Wales rugby bosses hope review into dismal run will be completed by Christmas
Welsh rugby bosses hope to quickly complete a review into Wales’ miserable Autumn Nations Series campaign that should shape whether Warren Gatland stays or leaves as head coach.
Gatland’s role is under intense scrutiny after world champions South Africa inflicted a 12th successive Test match defeat on Wales by winning 45-12 in Cardiff on Saturday.
It followed November losses to Fiji and Australia as Wales went an entire calendar year without winning a Test for the first time since 1937.
Daunting
Whether Gatland, whose second stint in charge has yielded only a 25 per cent success-rate, remains at the helm for Wales’ daunting Six Nations opener against France in Paris on January 31 is a matter of intense debate.
The Welsh Rugby Union review will be led by chief executive Abi Tierney and include input from former players.
“We are already doing a huge amount of benchmarking on performance,” Tierney said.
“We have been doing that benchmarking and really understand where our performance challenges are, so it is about plugging the last three games into that data and looking at the system as a whole, seeing what is working and what can be improved.
“If not, are there things we can do to improve between now and the Six Nations?
“The big question for me is whether there is more we need to do, particularly with our regions, to ensure when the players are coming to us we’ve got the best possible chance of succeeding.
“We have got a number of rugby players on our board that will input into it. I’ve also had some ex-players agree to input into it.
“There will be a number of different inputs into it, not just me. I know how to do a good review, but I am no rugby expert, so I will be drawing on expertise for that.”
Spotlight
If Gatland, who is contracted through until the 2027 World Cup, does depart, then an interim head coach would take charge of Wales for the Six Nations campaign.
WRU chair Richard Collier-Keywood added: “The Welsh public would expect us to do a review, and it’s important we own the performance and not limit it to one aspect, and that is Warren Gatland.
“He is a very important aspect, but this is a time when he is a part of it but not in the sole spotlight. This is our collective responsibility.
“This is not a review of Warren Gatland, I want to make that very clear, this is a review of the whole performance of the WRU.”
Gatland says he is still motivated for his job and wants to stay, with a key issue also surrounding a long-term WRU strategy for the game that is still being thrashed out through talks between the governing body and Wales’ four professional regions – Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets.
“I think for us, from a Union’s perspective, there needs to be agreement with the regions. There needs to be some change,” Gatland said.
“I have gone into board meetings and spoken about us being courageous and bold with some of the decisions we potentially need to make to improve the game.
“I think there needs to be investment into the pathways, the academies and under-20s programme. That should be the lifeblood of the game in Wales.
“Since we disbanded the national academy in 2015, we are probably a reflection of how the under-20s programme hasn’t been as successful from that.
“I know the Union are talking about the strategy. There needs to be an agreement between the Union and regions to put some positive steps in place and affect change.
“It will take some time. It won’t happen overnight. I came away (from the South Africa game) thinking if these group of players can learn from it and put that amount of effort in, there is some hope going forward.”
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
The rot in Welsh rugby was there before Warren Gatland took over the reigns. And seeing the WRU are reviewing his record as Wales coach wonder if it includes their own conduct and decision making?
With the Northern Hemisphere Autumn internationals finishing soon, both Ireland & Scotland, who play on the same league as us by the way, are in ascendency where we are in freefall to a third tier rugby nation which is an absolute travesty. I hope they know they are culpable in our fall from grace.
As much as some want to believe, the problem is not one coach and 15 young players, though a recent post on here unwittingly summed up the problem. The contribution gave the head coach an incorrect name and incorrect job title, then suggested a new coach and new players – just to see if that is the problem! So there we have one half of the the problem. Our rugby supporters who used to do what their title suggests, at schools, clubs all the way up to the national team, are being replaced by insta-fans taking an interest only a… Read more »
Just switching from Cymru rugby to Cymru politics and noticed a few similarities. Both have had ‘leaders’ this year from outside this country, put in position after very dubious circumstances with external forces that should be nowhere near our decisions, whether that be a criminal waste manager or the England Rugby Union. Then I switch to the football results and Man Utd, the best supported team in Cymru. They had a successful manager for 27 years before finances were messed up by people who arrived from another country with ulterior motives. The response was 10 managers in barely 10 years,… Read more »