:00:24. > :00:35.On the night's, Warren Gatland speaks to Jonathan Davies a head of
:00:36. > :00:42.Tamara's game against France. It is the world. You live and die by the
:00:43. > :00:48.sword. I am the first one to give out a bit of banter. We spent some
:00:49. > :00:53.time with the women's team. We want people to come out and get behind
:00:54. > :00:58.the girls. A home crowd will give us a massive advantage against France.
:00:59. > :01:05.And we catch up with snooker legend Ray Reardon. Happy days at the
:01:06. > :01:07.moment. So, the third Six Nations weekend kicks off tomorrow night at
:01:08. > :01:16.the principality stadium with Wales hoping to keep their championship
:01:17. > :01:20.hopes alive. In a moment we will get the thoughts of Jonathan Davies, but
:01:21. > :01:21.first we sent him for a catch up with Wales's head coach Warren
:01:22. > :01:38.Gatland. We all happy and ready to go? Right,
:01:39. > :01:43.Warren, you have had a nice week. How do you think the tournament has
:01:44. > :01:48.gone so far? It is the best competition in the world for one
:01:49. > :01:54.reason and that is the fans. Nowhere else in the world do you go and
:01:55. > :02:00.potentially get 30 or 40% of the crowd being away fans. It is what
:02:01. > :02:07.makes our special. Looking back on the Wales game is, how do you
:02:08. > :02:13.reflect on those? Should we have one in Ireland? We did not start well
:02:14. > :02:18.enough, but we got back in the game and got in front and probably should
:02:19. > :02:23.have won. I think we finished strongly. We just had to cope with
:02:24. > :02:31.it. In fairness to Scotland though, they were really good in the air. We
:02:32. > :02:44.have prided ourselves on how good we are in the air, but they did better.
:02:45. > :02:54.Are you happy about the way the site has adapted? Do you need to change
:02:55. > :03:00.your game plan, maybe not go to why to early? It is asked us realising
:03:01. > :03:07.what we have two do. We have got it wrong. We have moved the ball too
:03:08. > :03:12.much. Hopefully it will improve as we go one. You have made a few
:03:13. > :03:25.changes for the France game, but what are the reasons for festival
:03:26. > :03:34.Alex being back in? We know his form from where it was. That is
:03:35. > :03:41.confidence. Sometimes you can't blame players for wanting to leave.
:03:42. > :03:46.Nowadays they are battered on social media. He has fallen out of love
:03:47. > :03:48.with the game perhaps, but they are young men and they sometimes
:03:49. > :03:53.struggle with criticism. He is getting some confidence back, so we
:03:54. > :04:06.wanted to give him a bit of time. We still like the idea of Stimson and
:04:07. > :04:12.play together. -- and Warburton playing together. The French bring a
:04:13. > :04:17.full pack, so it's probably more about bringing that physicality with
:04:18. > :04:21.Dan in the back row. What do you expect from France? I have seen them
:04:22. > :04:26.twice this year and I can't seem to work out what they are trying to do?
:04:27. > :04:32.I think they are a work in progress, they take one game at a time. They
:04:33. > :04:46.do that in the first couple of games. Their coach has been
:04:47. > :04:56.incredibly successful. Since I have been involved, we have tended to get
:04:57. > :05:03.better. Good start? Pretty good. I don't think the Welsh team have won
:05:04. > :05:08.five in a row against France. I never beat them, unfortunately. What
:05:09. > :05:18.makes me laugh is I think Eddie is taking over your mantle. Brilliance,
:05:19. > :05:25.isn't it? He is just speaking from the heart and giving an opinion on
:05:26. > :05:32.what he thinks. I know in the past I have made a few comments and there
:05:33. > :05:36.has been pressure on the team of individuals and I've tried to put
:05:37. > :05:43.the pressure back on myself, but I think it is time where we don't need
:05:44. > :05:48.to do that any more. I like him as an individual and I get on with
:05:49. > :05:54.Eddie well. He is just saying what he feels. It is a Friday night in
:05:55. > :06:01.Cardiff again. You must still enjoy the buzz and the atmosphere. It is
:06:02. > :06:09.brilliant. I think it is the best stadium. Not just because the roof
:06:10. > :06:12.is close, it is the proximity of the fans. Everyone gets a great view. It
:06:13. > :06:30.is special. We are very lucky. When you come back to watch Wells
:06:31. > :06:36.player, you can have a drink and a steak and then wonder in. I hope so.
:06:37. > :06:48.I have not watch many games as a speculator. Good luck.
