Warren Gatland has revealed a piece of pre-match motivation from Prince William ahead of perhaps Wales' most famous win over old enemy England.
Wales' dramatic 28-25 World Cup victory over England at Twickenham in 2015 has gone into rugby folklore after Gareth Davies' try near the end and Dan Biggar's penalty secured an unforgettable victory.
The result meant Gatland's team would go on to grab second spot in the group, and England would not qualify for the knockout stages of their own World Cup.
Of course, Wales' players never need motivation when it comes to facing the old enemy. But on this occasion they were given an extra fillip from an unlikely source in the dressing room just before kick-off.
Gatland revealed the story on The Good, The Bad, The Rugby podcast, explaining how Prince William told the players that he wanted to get one over his brother, Prince Harry (you can watch the full episode here).
"Prince William had come to do the jersey presentation before the game and he said 'boys, can you do me a favour and beat England because it'll keep my brother a bit quieter afterwards!'" explained Gatland.
Prince William was made royal patron of the Welsh Rugby Union in 2016 and has been involved as vice patron since 2007. He is well-known for handing out the match day jerseys to Wales players before games.
Prince Harry was patron of England Rugby between 2016 and 2022, and like Prince William is an avid rugby fan, having celebrated with the England team after their 2003 World Cup triumph.
Gatland says he holds that iconic 2015 Twickenham victory dearest during his time as head coach of the men's national side.
"I think the most emotional was the 2015 game against England, there was a lot of pressure obviously to get out of that pool, it was the pool of death with Australia and England in it," he said. "I try not to show a lot of emotion after games but we were jumping up and down!"
The match was also responsible for producing a brilliant photo where Harry and William wore England and Wales tops respectively. Harry even gave the side eye while the WRU patron cheered on Wales at one point. Speaking to ITV about that moment, Harry explained the look was "just for a laugh".
However, the stakes that night were enormous. It's no surprise Gatland chose that game as his number one.
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