Gatland: Sent-home Howley has been left 'devastated' by betting allegations
Wales boss Warren Gatland has revealed his sense of shock after Rob Howley was sent home from the World Cup for an alleged breach of World Rugby’s betting and anti-corruption regulations. The Wales head coach said his assistant coach was left “devastated” by the allegations.
Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Martyn Phillips revealed that he was first made aware of matters last Wednesday, which was Wales’ World Cup departure day to Japan.
The WRU said that 48-year-old former Wales captain Howley had returned to Wales to assist with an investigation in relation to a potential breach of World Rugby regulation six, specifically betting on rugby union. He has been part of Gatland’s highly-successful coaching team since 2008 and is now back in Wales.
Former Wales flyhalf Stephen Jones, who was due to succeed Howley as attack specialist after the tournament, will join the squad on Thursday ahead of a World Cup opener against Georgia in Toyota City.
“We were shocked,” Gatland said at Wales’ squad base in Kitakyushu. “At the moment, these are allegations. Obviously, Rob was devastated by the allegations. That’s all I can say.
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“The Union are dealing with this, and my focus has to be on the next five days in terms of preparing the squad for the first game against Georgia. You have to deal with adversity at times, and it’s how you respond and react to that. This has happened.
“I must say that the players in the last 24 hours have really stepped up and they have been incredibly responsible and resilient, and sometimes that brings teams closer together. We have got to draw a line in the sand on this and really focus on preparing the team for the next five days.
“We got a shock the other day, like I said, and it took a bit of time for it to sink in. We can’t say anything that potentially jeopardises the investigation, and we are pretty aware of that. There was concern by the coaches and the players about Rob and the welfare of Rob. Yesterday was my birthday, yes. I have had better birthdays for sure! It’s all part of the life experience.”
Sent home from Japan, it appears as if Rob Howley's coaching career is in tatters following an alleged betting rules breachhttps://t.co/4M27IQrj1P
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 17, 2019
Asked if he had spoken to Howley, Gatland added: “I did text him to say I hope you got home okay, and to see how he was doing.”
If found guilty, Howley could face the maximum sanction of a life ban from the sport, with betting on any rugby game outlawed for the likes of players, coaches and match officials, among others. He is provisionally suspended from any rugby-related activity, pending an investigation the WRU will lead.
Revealing a timeline, Phillips said: “We were contacted on Wednesday of last week informally to suggest there was a potential breach of regulation six. We were then contacted formally with further information on Friday evening. We took Saturday to digest that information.
“It’s a pretty serious allegation, and we needed to be confident in our actions if we were going to do anything. That was important. Clearly, we are on the eve of the World Cup – the biggest tournament we play in – so that was a factor. But, equally, we were very conscious that we needed to act quickly and be decisive. That’s exactly what we’ve done.”
Phillips said the initial approach came from a betting company’s integrity team, not World Rugby. He added: “These are serious allegations, there is a lot to cover, people to speak to, data to look at. I wouldn’t put any pressure on anyone to do things quickly – I will be putting pressure on them to do it right.
“We are so early on. The investigation hasn’t started. We are here, Rob is back in Wales. We will start to get under the bonnet of it now. When we start, we will get a sense of how long it’s going to take. Rob is back in Wales, and we have put the necessary support around him.
“Several of the coaches are in touch with him and we’re checking in on his well-being as we formalise our processes to get through the investigation.”
– Press Association
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Comments on RugbyPass
The game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
21 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
12 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
12 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
5 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
25 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
5 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
37 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
37 Go to comments