Few coaches have assumed squatting rights beneath Irish rugby skins over the last decade quite as often as Warren Gatland.
Ultimately, it's down to results. He has a terrific record against his erstwhile employers and more pertinently Joe Schmidt: the current Irish head coach has only beaten Gatland once in the Six Nations.
Welsh fly-half Rhys Priesltand, who is absent from this year's Six Nations through injury, agrees with Balls' assertion that Gatland takes most satisfaction from beating Ireland, ahead of his other Six Nations rivals.
Yeah, I’d say so. He’s coached over here, and he’s had to deal with quite a bit when he dropped O’Driscoll and things like that so yeah, he probably remembers all of that.
Few thrive on ire quite as successfully as Gatland, and in Ireland he has a country and opponent doling it out generously. The reaction to the dropping of O'Driscoll in 2013 bordered on hysterical, while his glib (and since retracted) claim that the Welsh players "disliked" the Irish players more than any other rivals stoked fury, too.
There lingers another slight for Gatland to seize upon this weekend. In the muted months after the Lions tour, before the season kicked off in anger, Sean O'Brien's honest appraisal of the Lions tour cut ice on both sides of the Irish Sea. O'Brien criticised Gatland's scheduling a triple-session ahead of the first Test against the All Blacks and also asked questions of attacking coach Rob Howley, claiming that the attacking plan was driven by Owen Farrell and Johnny Sexton rather than the man who was given the remit.
Gatland said that he was disappointed with how O'Brien aired his views, and after a delay, the pair mended differences somewhat over the phone.
Priestland is unsure as to how relevant that dispute will be ahead of Saturday's game. "I don’t know. There was a bit made of it at the time; we’re not hidden under rocks so we know what’s being said out there. I’m not too sure what’s been going on in the camp".
That said, he doesn't play down the rivalry between Ireland and Wales.
There’s always a bit more motivation with this game, with the Lions connection and they play eachother so many times in the Pro14, the rivalry is continued throughout the year. I’m not too sure how much will be made of those comments, but everyone will be fired up for this game.
From a Welsh rugby perspective, the regions haven’t done that well over the years, while we’ve seen the Irish regions get success year after year. That can be frustrating, and there is some envy of the club game over here. On the international stage, Wales have won quite a few Grand Slams and championships over the last ten years, so maybe that’s got something to do with it, but I’m not too sure.
Irish international Rhys Ruddock, sitting beside Priestland, chimes in by adding "I don’t actually mind the Welsh, I don’t know what you’re on about".
Another footnote of this Celtic rivalry will be on display in the Ruddock household on Saturday. Rhys' father Mike coached Wales to a Grand Slam in 2005 before coaching the Ireland under-20s.
There usually are [split loyalties in the house] at this time of the year. I’d say my Dad might be cheering for Wales and Mum will be cheering for Ireland. There is usually a bit of crack in the house around that game.
I personally won’t be going to the game, but hopefully we’ll watch it together as a family.
Away from the Gatland connection, what concerns Ruddock most ahead of Saturday? "The mindset they’ll be in having lost their last game. The pressure is on us playing at home, and as Rhys says, we’re matched up well and it’s always a close game. They will be a dangerous animal this weekend.
That mindset is of a side wounded in departments other than confidence, as Preistland explains.
They played well against Scotland, and will be frustrated they didn’t get more out of the England game. They played well. I spoke with a few of the lads beforehand and they said they were going to win. I was a bit dubious because that England team is a well-oiled machine at the moment, but they are full of confidence.
They have taken a lot from how the Scarlets are playing; they are throwing the ball about and showing no fear. It was a try [the wrongly-disallowed try that went against Wales in Twickenham], but I didn’t realise as I was watching from the stand.
What could have been, but they won’t dwell on that. They got a bonus point out of that game, so it makes things more interesting.
Rhys Ruddock and Rhys Priestland were speaking to Balls to launch the new Tackle Your Feelings app. The App aims to encourage users to be proactive about their mental wellbeing using sports psychology and positive psychology principles. It encourages users to prioritise their mental wellbeing in the same way as their nutrition and taking exercise, instead of waiting for a problem to manifest before taking action. The app is available free to download through the Apple and Play App stores. For more details, visit tackleyourfeelings.com.
