Ken Owens believes Warren Gatland’s sustained success at Test level has not always gained the respect the coach’s record merits. Gatland takes charge of Wales for the 100th time on Saturday in Ireland, where his international coaching career started in 1998, but the Lions hooker says: “I don’t think he gets the credit for what he has achieved.”
“Inside and outside Wales he has always had to, for some reason, prove himself,” says Owens as unflattering portraits of Gatland in New Zealand during last year’s Lions tour showed.
“He has transformed Wales and we are always there or thereabouts now, a tough team to break down; we have won the Six Nations three times under him. The Lions tour last year was the second best to New Zealand but it seems it still wasn’t enough. He’s a great coach and his work with the Lions put him up there with the best.”
After being fired by Ireland in 2001, Gatland joined Wasps, who won three Premiership titles under him as well as the European Cup. He then returned to Waikato, winning the Air New Zealand Cup, before moving to Wales at the end of 2007 and winning the Grand Slam at the first attempt.
“He knows how to get the best out of players,” Owens says. “He is a very good man-manager who knows when to work the boys hard and when to ease off. Some need a cuddle and others the stick and he appreciates we are all different. He puts a massive emphasis on family coming first and he takes all the pressure off you. All you have to worry about is the rugby.”
Gatland has already been the coach in more Tests than anyone else. With Ireland and the Lions he stands on 143, three ahead of Sir Graham Henry. “He instils his teams with belief,” Owens says. “You do not stay in a job as long as Warren has without freshening things up. We have changed our style of play in the last couple of years and we are playing some really good stuff. We are in a good place looking ahead to next year’s World Cup.”
Defeat in Dublin would all but end Wales’s hopes of a first Six Nations title since 2013 following the 12-6 defeat at Twickenham where they prevented England from scoring in the final hour but paid for the two tries they conceded in the opening quarter.
“England scored two good tries and we did not take our opportunities,” Owens says. “Sam Underhill’s tackle [on Scott Williams] was absolutely outstanding but overall we can be reasonably happy with the opening two rounds. We know we can improve and we will have to in Dublin. We are still in the mix having picked up two bonus points.”
Wales have drawn heavily on the Scarlets in their first two matches. The region Owens plays for won the Pro 12 title in Dublin last year by demolishing Munster, although he missed the match because of injury. In the semi-final, they had beaten Leinster in Dublin despite having the wing Steff Evans sent off just before half-time.
“We have had some success in Dublin in recent years,” Owens says. “We know Ireland’s players well and there is mutual respect. It would be nice to top off Gats’s 100th match with a win that would keep our title hopes alive.”
