CARDIFF – Warren Gatland, who stepped down after a second stint as Wales head coach on Feb 11, will be remembered as a no-nonsense coach who oversaw a golden era of Welsh rugby when he first took over.
His resignation follows the 22-15 Six Nations loss to Italy on Feb 8, which condemned them to a national record 14th consecutive Test defeat.
The 61-year-old New Zealander first coached Wales from 2007 until 2019, taking over a demoralised team that had crashed out of the 2007 Rugby World Cup following a shock defeat by Fiji.
Gatland turned the team around quickly, winning the Six Nations in 2008, 2012, and 2019. Wales also triumphed in 2013, while he was seconded to the British & Irish Lions.
In 2008, 2012 and 2019, Wales completed the rare “Grand Slam” by winning every game in the Six Nations.
Under Gatland, Welsh success was forged on a robust defence that opponents often struggled to crack.
Alongside hard-nosed defence coach Shaun Edwards, who has since joined France, Hamilton-born Gatland gave Wales a tough edge with a conservative, one-dimensional style of rugby critics dubbed “Warrenball”.
It bore fruit as Wales repeatedly challenged for the Six Nations title and ended a miserable run against Southern Hemisphere teams Australia and South Africa.
Gatland, a former hooker who played 17 games for New Zealand but never won a Test cap, returned home and spent three, largely unsuccessful, years as head coach and then director of rugby for the Chiefs Super Rugby franchise.
But then came the call from the Welsh Rugby Union for a second stint with the team.
Gatland replaced fellow New Zealander Wayne Pivac, under whom Wales lifted the 2021 Six Nations but won just 13 of 34 Tests, suffering sobering losses to Georgia and Italy.
Under him, Wales topped their pool at the 2023 Rugby World Cup but were knocked out by Argentina in the quarter-finals.
The team’s last win was a pool victory over Georgia in that tournament.
Then came a disastrous 2024 Six Nations, with Wales claiming the wooden spoon.
Since that win over Georgia around 450 days ago, Wales ended 2024 without an international win, a first year without a Test victory since 1937 and have dropped to an all-time low of 12th in the world rankings.
That run of form has coincided with the retirement of a number of leading players such as Alun Wyn Jones, Dan Biggar, Justin Tipuric and Ken Owens.
It has also come at a time where rugby’s finances in the country are struggling and the four professional teams are in trouble.
Cardiff coach Matt Sherratt will take temporary charge for the side’s remaining Six Nations games against Ireland, Scotland and England.
Sherratt, who is not seeking the role on a permanent basis, knows the enormous challenges facing the young squad, and that there is no quick fix to their dismal form.
“I’ll be honest, it feels a bit like when I started with Cardiff. They were at a low ebb. It’ll be about mindset,” he said.
“It’ll be hard to change things tactically. But we can get a mindset shift. It doesn’t matter what tactical stuff you put on the pitch if there’s a lack of belief or fear.
“The first step is that the players are really excited to take the field.” AFP, REUTERS
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