'There was an orchestrated campaign in the NZ media to try to unsettle me'
Warren Gatland will complete the set of southern hemisphere destinations as he plots the downfall of South Africa knowing his name is already stitched into the fabric of the British and Irish Lions.
Only Sir Ian McGeechan has overseen more tours but it is Gatland who has become the Lions’ indispensable figure of the professional era with his influence outweighing that of any player during the same period.
Victory over Australia in 2013 and a drawn series with New Zealand four years later have given the Kiwi a proud unbeaten record that will face possibly its toughest test yet against World Cup holders Springboks.
While players are traditionally held up as a side’s ‘talisman’, in Gatland the Lions have a champion whose name has become as synonymous with the tourists as that of McGeechan or Willie John McBride.
“Naturally he was our first-choice candidate from the start of the process,” said managing director Ben Calveley in September when reappointing Gatland, who was the only name on the shortlist.
The bond between coach and Lions is strong, surviving the 2017 tour to New Zealand when he was the target of a critical offensive by the local media that included him being mocked up as a clown. Gatland admitted that he “hated” the experience.
“There were aspects [I hated]. There was an orchestrated campaign in the New Zealand media to try to unsettle me. That really threw me,” Gatland said.
“But the Lions is something I could not turn my back on. I would have regretted it.”
And so he has enrolled for another tour, but this one like none of the 37 before it as the coronavirus pandemic places restrictions on playing and training that will require all of Gatland’s skills to limit their impact on the tour’s prospects.
Operating in a bubble environment, the Lions must adopt a new approach to forging the team bonds that are so important if players from four rival nations are to be unified successfully.
Historically Gatland has proved a master at this, giving players enough freedom away from rugby in the knowledge that a winning side is not conceived on the training field alone.
“Warren is a very progressive coach, but he does like his players having a beer, enjoying themselves and getting to know one another,” said Paul O’Connell, the former Ireland lock and the last Lions captain in South Africa.
“I remember coming in late on a few occasions and you’d arrive into the team room to grab a slice of toast and all the coaching staff would be there around the big table on their laptops. There’d be a bottle of wine or two or three in the middle of the table.
“They’d all be watching footage, arguing and discussing. That’s something Warren does really well, he brings his coaching staff and players together. He builds good relationships and gets alignment really quickly. That’s why his teams are successful.”
A lieutenant under McGeechan on the 2009 tour to South Africa when he oversaw the forwards, Gatland understands the Lions in a way some of his more recent predecessors did not.
Sir Clive Woodward’s 2005 crusade to New Zealand failed conclusively, a bloated touring party containing too many of his out-of-form England World Cup winners suffering from being divided into dirt trackers and the Test side at an early stage.
And four years earlier Graham Henry led an expedition to Australia – a destination where the Lions have clinched seven of their nine tours – that was notable for division within the squad laid bare by Austin Healey and Matt Dawson.
Gatland has avoided those and other traps, wedding his canny touch for bringing together players and staff with a ruthless streak in selection that pays no homage to reputation or nationality.
Fury greeted his decision to drop Ireland great Brian O’Driscoll in 2013 while the small Scottish contingents totalling five players picked for Australia and New Zealand have been held against him, but the 57-year-old is emphatically his own man.
“I’ve never been a person who has worried about external influences,” said Gatland, who played against the Lions for Waikato in 1993.
“People can say, write or imply whatever they like. It doesn’t change the fact that we’ve been put into a role to make what we think are the best decisions.”
Gatland has a remarkable track record of delivering results, from a European Cup and Premiership titles with Wasps to Grand Slams and Six Nations crowns with Wales, who he transformed from occasional to consistent winners.
His recent spell with Hamilton-based Super Rugby franchise the Chiefs has been less productive but now back at the helm for the Lions, he is in reassuring territory where history shows he possesses an assured touch.
Comments on RugbyPass
We had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
7 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
7 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
60 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
60 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
7 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
60 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
60 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
60 Go to comments