time”. I told him I admired the way he had conducted himself and I said I’d been a great supporter of his over the years and what he’d achieved.

Wales begin their campaign against little-fancied and little-known Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium on Sunday and seconr ow Jake Ball said: “We will give them respect. I was close in 2003, but we lost to Jonny”.

“I can’t speak highly enough about the analysts”, he said. “He has explained the timescale to me, which is six to eight months. You can see them getting better and better going into the World Cup”. “It’s been a dream of mine as kid to play for Wales, to play for Wales at a World Cup and to lift that trophy”.

Gatland added that the showing by the northern hemisphere teams against their southern hemisphere counterparts in last season’s autumn series, allied by some expansive rugby in the Six Nations was “a real positive”.

Leigh Halfpenny’s involvement in the 2016 RBS 6 Nations has been thrown into doubt after the Wales full-back revealed that he faces at least six months on the sidelines. We know what a great competitor he is.

England open their World Cup against Fiji at Twickenham on Friday.

“Now it is about looking forward”.

When Giteau faced England in his first world cup they had a settled team with arguably only scrumhalf being the position that was not settled as Kieran Bracken and Matt Dawson battling each other for selection.

“Remember that the weather here dictates how the game is going to be played”.

“For me, this will involve working towards playing again”.