Wales head coach Warren Gatland has addressed injuries to No 8 Aaron Wainwright and centre Owen Watkin following Friday’s 43-0 thrashing by France.
Wainwright suffered a head injury, while Watkin is feared to have sustained serious knee ligament damage. “They are not looking great,” Gatland said post-match.
“Owen is in a brace with his knee, and it looks like it could be an ACL, and Aaron needs another HIA and has quite a nasty gash in his face.”
The Welsh’s record Six Nations defeat to France was their 13th consecutive Test loss under Gatland, their worst-ever run. It was also the first time in the tournament’s history that they failed to score a point.
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With a clash against Italy in Rome next week, Gatland stressed the importance of breaking the losing streak. “It is an important game for Wales. It is not about where it ranks for me,” he said.
“We can’t hide away from that. We need to get the monkey off our back. The players have worked hard over the last couple of weeks, and they are aware of how important next week is.”
Wales travel to Nice for a training camp before the Stadio Olimpico showdown. “That is going to be important for this group, working closely and continuing to make improvements,” Gatland added.
“We need to make sure we are smart in terms of the way we play to get that win next week in Rome.”
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