Warren Gatland admits there is a wooden spoon heading in his direction unless Wales can stop the rot in their Six Nations campaign by winning in Italy. The 20-10 defeat to England at the Principality Stadium offered little evidence of reasons for Wales fans to be optimistic about the trip to Rome in round four. Gatland’s team were obdurate and determined, but not much more than that, whilst Italy have been showing signs of clear all-round improvement despite their three defeats.

After the strike that never was, the shock result that could be. Coach and rugby analyst Tomas Marks looks at the painful lessons from Murrayfield and believes Wales can benefit from the shake-up that followed. After a turbulent week off the pitch it’s all systems go for Wales against England. The performance against Scotland will have been dissected thoroughly and the main learnings from the match were the failure of the attack, inferior tackle success, and continuing ill discipline.

Warren Gatland used to play mind games in the week of a Wales-England Six Nations game, but he’s probably felt there was enough to be done working on his own head space in the past seven days. Is the game going to be on? Or are my players about to go on strike? What kind of mental stage is my captain in after spending a week of brinkmanship with our employers? Or even, why did I sign up again for this mess?

Gareth Thomas insists Wales will go at England with “all guns blazing” on Saturday despite shooting themselves in the foot in an extraordinary build-up to their Six nations clash. The Ospreys prop admits he has never been involved in preparation as badly focused as the lead in to what is always the biggest game in the Welsh calendar. There was only one topic of conversation in the team room, at meal times and with roommates in the hotel and it was not how England’s pack was set-up for a defensive line-out near their own 22.

Ryan Woodman will have a small army of fans cheering him against England on Friday night – most of whom are English. The Wales U20s captain is from purest red rose stock, with his parents and grandparents hailing from the other side of the border. In fact, his father Kirk used to sit and watch Six Nations matches on TV, wearing a white shirt and urging the sweet chariot onwards.

Wales boss Warren Gatland believes England might have preferred a closed Principality Stadium roof for Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations encounter had they “done their homework”. England want the roof open, and while Wales have normally preferred it closed to help keep crowd noise in, Six Nations rules dictate both teams must agree on a closed roof for that to happen. Wales exclusively make the roof call for autumn international fixtures and other games, but not in the Six Nations, so it will be open this weekend.

He tried, but Wales captain Ken Owens could barely conceal his anger, frustration and no little contempt for the Welsh Rugby Union as he co-hosted the peace conference outside the Vale Hotel. With a voice that sounded painfully hoarse from too much painful negotiating, Owens joined acting WRU chief executive Nigel Walker in announcing that a deal with the players had been struck so that Saturday’s Six Nations match against England in Cardiff could go ahead.

Warren Gatland has admitted he was in the dark over the mood of militancy among the Wales squad before he returned as head coach. The New Zealander delayed the announcement of his team to face England on Saturday, having originally planned to name his side on Tuesday afternoon. The Six Nations clash against Wales’ biggest rivals would have been one of the major matches he had in mind when Gatland decided to return for his second stint in charge back in December.

Wales is due to host fierce Guinness Six Nations rivals England next week – but the build-up has been engulfed by a possibility of player strike action. Contract chaos is currently centre stage in Welsh rugby, with many players – general estimates are between 70 and 100 – whose current deals expire at the end of this season have not yet received offers with their regional teams.

Angry Wales players will decide on Wednesday whether to intensify their £10m poker game with their bosses and call a strike before next week’s Six Nations clash against England. But Wales coach Warren Gatland insists he is confident the players can be convinced to keep their boots on. The New Zealander reckons a deal can be struck between his squad and the Welsh Rugby Union to avert a disastrous no-show at the Principality Stadium that would cost the Union around £10m.

Rhodri Williams has backed Dai Flanagan’s warts-and-all truthfulness as the Dragons bid to get their season back on track.  Scrum-half Williams reckons it is a time for honesty at Rodney Parade after six straight defeats in the United Rugby Championship, dating back to November. The resolve of a team going through tough times will be tested to its utmost on Saturday night, when the Dragons are in Dublin to face mighty, unbeaten, 13 straight wins URC leaders Leinster in a match that is live on S4C. 

