Gatland lays down challenge to his stars

WARREN GATLAND spent the first part of his tenure as Wales coach trying to build morale.

Mission accomplished, he now has to keep his side grounded in reality as they pursue back-to-back RBS Six Nations Grand Slam titles, but Gatland also believes reality and ambition can go hand in glove.

In advance of this weekend’s Championship opener against Scotland at Murrayfield, the coach said: “It is a potential banana skin, and a game we could easily lose. But we’re excited about going there, whether it’s right or wrong, we’re down as favourites, and we have to treat that as a positive, embrace it and react positively to it.”