Mike Ruddock Quotations

No doubt Gavin has a case to answer, but I am not sure if the length of ban is spot-on.

I have explained my position and given my personal views in my own words, which I hope has been useful to the board and avoids further unnecessary speculation or any false impressions, which could undermine my personal position or that of the board.

The plan is to make a number of changes for Fiji,

Mike was a vital member of our squad during the Six Nations last season, when Gareth Cooper was out injured,

Scott is a great coach who is hugely valued here and we would like him to stay with the Welsh team. He is aware of that.

Scotland come to us on the back of a big win against France and now they've tasted success they'll be hungry for more.

From a Dragons point of view, it's bad news. They've had a multitude of injuries and they have a small squad anyway. I feel for Paul and the Dragons and I hope they can find a way of covering the losses.

We're optimistic Gavin can come in. He is a class player.

I accept this on behalf of the entire Welsh team and management - it's not about me but is a reflection of the success the team enjoyed last season.

Hopefully this new role will free him up from off-the-field duties to do what he does best -- play international rugby at the very highest of standards.

There is every chance Evans will be added to the squad once he has served his suspension. Henson has played less rugby and he needs to prove himself in his potential outing for the Ospreys on Feb. 17, but the door is certainly open for him to also make a return.

There is every chance Ian will be added to the squad.

Matthew has shown when he comes onto the field he has pace and great footwork. I think he deserves his opportunity.

Our passing, tackling, lineout and tackle area play all need to be improved,

I will be interested to see whether the Ospreys appeal the citing decision. I think they should certainly consider it very strongly.

I will be ready to face New Zealand.

It is disappointing news for Wales, for the Ospreys and for Gavin himself. My first reaction was that it seemed a very long period of time to be out of the game given the circumstances.

I think that in the first 20 minutes we looked like a side who hadn't been together for long, that period was decisive but we showed a lot of skill and character to come back.

Our first aim is to recreate that form from last season, next we aim to defend our title successfully and lastly we are aware that we must build momentum for the World Cup.

I think he's right. We had very close games against South Africa and New Zealand but both have improved. Daniel Carter was a novice when we played against him and look at him now.

We are incredibly disappointed that Sonny has decided to step down from the international stage and made every effort to dissuade him from doing so.

We have an agreement with the regions that a week prior to a Test the Welsh-based players in our starting XV stand down for their region.

We have a lot of injuries but I still think we play some pretty sexy rugby.

There is a lot of firepower to come back next week and we will look at the areas we need to improve on,

There are five enforced changes in selection, but it is possible we could have made many of these changes in personnel anyway,

We've been impressed by his performances at regional level and over the last couple of months he has come on in leaps and bounds.

We hope to give him a good send-off by achieving some good results in the autumn internationals, ... The Welsh camp wish him and his family all the best in his new life. David Moffett has done a remarkable job in helping transform Welsh rugby at a difficult time and has left a lasting legacy.

With 12 players away we saw what players can do. It may not have been the toughest competition but the team did develop real cohesion and that will be important during the autumn series.

We kept the ball away from contact and scored some great tries

To be quite honest, it was the best time to play them last season. They might view us in the same light this year having lost a few of our players. We're in a similar position to them last year, but I'd hopefully like to think that we can still perform and get the result that we want at Twickenham.

We were always going to, but just couldn't find a pen in the WRU that worked. Moffett ran off with all the good ones.

We respect New Zealand hugely. They are a great team, they've got great players. They are superbly coached and they've got a great record.

We've got the players, we believe, if they put their game together can do very well in Paris,

The scrum is a big weapon and it got us back in the match,

The same 15 players have a chance to dispel the demons of that loss and show what they are really capable of. The players we have at our disposal are capable of great things and we are maintaining our high standards of preparation in order to ensure that great things are achieved.

With reference to questions of player power, if there were disaffected players I will raise the issue of any support structure that should have been in place to deal immediately and appropriately with the matter.

We're trying to get clarity on this and hope to reach a resolution in a few weeks.

We've had a tendency to hit a couple of flat spots in the games against England and Italy, ... We've got away with it so far, but against a side like France we could be in trouble.

