There had been injury worries over Taulupe Faletau, Dafydd Jenkins, Gareth Anscombe and co-captain Dewi Lake in the build-up to the tournament, but everyone is in contention for the crucial Pool C opener against Fiji in Bordeaux on Sunday.
“Everyone is fit. We have had a few niggles in the last couple of weeks and there were a few players who couldn’t take a full part because of a few bumps, but they have all been re-habbed and they are fit – it’s a positive place for us to be in,” said Gatland.
“There has been a lot of chat about our group. It is about taking one game at a time and being ready to go on Sunday.
“Getting a good start always helps to have a good tournament and we’re not thinking past Sunday. We want to put ourselves in contention for the quarter finals and then take it from there.
“We’ve worked incredibly hard over the last few months and we’ve been preparing well for Fiji. We’ve had some good clarity in what we want to achieve, we’ve had a good look at them, and the players look sharp.”
The Fijians have come into the tournament on the back of five warm-up games. They won the Pacific Rim tournament, beating Tonga, Samoa and Japan, gave France a few scares in Paris and then beat England at Twickenham.
Australia and Georgia kick-off the Pool C fixtures in Paris on Saturday night, while minnows Portugal, who have qualified for the first time in 16 years, are sitting out the opening round before they face Wales in Nice next week.
“I think we are in a good place, the boys are happy and it is a great environment to be in with players getting on with each other. We are trying to get a balance between the hard work and having a few laughs,” said Gatland.
“The boys have formed some committees, all the players did their own personal presentations to the group, which were fantastic. Then we have joke of the day and thought for the day, and some video stuff to lighten the mood at the start of team meetings. That has been really positive.
“When they switch off it about enjoying each other’s company and enjoying being in France. We’re really happy with how things have been since we arrived and they are enjoying soaking up the atmosphere.”
