Cardiff (United Kingdom) (AFP) - That this tumultuous Wales-England match in Cardiff, won 20-10 by the visitors, might not have gone ahead because of a threatened player strike would have struck fear into Six Nations organisers.
Wales skipper Ken Owens said the stand-off had left Welsh rugby looking like the "laughing stock" of world rugby.
As it was, an eleventh hour crisis meeting between Welsh rugby bosses and players over a host of contractual issues led to compromises being made, although it disrupted the team announcement and training.
Welsh Rugby Union president Gerald Davies pulled no punches in his column for the matchday programme, saying it was a "solemn time for us in Welsh rugby which, I must confess, is putting it mildly".
"In the forefront have been major complaints, recriminations and occasional diversions, hostile censures and home truths.
"When no sooner than one sore has been attended to and on the way to being healed with some relief, then another blemish arises elsewhere to concentrate the mind," the former Wales and Lions legend wrote.
"It has been a harrowing time, unrelenting in its comment and judgement.We are sorry that it has come to this.It would be a relief to be able to take pause."
Questions were raised as to how Owens and his teammates would be able to bury the mentally draining talks with the WRU to focus on England.
To their credit, they did, and stayed in the game right until the end, notably after Owen Farrell missed three kicks that would otherwise have seen England pull away.
But it was England, with tries by Anthony Watson, Kyle Sinckler and Ollie Lawrence, who ran out winners, leaving Wales with a third consecutive defeat (after losses to Ireland and Scotland) and a very tricky trip to Rome to play Italy in two weeks.
"The last thing you want to do is get the wooden spoon," Gatland said when asked if the Italy game had become the most important 'must-win' game of his career with Wales.
"We can be critical of ourselves," he said."We created a lot of problems for ourselves...there's still a lot of work for us to do."
Gatland added: "The week was challenging, we understand that, but we don't make any excuses."
Wales proved to be lacking creativity and relied heavily on a kick-chase game that, ultimately, did not produce many counter-attacking opportunities.
Gatland admitted he wanted "a bit more width on attack", praising England full-back Freddie Steward, who dealt masterfully with the Welsh aerial assault.
Captain Owens said he had been left "proud of the boys, we fronted up.We drew a line in sand on Wednesday" over the contractual dispute.
"It was definitely a step up to what we're trying to achieve as a team.
"Every game in a Welsh shirt is must win...we haven't won a game yet and we're putting pressure on ourselves to win."
