Ireland the team to beat, says Wales boss Warren Gatland

Warren Gatland has started his mind games ahead of the 2016 Six Nations by installing Joe Schmidt’s Irish side as firm favourites to become the first team to win three titles in a row.

Gatland’s own Welsh side had their dreams of doing the hat-trick blown apart by the Irish at the Aviva Stadium two years ago, when Schmidt’s side won 26-3 on their way to the title.

Wales once again kick-off the tournament in Dublin on Sunday, February 7.

“Ireland are favourites for the whole tournament with the experience they have and the knowledge they have gained in how to win under pressure,” said Gatland.

“One of the things about the Irish is they would like to go into the championship with people writing them off. But they have won the title for the last two years, and you write them off at your peril.

“We saw the turn around with Munster last weekend — after such a disappointing display in Paris, they beat Stade Francais a week later. They won well with that Irish desire they are able to produce.

“We go into this tournament respecting the Irish immensely, particularly with what they have achieved under Joe Schmidt over the last two seasons.

“As they are the defending champions it is going to be a huge challenge for us.

“The first game is massive for us and if we can win in Dublin, it will set us up nicely for the game at home against Scotland. We know how important it is that we start well.”

No team in the 132-year history of the Four, Five and Six Nations has won three successive titles outright. The last time a team got close to three in a row was when the French shared the title with the Scots in 1986, completed the Grand Slam a year later and shared the title with Wales in 1988.

Five times in the last eight years Wales and Ireland have finished as champions and whoever comes out on top at the Aviva Stadium is bound to be fancied to win the title again. After the last World Cup in 2011, Wales came to Dublin and won with a last gasp Leigh Halfpenny penalty on the opening day of the campaign.

Gatland would very much like to get off to a similar start and believes that his team are in good shape after the 2015 World Cup, especially with Jonathan Davies coming back into the fold and with the many injury worries he picked up en route to the quarter-finals now easing.

Hallam Amos, Gareth Anscombe, Corey Allen,and Tyler Morgan are all now fully fit, while Liam Wiliams and Rhys Webb could return during the tournament. He has recalled Cardiff Blues wing Tom James and flanker Josh Turnbull and given the uncapped Scarlets scrum-half Aled Davies a chance to shine.

“We are in a good place at the moment and we have got some players coming back from injury.

“Thirty-one of the players in the squad were involved in the World Cup,” he said.

“We go into this tournament with a lot of confidence and self-belief. We have been traditionally pretty slow starters and we know how important it is that we start well.

“Our whole focus is on Ireland away, which is going to be an incredibly tough game.”

Meanwhile, Vern Cotter has pledged his Scotland side will have a “real go” at backing up their impressive World Cup display by winning the RBS 6 Nations.

The Dark Blues coach made his vow after naming a 35-man squad for the up-coming Six Nations. The Scots were humiliated last year by a five-defeat whitewash but bounced back in encouraging fashion as they marched to the quarter-finals at England 2015, only bowing out after a controversial defeat to Australia.

Cotter is making no promises about just how far his team can go this time round — but the New Zealander does insist they will give everything as they prepare for their opener with England at home on February 6.

He said: “I think it’s important that we believe that we can compete for the title. The World Cup is behind us now and we want to move forward and get better.

“We are going to have a real go.”

Elsewhere, Joe Launchbury wants to be a central figure for Eddie Jones’ England after an injury-interrupted build up to the disappointing World Cup.

The Wasps lock missed the 2015 RBS 6 Nations with a neck injury and returned in May to force his way into the World Cup reckoning.

But Geoff Parling and Courtney Lawes were preferred in the first two games by Stuart Lancaster and Launchbury only belatedly showed his capabilities in a defeat to Australia which saw England exit the tournament.

Launchbury, who last week was named in Jones’ first squad since the Australian succeeded Lancaster, is available for Wasps’ Champions Cup clash with Leinster this weekend and determined to show his worth ahead of the Six Nations-opening clash with Scotland on February 6.

“Over the last year, missing out through injury and then at the World Cup, perhaps not playing as much as I would like...I’m desperate to play for England,” Launchbury said.

“My focus is on trying to win the shirt back.”