WALES coach Warren Gatland has confessed he does not know what kind of game England will play against Wales and he believes continuing uncertainty over the future of coach Brian Ashton will not help their cause.

"I'm not quite sure what game England are going to play, whether it's pre-World Cup or take a bit more risk and be more expansive.

It's difficult because Brian has been given only one year, so does that indicate the type of game they're going to play? I'm not sure.

"It must be hard for Brian after they offered him only 12 months. They get to the World Cup final and all they offer him is a one year contract.

"So can he pick the players he wants or is it a balance because he's worried about the result?

"England's failure in the Six Nations the past few years is partly down to the politics. It's been a period of transition and change, but with their playing base and finishing power they have got it wrong for the past four years.

"But it's made a huge difference for us to get two teams in the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup. The Ospreys against Gloucester a couple of weeks ago was as good a performance as I've seen from a Welsh region.

"A lot of Wales players stood up, so they should have plenty of confidence and self belief, and I'm looking forward to doing well in the Six Nations.

"We've got to make sure the basics are right, we compete in the scrums and line-outs and get the contact area right. There are some talented players in the team, but we've got to get the balance right, you can't play rugby from side to side."