Off-field battles. Gatland versus the media

As is often the case with touring UK sports teams, ongoing battles are fought both on and off-field. Take this Lions tour, e.g., where most folk only ever get to see the sporting contest. Yet equally ever-present is the conflict played out at (almost) every press conference between tour management and the travelling media throng.

No, it’ll never be worth its own admission price but, for those of us on assignment here at home, it certainly provides a level of theatre & drama very rarely seen. There’s a noticeable difference in approach and vibe displayed by the two media ratpacks, clearly divided across hemispheric lines.

For some members of the “foreign press” Warren Gatland seems like a target and is visibly wary as a result. The body language, eye contact, voice tone and carefully considered answers all evidence of a more guarded demeanour with them than when dealing with us Kiwi lot.

Many of the overseas scribes will ask questions with obvious intent, almost craving a prickly response. They’ll happily regurgitate past issues/conflicts no matter how old, tired, boring or irrelevant – mostly in hope of an over-reaction in reply.

One or two bods have obvious history with Gatland and that clearly not of an affable nature. Most times the coach will politely answer, deflect, dilute, even try and make light of something he plainly wishes wasn’t asked. Every so often, as we saw at the pre-Blues presser when queried about his “Warrenball” gameplan, Gats can be provoked.

His swearing reaction when thinking the mic’s were off was of a man sick & tired of answering the same old questions, with those doing the asking also knowing full well he would be.

For us in the NZ sports media it’s a level of friction we’re never really exposed to. The relationship between All Blacks hierarchy & local journos is currently akin to the sort of camaraderie you see among common-interest colleagues. And, yes, having a world champion side that almost always wins absolutely helps keep everyone calm!

To be fair to the travelling ratpack Warren could, and should at times, make life a lot easier for himself. Saying things like (in the aftermath of the Blues loss) “our squad is working hard and we are seeing improvement in the performance both at training and in the games” seemed needlessly provocative.

‘Training? Really?

Who cares how well the squad “play” at training? You just got beat by the Blues, Warren – the worst of our Super Rugby sides’

That leaves just the best four still to play. And NZ Maori. All before you tackle the World Champions (twice) at a ground where they haven’t lost in 23 years. “Improvement” is all well and nice but I think what the press/people back home want to hear are (things like) when is your team going to hit top gear, how are you going to beat the ABs and exactly what weaponry do you have in reserve for when it really matters?

Tell them you’re way better than what’s been seen thus far. Confidence Warren! Instil belief in the team’s supporters, convince them that your side is in fact the menace we’ve been led to believe. Attempting to argue there’s only a minimal gap in ability between NZ Super sides and the All Blacks was plain nonsense – and something every reporter in the room was bound to jump on.

The one remaining question is, does any of it really matter? And the answer to that is Yes!

Especially to Warren. Like it or lump it, the media relationship is part of his job. If Mr Gatland is a Super Rugby coach then the travelling media are the comp’s finals format – unwieldy, clumsy, frustrating and manifestly unfair. Yet (also) it is what it is and isn’t going away. Warren knows, or should by now, that however much he resents it he’s got no choice but to grin and bear it.