Mike Catt and Warren Gatland

Warren Gatland: We ll make a last check on the forecast, said the England coach, but if the current prediction of fair weather holds, we ll ask for the roof to be opened. If it s going to be dry, why would you need a roof? As tournament rules dictate that a closure can happen only if both coaches agree to it, Gatland has no choice but to dig out his winter coat, according to The Independent. Mike Catt warned the England players two years ago about the crowd noise and was proved right Getty Hence the decision to install speakers around the red-rose training base in Surrey and batter the players ears with deafening renditions of Hymns and Arias , the old Max Boyce song that has long been hollered from on high in support of the Wales team. If it was not quite the quintessential sound of the Warren Gatland, the Wales coach, had set the tone for the build-up by daring England to meet the challenge of playing indoors on Friday night. It was a mischievous remark, made more in hope than expectation: no one present at the game two years ago, least of all Gatland, could forget the noise and hostility generated by the capacity crowd, the effect of which was dramatically heightened by the umpteen tons of concrete covering the venue. Unfortunately for the Welsh party, Stuart Lancaster is the last person to suffer memory failure. With the possible exception of Ellis Park in Johannesburg, which can be really scary when the Springboks and their supporters are in full cry simultaneously, the Millennium Stadium has a greater effect on a game of Test rugby than any venue in the sport. Its city-centre location dictated the design the architects had to go up rather than out, due to restricted space and as a consequence, the noise levels would make Deep Purple sound timid. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.