Gatland on a mission to avoid whitewash

Nations WALES are on their worst run in the Six since the year Warren Gatland was first summoned from New Zealand to put puff back into the dragon.

- PAUL REES

They have lost 10 of their last 11 fixtures in the championship and have not beaten today's opponents at the Principality Stadium, France, since 2019, the last year of Gatland's first stint as head coach. Back in 2007, before failure in the World Cup prompted the call for Gatland, they had won two in 10, with neither victory coming against Italy A fifth successive defeat to France would leave Wales needing to beat Italy in Cardiff on Saturday to avoid a first whitewash in 21 years.

Gatland has made five changes from the side that lost to Ireland in Dublin in a selection that looks designed for a France team that since being eliminated early from the World Cup they hosted last year have gone for raw-boned power and ditched finesse.

It got them nowhere against Ireland in Marseille, earned them a late and fortunate victory in Scotland and restricted them to a draw against Italy in Lille when the ball falling off the tee as Paolo Garbisi was lining up a penalty to win the match in the final minute denied the Azzurri an historic victory.

Ryan Elias, right, replaces Elliot Dee at hooker and if it sacrifices lineout accuracy for muscle and bustle, Gatland has gone for three-second rows. Will Rowlands starts in the boilerhouse with Adam Beard and skipper Dafydd Jenkins moves to blindside flanker in place of the benched Alex Mann.