Warren Gatland will “let the dust settle” on Wales’s awful autumn before he considers his future as their head coach. His team suffered their 12th straight defeat, when they were beaten 45-12 by South Africa. Gatland said he wanted to talk to his family and his bosses at the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) before he makes a decision. For its part, the WRU has committed to bringing in two independent experts to help with an end‑of‑season review, which will decide whether Gatland stays in post if he doesn’t quit first.
Gatland did not deny rumours that he could move into a different role at the WRU, which would involve him stepping away from the day-to-day running of the team but give him more influence over the overall strategy for the sport in Wales. He admitted, with a wry smile, that he had been discussing the idea with his wife on the morning of the game. “There are a number of things that need to be talked about,” he said. “About strategy and the deal with the regions. For a long time there have been issues in the game and the success we had in the past papered over those cracks.”
The WRU is holding its annual general meeting this Sunday and the union is expected to provide updates on the state of a new deal with the four regional teams. The idea is that the WRU would increase their funding, and assume their debts, in return for more control over their running. “There’s negotiations going on and they haven’t concluded yet, but some of the things the union are trying to put in place will definitely make a change,” Gatland said. “And there needs to be some change, I’ve gone into board meetings and spoken about how we need to be bold to improve the game.”
Gatland is clear it is not going to be a quick fix. “It is going to take time. But I came away from today thinking that this group of players, if they can replicate that effort and learn from their mistakes, we have some hope moving forward. The question is whether people have the patience to give you the time.”
His family are among the people who are being tested by it all. He admitted that the last couple of weeks had taken a toll on them. “It’s challenging in terms of the negativity,” Gatland said. “But I’m motivated to want to be here, we’ve a good group of men who are only going to get better over the next couple of months building towards the Six Nations.”
