'Players were turning around and saying 'how has this guy got 50 caps for England? He's useless'.'
British and Irish Lions boss Warren Gatland has been reflecting on one of his most memorable signing while head coach of Wasps.
Gatland had a hugely successful run at the club – then known as London Wasps – between 2002 and 2005, but his signings didn’t always go down well with the playing squad, not least the signing of 2003 World Cup Winner Matt Dawson in 2004.
Gatland was speaking on James Haskell’s What a Flanker podcast and the pair discussed the need for strong individuals in a team and how Gatland hadn’t shied away from more colourful characters as a coach.
“We probably did that at Wasps. We were able to do that because we were successful and had strong personalities. Once people came in and didn’t step out of the boundaries and worked hard.
“I remember when we signed Matt Dawson. And people were saying: ‘Why did you sign Matt Dawson?’ He was supposedly seen as not the best fit, or a little bit uppity, arrogant or whatever.
“I couldn’t speak more highly of him. I remember he came to Wasps, and one of the first training sessions, I know players were turning around and saying ‘how has this guy got 50 caps for England? He’s useless’.
“And there was this one training session when he passed the ball to Alex King and he had enough and he just threw the ball back at Dawson and said ‘I’m not taking that s*** anymore.’ In fairness Matt Dawson never said a word.
“But every day after training he went down to the end of the field and did stuff with Whitey. Worked on his skills and his passing, and we end up winning the championship that year.
“I have a huge amount of respect for Matt for the way he took that and went away to get that competitive edge and work hard and get better.”
Haskell also recalled an incident in which Wasps defence coach Shaun Edwards kicked a chair across a room in a video session because of Dawson incessantly kicking the ball into touch.
“Our game plan was never to kick the ball out and to keep the ball in play so we’d wear down the opposition.
“I remember this game. Matt Dawson boots it out, like most nines do. Shaun goes [At the video session, in a Wigan accent] ‘Right lads, I’m not being f***ing funny, but we don’t kick ball out right?’
‘Next thing, box kick the other side of the field, Matt Dawson kicks it out. Shaun gets up ‘Surprise, f***ing surprise, Matt Dawon’s kicked ball out again’. Matt’s getting hammered, he’s not used to getting this amount of abuse.
‘Kick three: boots it out again. Shaun just gets up, boots the chair across the room, and just walks out of the meeting’.
‘Nobody escaped, that was the one beauty of Wasps.’
‘You [Warren Gatland] gave us enough rope to hang ourselves with. We could go out and enjoy ourselves, but the standard was really clear. ‘You are men. Here is the expectation’.
“If you’re not going to front up in training, you’re going to get it. You had enough personalities around us that not only would you be getting into us, but Shaun Edwards would be, you’d get an arm around you from Lawrence [Dallaglio]. Alex King is going to call you out, Shawsie [Simon Shaw] would take you to one side.
“When people talk about accountable environments, that’s the perfect one”.
'I don’t know what the ins and outs were in terms of politics & money… I am pretty gutted. No one has really spoken to me or the other guys who missed out about the reasons' @Seanmaitland14 is upset over how the Six Nations ended, writes @JLyall93 ??? https://t.co/rMTW5Q6hPj
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 18, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Bar 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.
9 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.
35 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.
2 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
35 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 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
35 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.
35 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
35 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
35 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
18 Go to comments