:06:49. > :06:54.You seemed to be best mates there. Yes. He is quite relaxed. He is old
:06:55. > :06:59.school. He seems relaxed, comfortable in the environment, and
:07:00. > :07:03.happy with the way things are going on and off the field.
:07:04. > :07:08.Do you get a sense of the mood in the camp at the moment from him? I
:07:09. > :07:14.think they are very experienced. They know what to expect, they know
:07:15. > :07:21.how to prepare. I think they will be slightly disappointed they did not
:07:22. > :07:25.win the Irish game, but it is a very tough competition and it is still
:07:26. > :07:31.there for them to win. What about the team? No surprises in Warren
:07:32. > :07:39.Gatland's selection? He wants Warburton to be more effective. Is
:07:40. > :07:45.it harsh? A little bit, but in international rugby you have to give
:07:46. > :07:53.that extra 1%. Sam plays better at seven. James is back, but perhaps he
:07:54. > :08:03.needs a little bit more game time. Alex Cuthbert just needs that one
:08:04. > :08:09.reason brilliance... He is due it now. He is trying, may be trying a
:08:10. > :08:15.little bit too hard. Do you sense they believe they can still win this
:08:16. > :08:18.competition? I think so. It is France birth. If you look at France,
:08:19. > :08:22.and I have seen them twice this year, I don't know what to expect
:08:23. > :08:27.from them. They have played wide, but that hasn't worked. There is no
:08:28. > :08:39.real structure to their play, but the one thing that is dangerous is
:08:40. > :08:41.that they have their top player. Is it overstating it to say lose
:08:42. > :08:49.against France and that is a championship over? Well, they need
:08:50. > :08:57.to win every game because England are in pole position and is what
:08:58. > :09:05.England or France lose two games? They have to win every game now.
:09:06. > :09:10.Jonathan, talk more very shortly. Wales under 20s play on Saturday and
:09:11. > :09:24.after two wins they are looking very good. Meanwhile Wales women face a
:09:25. > :09:29.tough French side on Sunday. Just up the hill from the hotel is
:09:30. > :09:39.the centre of excellence. This is where the national team train, the
:09:40. > :09:45.20s, the sevens and the women. Success in the Six Nations is
:09:46. > :09:50.essential if these girls are to make the grade for the World Cup next
:09:51. > :09:57.yet, but they did not make the grade against Ireland. We did not perform.
:09:58. > :10:01.We looked back and reviewed it and then went into the Scotland game
:10:02. > :10:05.with a lot more confidence. It was nice to play at home in front of a
:10:06. > :10:15.good home crowd and get the win, so we were happy with that. Wales
:10:16. > :10:18.secured another victory in the same week as their win against Scotland.
:10:19. > :10:20.Their flanker became the first female professional. It is great. I
:10:21. > :10:24.have been honoured to get the female professional. It is great. I
:10:25. > :10:36.opportunity to be athlete. Everyone is happy for her.
:10:37. > :10:40.They are also a bit jealous because it is everyone's dream to be able to
:10:41. > :10:46.focus on training full-time. Everyone wishes her well and if she
:10:47. > :10:56.is a success, more will follow. What she has done for women's rugby is
:10:57. > :10:59.incredible. Younger girls just getting into rugby might be thinking
:11:00. > :12:39.now that there is getting into rugby might be thinking
:12:40. > :12:42.It is very similar to the men's. One thing is for certain, France are a
:12:43. > :12:48.powerful team, so how do you prepare for that Western Mark the ravens
:12:49. > :12:51.have offered to run against us. The physicality Bay are going to bring
:12:52. > :12:59.will match some of what France will throw at us. Paying against men, it
:13:00. > :13:06.is ten times quicker, so you have to make faster decisions. In the Bible
:13:07. > :13:13.played against the guys, it's a real confidence booster. Was that the web
:13:14. > :13:17.training session? How did it go? We certainly got the tempo we needed
:13:18. > :13:22.out of it. They are a good team and hopefully the girls can apply that
:13:23. > :13:29.tempo and play a good competitive game against France.
:13:30. > :13:36.And Ronnie O'Sullivan picked up his fourth Wales open title last weekend
:13:37. > :13:42.but did you know he was once coached by a Welshman who won the World
:13:43. > :13:48.Championship six times. Ray Reardon, Dracula as he was nicknamed,
:13:49. > :13:54.dominated the sport in the 1970s. He was snooker's original showman. A
:13:55. > :14:05.former miner and policeman who turned pro and dominated the sport.
:14:06. > :14:10.A crowd pleaser and a bit a bit of a mystery. Still is at the age of 83.
