Wales boss Warren Gatland gives injury update on Taulupe Faletau ahead of Six Nations – after he was absent from the team to face France

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Wales boss Warren Gatland gives injury update on Taulupe Faletau ahead of Six Nations – after he was absent from the team to face France


  • Wales are 12/1 outsiders to go to Paris and upset France after a torrid run of form
  • They were winless in 2024 and have lost 12 Test matches consecutively 

Wales head coach Warren Gatland is hopeful experienced No 8 Taulupe Faletau will be fit for the second round of the Six Nations after he was absent from the team to face France.

On the back of a winless 2024 and a run of 12 straight Test defeats, Gatland’s men open up the 2025 Championship against Les Bleus in Paris on Friday night.

Gatland confirmed the return of Lions backs Liam Williams and Josh Adams to his side on Wednesday, but No 8 Faletau wasn’t named due to a knee injury.

‘He’s just not quite ready,’ Gatland said of the forward, who has been no stranger to fitness issues since the 2023 World Cup and hasn’t played international rugby since that tournament. ‘He made the call on Tuesday to say he’s got to put the team first. He’s not 100 per cent. He’s still part of the squad and he’ll still come with us (to France).

‘We’re hoping he’ll be right for Italy.’

Wales boss Warren Gatland gives injury update on Taulupe Faletau ahead of Six Nations – after he was absent from the team to face France

Taulupe Faletau will hopefully be involved in Wales’ second Six Nations game against Italy

Warren Gatland is looking to reverse a run of 12 consecutive Test defeats with the Dragons

Warren Gatland is looking to reverse a run of 12 consecutive Test defeats with the Dragons

With 104 Wales caps to his name, the 34-year-old Faletau is the most experienced member of Gatland’s 35-man squad for the Championship.

Although it has been nearly 18 months since he last played an international – and his rugby involvement with club side Cardiff in that time has also been minimal – Faletau remains one of the first names on the Wales team sheet if fit. The problem is, he hasn’t been.

Aaron Wainwright was confirmed on Wednesday as the man to again fill in for Faletau against France in an XV which will see first Wales starts for novice hooker Evan Lloyd and the former England prop Henry Thomas. Ben Thomas has been picked in the crucial fly-half position.

Wales are 12/1 outsiders to beat France on home soil. The success of this Six Nations for Gatland’s men will be based on their round two clash with Italy in Rome, which is why Wales will be desperate for Faletau to play at the Stadio Olimpico a week on Saturday.

Gatland believes Wales’ preparation for France has been spot on and he has told his team to relish their underdog position.

‘We haven’t spoken about the negativity. The things I do is try and create a little bit of siege mentality where you build that up in your own environment,’ the New Zealander said.

‘You try and not take too much note of the stuff that’s going on outside that. The players have been good. The preparation has been outstanding.

‘We’re well aware of the task. We want to go out there and play some good rugby. We want to go out there and do some things that potentially France aren’t going to expect us to do. ‘We’ve talked about being really positive in terms of the way we play and to see that there’s opportunities to attack them as well.

He confirmed that Liam Williams and Josh Adams have returned to the side ahead of Friday

He confirmed that Liam Williams and Josh Adams have returned to the side ahead of Friday

Wales are 12/1 to go to France and win, given their abysmal run of form, but Gatland hopes to use the 'siege mentality' to their advantage

Wales are 12/1 to go to France and win, given their abysmal run of form, but Gatland hopes to use the ‘siege mentality’ to their advantage

‘We know how good they are as a side, but if we’re accurate and we’re disciplined then we’ve got a good chance to be in that game. I’m excited.

‘We’ve spoken about the fact that ironically, there is probably more pressure and expectation on them. There is expectation from their fans.

‘They expect their team to throw the ball around and score tries.

‘From my experience, teams can try a bit too much early on and throw the ball around and that gives you opportunities.’

France are without key backs Gael Fickou and Damian Penaud and forwards Thibaud Flament and Charles Ollivon for Wales, but their strength in depth is enviable. Their team is led by mercurial scrum-half Antoine Dupont, who is back alongside No 10 Romain Ntamack.



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