Warren Gatland believes the players selected would have been the target of severe criticism if he had named his Wales side to face England on Tuesday as originally planned.
Wales' Six Nations clash will go ahead as scheduled on Saturday after a potential player strike was successfully averted on Wednesday. Gatland unveiled his team on Thursday, making nine changes in a bid to secure Wales' first win of the tournament.
Gatland had originally planned to name his matchday 23 on Tuesday but postponed it on the day, and has now revealed that players had requested he delay it to protect them.
