Just ring him for goodness sake....

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Honestly reading this it's just like me and the wife have had a barney and neither wants to say sorry first. Pathetic really.


http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/rugby-union/31909394

This is market making by the press, simple as that. They will keep goading Gats on it, and then they will goad AJ when he finally makes a comment. In doing so they create some cheap banners and keep us all on tenterhooks, accusing Gats of arrogance and AJ of misplaced pride.

Its a non event for the time being, while the 6 Nations are on it will provide a sideshow and then just maybe, if gate hasn't pi55ed off AJ too much with comments about going on bended knee, they may speak and come to an agreement re RWC.

But, the real point is AJ IS NOT THE SOLUTION.Even if the press want the story an the drama, for the sake of Welsh rugby lets all move along.

He is a fat old school prop who leans on rucks and half tackles. Never carries and offers nothing but his scrummaging in a sport where scrummaging has been destroyed.

I would have thought that being an ex-front rower himself, a 'bended knee' would be the last thing Gatland would want from his prop.

Gatland's comments are either:
1. Media inept - he didn't realise how they would be perceived by Myfanwy from Bridgend, who likes a cuddly hair bear and spends all her days on facebook
or
2. Player management inept - they imply that he hasn't had a sensible conversation with AJ before he dropped him and what that would mean for both of them. It is really not beyond the wit of most men to know that injuries happen in rugby and good coaches will plan for them. Talking about a "different conversation" implies that Gatty has a half open door of uncertainty where he has neither planned for the injury nor thought about the cover.

Gatland has many good traits but media savviness is not one of them, he really should have kept his mouth shut, rather than open it and reinforce that yet again.