Brent's injury is a bad one and he could be out for a very long time, so we're thinking about him,

We are going to have a very positive attitude like we did last year. Let's hope the teething problems are gone and we can play some exciting rugby.

We did a lot of things better than we did (in the 41-3 loss to new Zealand) last week,

Ryan is not looking great for the New Zealand game,

Our shape was there but our accuracy let us down,

England are lying in wait for us and we will build towards that game through our performances in the autumn. This is not a team that is breaking up. I think we can improve.

England have obviously gone a different route because they have a tremendous physical team. With Wales we couldn't do the same sort of thing so we reacted differently. I guess it was the input of so many foreign heads. They imported a sort of Super 12 philosophy.

England have stated this is a massive game for them, their biggest since the World Cup final. Perhaps that puts them under a bit more pressure now to deliver.

In confirming the appointment of Gareth it has become increasingly evident that the job of Welsh captain is a highly prized and highly sought-after role,

I know we can play some good rugby, I know we can be very proud when we're on the field, but I was also pleased to see us persevere. I think that's the thing we're going to need in the Six Nations at times, particularly in light of a couple of injuries.

I have noted that for use of the elbow there have been two or three different sentences. That is something that needs to be considered.

I'm gutted he's out for the Six Nations but more gutted for Kevin.

Once he has completed the launch of his book he should focus totally on overcoming his injury and regaining his full fitness and form and continue to prove he is a fine individual player and a fine team player.

The offence did not merit a red card and it was very harsh on Dafydd. We will have to wait until his hearing before deciding whether he will be in the 22 on Saturday.

It's great to see Mark Jones in the squad after two very serious knee operations. He is a recognized finisher, try-scorer and line-breaker and you have to be impressed by his determination to get himself back on the field after such serious injuries.

It's in my interest to protect the group as best I can. That's the mindset down in Wales, and all the more so given the injuries we've had. So the players will be withdrawn from games this weekend. That's to give us the best possible chance.

It will be hard to defend the title but you have to aim high.

In terms of the changes, obviously it does create minor difficulties trying to develop new units. But a lot of guys had game time in the autumn, so I'm hoping some of those teething are out of the way and we can really move our game on and play some exciting rugby.

Chris and Lee both joined us this week and have settled in well,

I didn't tell them anything at half-time because those players have stared down the barrel of a gun before.

Hopefully we will be near to full strength and be there or thereabouts again,

It's an element of the modern game that is under-used, but - as England also showed against Australia - if you've got a formidable set piece you have to use it.

It's comforting to know that we have a replacement of the quality of Nicky.

It was pleasing to get that total performance, we're now a team who can win dirty if necessary,

The injuries mean somebody else will be given an opportunity,

These guys will come in for a day or so and then we could release them back to their regions. But if we get injuries further down the track, then they are up to speed with what we've done.

It's one mighty challenge to take on the All Blacks, particularly given our record over the last 50 years, but we have to aim high,

As well as the players with ankle problems there's also a few soft-tissue injuries to calves, thighs and the like, so we're hoping they settle down before we pick the team for next weekend.

It's a very big workload, but I'm hoping that greater exposure will benefit the players, ... The level of competition is exciting. I think we're all going to be riding a rollercoaster. In the Super 12 and the Tri-Nations the southern-hemisphere teams have raised the bar. We'll know more after the autumn.

We might have surprised a few sides last year,

We expected a struggle to get our game together after so little preparation, but didn't expect that,

It was interesting to hear Gareth confirm that the players raised my name in a meeting with Steve Lewis. I would like to find out more on what that was about. I will use the opportunity during my meeting with the directors to answer any questions they may have and I will raise the issue of why it was that we went into the Six Nations without having in place contracts for any of the three coaches involved in the grand slam.

It's been a difficult but exciting selection so early into the season,

It's been amazing today. We are in amongst the big guns at last.

There were lots of good performances, particularly up front, while Matthew Watkins looked sharp in the centre and full-back Lee Byrne did a couple of special things, so there were a lot of positives,

I believe he has a lot of ground to make up with them and other people who have supported him during the period of his career that he has spoken about,

I can confirm I resigned. It is for family reasons. I would like to thank the Welsh public, players and fans for all their support during my time as coach. It has been an incredible time.