Wales not intimidated by 'fortress' Twickenham ahead of England clash
As with most historical sporting statistics, a case could be made for either argument, depending on the starting point.
Wales, certainly, have had a thin time of things there for decades. In the last 36 years they have managed only two Six Nations victories - the last in 2012 - as well as a shock win in the 2015 World Cup.
Former captain Sam Warburton was man of the match in that 2012 win and told the BBC's Rugby Union Daily podcast: "Twickenham was an amazing stadium as the Welsh would travel down and it was a phenomenal atmosphere. Outside the Principality, it was my favourite place to play. Walking through the crowd is quite daunting if you're young."
Gatland was in charge for all three of those wins and, despite also suffering 12 international defeats there, took an upbeat view.
"I don't find it intimidating at all... it doesn't hold any trepidation," the New Zealander said this week. "I love the atmosphere and it's even more special if you can walk away with a win - that's not easy to do.
"For us its about starting well and stopping the crowd singing "Swing Low" too early, silence them a bit, that becomes an important factor. But we are not afraid to go to Twickenham I can promise you."
In more recent times England have had a torrid time at "HQ", winning only three of their last 10 games there.
The last of those matches last August was a hugely dispiriting occasion, as a paltry crowd of 57,000 booed the team off after they were beaten by Fiji, playing dull, restrictive rugby.
The jeers also rained down after the shocking 53-10 humiliation by France in last year's Six Nations, while booing after the loss to South Africa in November 2022 - a then-unheard of reaction - contributed to the sacking of Eddie Jones.
England's run to the semi-finals of the World Cup - starting with the spirited 14-man victory over Argentina when their fans were noisily behind them in Marseille - was hardly a Barbarians festival but supporters recognised the endeavour.
And after the first, green shoots of a new, ball-in-hand approach were glimpsed in last week's win in Italy, those fans will be turning up on Saturday with a new optimism.
"This is essentially a fresh start. We have had our World Cup and we are on the start of a new cycle with fresh faces, new coaches," said fullback Freddie Steward.
"I would never blame the fans and say they need to lift us. They do that on the back of what we do, so the responsibility is ours. We want Twickenham to erupt and we want it to be a place we want to go and play."
It was the same message from Jamie George, who will captain the team on home soil for the first time. He has asked for the team bus to drop the players off further from the players' entrance, to lengthen the walk through the supporters.
"The style of play probably had an implication on why there was booing so that is definitely something that is in conversation,” George said.
"Ultimately this team will base its game plan on winning games. That has to be at the forefront, but at the same time conversations are certainly being had around how we get people off their seats. People want to see tries.
"We want Twickenham to be a tough place for oppositions to come and play, and creating an atmosphere like that is important to us as well."
