Warren Gatland has defended a recent newspaper column that saw him not select a single Welsh player in a hypothetical British and Irish Lions matchday squad.
The Wales coach was asked to pick a Lions matchday 23 in his Telegraph column shortly after a testing Six Nations that saw Wales win just once amid talk of a split in camp over potential strike action.
At the time, three-time Lions head coach Gatland wrote: “I would not have any of my Wales players in the 23. It is simply a reflection of where we are as a team right now. I thought we improved as the Six Nations went on, but we still have a long way to go.”
Naturally, the decision to not include any Welsh players - regardless of how the tournament had actually gone for his side - garnered plenty of attention.
After naming his 54-man World Cup training squad, Gatland said he was happy to discuss the situation further if any players felt they had been treated harshly by his hypothetical selection.
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"How many Wales players would you have picked?" was Gatland's response to the question, adding: "It’s only one man’s opinion.
"I’ve always prided myself in terms of being straight up and honest. That’s where I felt we were at that point in time. I’ve been asked to do a similar exercise in terms of my time with the Lions and picking a best Lions 23 from the time I’ve been involved.
"There will definitely be a significant representation of Wales players in that from the four tours I’ve been involved in.
"I haven’t had any feedback from the players in terms of why they weren’t selected but I’m happy to have that discussion or debate if anyone thinks they’ve been unfairly treated or should have been in that 23."
Gatland also reflected upon how he had dealt with the fallout in camp during the Six Nations, with contract disputes with Welsh Rugby bosses and the general uncertainty within the game coming to a head in dramatic style.
Following the threat of strike action ahead of the England match, Gatland wrote in another Telegraph column that he had been hurt after hearing second-hand comments from players that he didn't care about them.
Now though, he admits that he perhaps underestimated how much of an effect the stark situation had on the playing group as he looks ahead to a hopefully less tumultuous World Cup campaign.
"There was no doubt that on reflection I probably didn’t realise how much those things impacted on the players in terms of what was happening off the field," he said. "There was definitely a bit of a split in the group in terms of a number of issues.
"Time is a good healer and I think from having spoken to a few players and I know Huw Bennett has spoken to a number of players, they’re pretty excited about moving forward and preparing for the World Cup."
That comes as Gatland outlined how his coaching methods and how he deals with players has changed over time, with the language used being softer than before
"It is a different era, yeah," he said. "Your demands, in terms of your expectations, change. Some of your language definitely changes in terms of you have got to be a little bit careful.
"I read an interesting article by Wayne Bennett about six weeks talking about rugby league and he was talking about how some of these young players coming through at the moment – he’s pretty old-school - things aren’t as tough for them as it was.
"You have definitely got to change some of your methods and your approach. There are a lot of things that don’t change in terms of a lot of players need a kick up the back side while others need an arm put round them. That doesn’t change.
"When I reflect back a lot of the language has changed - it is a lot softer now in terms of the way you speak to players - but that is because it is a different way they respond to being motivated and pushed."
Interestingly, Gatland is the second Welsh coach to point to rugby league coaching great Bennett's methods in recent months, with Shaun Edwards referring to advice from the former Brisbane Broncos and England coach when talking about how he interacted with Taulupe Faletau during his time as Wales defence coach.
"A great coach, Wayne Bennett, once told me that you have to remember how young your players are and speak on their levels," Edwards told WalesOnline last year. "I'd ask, 'fancy a bit of tackling today, bro?'
"'Yeah, I'll do some tackling,' was the reply. And that was it. That was my style of coaching with Toby. It's important to know your players, isn't it? You don't have to get too technical sometimes!"
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