:14:11. > :14:18.Ray, we will talk about Ronnie. People forget that you were the big
:14:19. > :14:23.superstar of your time in the 70s. Going back a few years. Happy days,
:14:24. > :14:29.as one would say. I gave myself three years to win the World
:14:30. > :14:32.Championship. If I was not a winner within three years I was going to go
:14:33. > :14:38.back to being a policeman on the beat. Which title stands out for
:14:39. > :14:44.you? The first one as it achieves a life ambition. How did it feel to be
:14:45. > :14:50.a world number one for such a long time? Wonderful. It didn't last long
:14:51. > :14:59.enough, actually. You entertain people, as well. Because I'm loving
:15:00. > :15:04.playing. The crowd have paid to see you play. Without them, you will not
:15:05. > :15:09.earn any money. You had a repartee with the crowd. I wanted to get on
:15:10. > :15:15.with them and use the television. Like I am trying to use it now. This
:15:16. > :15:24.is free advertising. It is there, use it. All those characters,
:15:25. > :15:29.yourself, Alex Higgins, Dennis Taylor in the 1980s. What do you
:15:30. > :15:33.think of the modern game? I love the standard on show, fantastic but
:15:34. > :15:40.where is the characters in it? There is one huge box office character.
:15:41. > :15:47.Ronnie the rocket, five-time world champion and four-time Welsh open
:15:48. > :15:50.winner who Ray Reardon coached for two years helping to improve his
:15:51. > :15:56.safety game. Is it true that you got a phone call from his dad? He said,
:15:57. > :16:04.do you think my son should win any more world titles? I said, yes,
:16:05. > :16:11.indeed. He said, can you help? I said, I don't know. I said, get him
:16:12. > :16:19.to ring me. One day, the phone rang. Ronnie? Yes. We had a chat. He said
:16:20. > :16:24.he wanted me to come and look at me for the World Championship in 2005.
:16:25. > :16:29.We took it from there and we clicked like no one's business. I loved the
:16:30. > :16:35.way he played, everything about him. He is the best player I have ever
:16:36. > :16:42.seen. It is magic. The control he has over the cue ball. It would give
:16:43. > :16:49.me ten years on my life. Fantastic. This is what he said about you last
:16:50. > :16:56.week. Sneaky. I'm sure you'll enjoy watching this. This is what Ronnie
:16:57. > :17:00.had to say about you. He is one of those people you could sit down and
:17:01. > :17:06.talk to four hours and never get bored. He was so funny. I run the
:17:07. > :17:11.play one opponent, I've made a shot, he said, why did you play that? I
:17:12. > :17:17.said, I don't know. He said, when you have got them on the ground,
:17:18. > :17:22.stamp on the head, get the concrete on top. I would have hated to play
:17:23. > :17:26.somebody like that. He's taught me stuff on the snooker playbill that
:17:27. > :17:31.blew my mind. What a lovely man and a great snooker player. I loved
:17:32. > :17:40.working with him. He's a beautiful man. Fantastic. What you make of
:17:41. > :17:48.that? Wonderful. Did you see him winning last week? Fantastic. I
:17:49. > :17:53.loved it. He made some headlines. It's not the first time he has done
:17:54. > :17:57.something like that. He didn't mean anything harmful to anyone. That is
:17:58. > :18:03.Ronnie O'Sullivan, that is what you get. I thought it was hilarious. I
:18:04. > :18:08.sat back in the chair and couldn't stop laughing at that. Who else
:18:09. > :18:11.would have done that? Ray, great to get your stories on Ronnie
:18:12. > :18:19.O'Sullivan and your own memories as well. I loved it. A pleasure.
:18:20. > :18:24.Wonderful. Wales have been busy preparing here at their training
:18:25. > :18:28.base. What about opponents France, unbeaten in this season's tournament
:18:29. > :18:32.but that doesn't mean all is rosy in the French camp. Gareth Rees Owens
:18:33. > :18:50.has been taking a look. French rugby, gloriously
:18:51. > :18:56.unpredictable, it has its own entry in the dictionary of sporting
:18:57. > :19:02.cliches. The Germans are efficient, Jamaicans athletes are quick, the
:19:03. > :19:11.French rugby players, you just don't know which side is going to turn up.
:19:12. > :19:24.This French side has been rather not French. Unbeaten under coach Guy
:19:25. > :19:28.Noves after to an spectacular victories. In the past, they have
:19:29. > :19:33.just played what is in front of them. We love that sort of thing. If
:19:34. > :19:44.you're going to play against others like that because it is easy to shut
:19:45. > :19:51.down. Here in the Principality Stadium, Guy Noves is going to
:19:52. > :19:55.announce his side. The press conference is in French and
:19:56. > :19:57.unfortunately my French is a bit ropey. Fortunately, Lauren is here
:19:58. > :20:52.for us. What's happened to the French flair?
