Warren Gatland: Improved defences a challenge for coaches as Six Nations countdown begins

Defence wins championship, so the saying goes, and Warren Gatland picked out Ireland's defeat to New Zealand as a perfect example of how far that side of the game decides outcomes.

Andy Farrell’s side lost a World Cup quarter-final 28-24 with the All Blacks soaking up over 30 phases without giving away a penalty as Ireland pushed for a late try.

The Wales boss, who sat in on his 17th Six Nations launch in Dublin on Monday, was asked how much effect the manner of South Africa’s second World Cup victory in a row last October would have on the game.

Gatland, who was in charge of Ireland between 1998 and 2001, said: "Probably one of the biggest things I’ve noticed is that, from an attacking perspective, is really how good defences are.

"I mean, defences are able to adapt and change pretty quickly, because you see the pictures and then you practice it.

"If you look at the All Blacks against Ireland in the World Cup and [Ireland] went through all those phases and you look at the way the All Blacks defended.

"They defended by holding their zones very much. Ireland played a lot of short passes and out the back.

"By doing that, you’re trying to get someone to step in or come out of the line, and that for a couple of years has been pretty successful, and that’s where teams have been able to create space.

"From the All Blacks, and you’re seeing that at the moment, teams defensively are doing a pretty good job in not getting caught out by those sorts of plays and so it becomes another challenge for us as coaches.

"What’s the next thing? How do we show different pictures to catch other teams, to make mistakes defensively?

"And that’s the way the game is continuing to evolve. So that’s probably from a defensive point of view one of the biggest