Alun Wyn Jones has laid the blame for the Wales players’ strike threat firmly at the door of the Welsh Rugby Union. he world’s most capped rugby player and former Wales captain says the possibility of player strike action is “hard to deny” as elsh rugby finds itself gripped by a professional contracts freeze. Ultimately, if you treat people badly for long enough, you get to where we find ourselves,” said the 37-year-old Ospreys forward.

The Welsh Rugby Union and the Welsh regions have said there is “no room for manoeuvre” on the budget for player contracts in Wales despite the threat of strike action putting next week’s Six Nations fixture against England in jeopardy. Nigel Walker, the WRU’s interim chief executive, met with senior Wales players on Wednesday in an attempt to soothe relations after it emerged strike action was being considered over the contract renewals, with a meeting soon to take place between the Welsh Rugby Players Association and players.

Toby Booth, the English coach caught up in a very bloody Welsh rugby civil war, says he “would completely understand” if his Ospreys players went on strike. The top region in Wales last year, and conquerors of the French and English champions in the Heineken Champions Cup this season, the Ospreys have 14 players in the current Welsh Six Nations squad. A proposed meeting of the Welsh Rugby Players’ Association (WRPA) prior to the third-round clash between Wales and England is due to determine whether or not strike action is on the table.

Welsh rugby players have been priced at 9/2 to go on strike before their Six Nations clash at home to England. Leading Welsh bookmaker DragonBet make the chances of players downing boots in protest over contract delays and planned wage cuts an outside bet. They make the February 25 showdown at the Principality Stadium 1/6 to go ahead as planned.

The upcoming Six Nations game between Wales and England could be in doubt as Welsh rugby players threaten to go on strike over contractual concerns. Talks between the Welsh Rugby Union and the country’s four regions over a new budgetary deal have been ongoing, but nothing has been agreed upon yet, leaving players uncertain about their futures. According to the Daily Mail, professional players in Wales plan to meet soon, with striking an option that will be put on the table.

Ken Owens has told his Wales teammates to get their hard hats on and get ready for plenty more flak after the opening Six Nations hammerings to Ireland and Scotland. The Wales captain has warned the squad to prepare for “incoming grenades” ahead of the game against England in round three of the Six Nations. Owens is expecting plenty more criticism in the wake of the worst result against Scotland in the 140-year history of the fixture – a 35-7 defeat.

Warren Gatland has called on beleaguered Wales to show their mettle as they bid to snap out of the rut which has seen them crash to heavy defeats in their opening two Guinness Six Nations matches. The head coach admitted his team appear to be short of confidence after they followed up their 34-10 loss at home to Ireland with a 35-7 blitzing away to Scotland on Saturday. Gatland conceded Wales face a test of character over the next fortnight as they attempt to spark an upturn in their next match against England in Cardiff.

Llien Morgan had a tough call to make between rugby and athletics – until the Ospreys and Welsh sprinting sensation Jeremiah Azu helped make up his mind. Morgan – the quicksilver Wales U20s wing – will bid to add to his two tries against Ireland last week when he faces Scotland U20s at Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow on Friday night, in a match that is live on S4C. But had he taken a different path as recently as last summer, then Morgan might have pursued an athletics career on the track rather than one with a ball under his arm for Wales.

Warren Gatland has suggested his young blood policy is only half complete with Wales youngsters Mason Grady and Keiran Williams waiting in the wings. The Wales coach left experienced trio Alun Wyn Jones, Taulupe Faletau and Justin Tipuric out of Wales’ starting line-up for Saturday’s Six Nations clash against Scotland. Now, the New Zealander has revealed he is keeping close tabs on Ospreys centre Williams and Cardiff centre Grady with a view to promoting them in the way he has with Dafydd Jenkins, Christ Tshiunza and Tommy Reffell.