Gatland praises Welsh heart after comeback win

By Mitch Phillips

LONDON (Reuters) - New Wales coach Warren Gatland said his team's first win at Twickenham since 1988 was down to the heart and belief they showed when it looked as if they were going to be swept away.

England led 16-6 at halftime and 19-6 with 22 minutes to go but a Welsh storm turned the game on its head for a 26-19 win and the World Cup finalists ended up looking second-best to the team knocked out of that competition in the group phase by Fiji.

"The message to the players at the end of the first half was just to hang in there and show a bit of character," the New Zealander said after his first game in charge.

"The pleasing thing was that we played smart and the longer the game went on, the stronger we got, which was very surprising."

Gatland said it was too early to draw anything meaningful from the performance but was buoyed by what lies ahead.

"It doesn't happen overnight, physically or technically but we showed a few things in the second half," he said.

"The potential and raw material for this team is there and this was certainly a monkey off the guys' back and should give us back a bit of self-belief.

"Rugby is not just about the tactics but what's in the head and heart. These guys showed a lot of guts, they dug deep and had to really earn everything in the second half. They were under pressure but came out and never gave in."