:20:53. > :20:58.We're trying to rediscover it. For so many years, we had lost it. Guy
:20:59. > :21:06.Noves is trying to bring back a bit of that, not magic, but freed in the
:21:07. > :21:11.way the players play the game. This week hasn't been totally devoid of
:21:12. > :21:19.drama. David Smith has been called up. Born in Samoa, brought up in New
:21:20. > :21:25.Zealand. He won't be getting changed because he is ineligible. He played
:21:26. > :21:37.sevens for New Zealand. A big blunder. Big style. Guy Noves wasn't
:21:38. > :21:39.happy at all. The people from the French Federation had forgotten he
:21:40. > :21:46.had played sevens for New Zealand which was very embarrassingly.
:21:47. > :21:52.Friday nights lights, not a new phenomenon for the French. Since
:21:53. > :21:57.they last won, their record against Wales has been shocking. Their worst
:21:58. > :22:08.run in 60 years. If the experts are to be believed, the trend will
:22:09. > :22:11.continue. That's the feeling inside the French camp. Let's find out how
:22:12. > :22:24.the Wales players are doing ahead of tomorrow night's big game. You happy
:22:25. > :22:28.to be in the starting 15? Obviously, you always want to play for your
:22:29. > :22:32.country. On the bench you do your part but it's nice to get the shirt
:22:33. > :22:39.this week. Everybody seems to be in high spirits. I think you live and
:22:40. > :22:44.die by the sword. I am the first to give a bit of banter out but
:22:45. > :22:49.everyone is in a good mood today. It has been a busy week. It has been
:22:50. > :22:55.quite chilled out and it is nice to be back involved in a test week.
:22:56. > :22:59.And, back in the starting 15. How good is that? I've been given an
:23:00. > :23:05.opportunity and I'm looking forward to playing on Friday and hopefully
:23:06. > :23:08.put in a good performance. It always is extremely tough playing France.
:23:09. > :23:18.I'm sure it will be no different on Saturday. Friday, Surrey. Friday.
:23:19. > :23:21.You better turn up. Don't be late. They can be the best team in the
:23:22. > :23:25.world. You have to hope that they don't click. We will focus on what
:23:26. > :23:33.we need to do and we will focus on Friday. Here we are. Friday night at
:23:34. > :23:39.the Principality Stadium. What would make it a great night? I just love
:23:40. > :23:43.coming to the stadium. I used to love playing under flood nights on
:23:44. > :23:53.the Wednesday night games. You don't see many of those. It will be a
:23:54. > :24:01.unique atmosphere. . It will be a tough game. You will need a tough
:24:02. > :24:06.defence. If you slacken, they will cut you to pieces. Having spoken to
:24:07. > :24:11.Warren earlier in the week, it is evolving that attack in style. You
:24:12. > :24:17.can see they are trying to do that. It is the players lack of execution
:24:18. > :24:23.that is stopping them scoring those tries. If they can do that on
:24:24. > :24:30.Friday, I will be very happy. The other fixture, all eyes an England
:24:31. > :24:35.against Ireland. With England, you can't see how they have played.
:24:36. > :24:43.Against Italy they did what they had to do. It wasn't convincing. Ireland
:24:44. > :24:48.will come all guns blazing. If all the players were fit, I'd expect
:24:49. > :24:54.them to start as favourites but now England start as clear favourites
:24:55. > :25:00.and expectation is on then to win. I would just like them to win. What
:25:01. > :25:08.about Scotland Italy? Italy have improved. They have a couple of good
:25:09. > :25:13.players. You wrote them off at the start of the competition. They are
:25:14. > :25:20.still two from two lost. Three from three? This is the one they think
:25:21. > :25:24.they can win. But I think Scotland have improved a lot better than the
:25:25. > :25:30.Italians. It would be a devastating blow if they were to lose in Italy.
:25:31. > :25:36.Can't help but do it. We are already looking forward to Twickenham. It is
:25:37. > :25:41.a big game and as if results go away I think they will, this weekend, it
:25:42. > :25:56.will be even bigger. All to play for. Score prediction? Wales by
:25:57. > :26:02.nine. Thanks for joining us. That's it from others this week. We are
:26:03. > :26:27.back next week. Until then, have a great week.
:26:28. > :26:30.What happens over the next 72 hours will change us as men.
:26:31. > :26:33.It's Ian, your future brother-in-law.
:26:34. > :26:36.And when we get home, we will say...
:26:37. > :26:38.that this was the stag to end all stags.
:26:39. > :26:46.There's bound to be a lot of banter this weekend.