Wales coach Warren Gatland aiming to 'derail' Ireland in Cardiff clash
Gatland jokes Wales are happy to 'forfeit' their No 1 world ranking after criticism from Agustin Pichot
Friday 30 August 2019 06:28, UK
Warren Gatland says Wales will be looking to "derail" Ireland when they meet in their World Cup warm-up in Cardiff on Saturday.
Ireland will travel to the Principality Stadium for their penultimate warm-up match on the back of a record 57-15 defeat to England at Twickenham.
Joe Schmidt's side were also comfortably beaten by Wales on their previous visit to Cardiff in this year's Six Nations, and Gatland admits he is looking to pile more problems onto his opposite number.
He said: "I was surprised by the Ireland result [against England].
"They are under an enormous amount of pressure back home with a lot of criticism, given that they haven't progressed in World Cups further than they probably would have expected.
"There are a lot of doubts in the coaches' minds about who their best players are - some of their players are getting a bit older. Is it a time to put some of the youngsters in? It's a massive game for Ireland that will answer a lot of questions.
"That's why I'm excited. It is a challenge for us. This is professional sport, and we can put a massive dent in their confidence and derail them a little bit."
Wales will retain their world-number-one ranking if they defeat Ireland on Saturday, but World Rugby vice-chairman Agustin Pichot has called for changes to be made to the ranking system.
The former Argentina scrum-half used the example of Wales usurping New Zealand at the top of the rankings, despite not beating them since 1953, as a reason for reform.
Losing their status as the world's best team would not concern Gatland, though, who joked: "I'm quite happy to decline the position. We, from now, will forfeit our position!
"We didn't go in and apply for it! If he (Pichot) is not happy, then take it off us! It doesn't bother us. We officially decline the position - thanks very much!"
