Warren Gatland admitted on Wednesday that he had not yet given any thought to resigning as Wales head coach, but said he would ‘go back to the beach and have a glass of wine’ if his Welsh Rugby Union bosses decided he was no longer the man to lead the national team.
On a glorious autumnal afternoon at Wales’ training base, the sun streamed through the windows of the Vale Hotel. Inside, Gatland faced some tough questions on his position.
He is a man under pressure on the back of a run of 10 straight Test defeats. In response, Gatland turned on the charm with the media just days after suggesting it was the journalists who cover the team that were creating the ‘narrative’ his position was under threat.
Asked if he might step away from his role if Wales’ winless continued, Gatland said: ‘I haven’t really thought about it. We will see what happens. It is not in my mind at the moment.
‘Maybe if we win the next two, I will think about it. If a decision is made in terms of what you’re talking about, I’m more than comfortable with that.
Warren Gatland insists he does not fear being sacked by Wales despite 10 straight Test losses
If Wales lose against Australia then they will be, statistically, the nation’s worst-ever team
‘I’ve been around the game for long enough. I’ll probably go back to the beach, have a glass of wine, and enjoy myself away from some of the pressure.’
Gatland was speaking after making four changes to his team for Sunday’s meeting with Australia. Wales’ class of 2024 must win that game to avoid becoming statistically the worst team in the country’s history.
In 2002/03, Wales lost 10 matches in a row before snapping that streak against Scotland.
‘We’ve tried to point out from the outset that we need to go through some pain,’ said Gatland on his troubled journey with a young Wales side.
‘I didn’t think there’d be this much pain to be honest. I was talking to (Wales team manager) Martyn Williams who said in 2003 we were rubbish! He played in that team and said 18 months later, we won a Grand Slam. I am comfortable with the pressure being on me.
’That it most certainly is. Wales are in real trouble. Gatland has faced strong and widespread criticism, including from his former players Jamie Roberts and Mike Phillips.
‘I know how inexperienced we are,’ Gatland said. ‘It’s going to take time. Whether we get that, time will tell. We’ll just wait and see. It’s definitely been a challenging 12 months.
‘It’s about results. I’ve tried not to shy away from that. I understand that. Criticism is part of the job. Hopefully, the tide turns pretty soon.’
Gatland said he would ‘go to the beach and have a glass of wine’ if he is ejected from his post
Gatland said he had no issue with media criticism of his regime from Roberts, despite the fact the ex-centre is also now an independent non-executive director on the WRU board.
Former scrum-half Phillips, meanwhile, said Gatland should be ‘kicked out’ in a social media post that, to be honest, crossed the line from professional criticism into a personal attack.
‘I never have been critical of anyone for having an opinion. I encourage people to have an opinion. That’s always healthy for the sport,’ Gatland said.
Asked about Phillips’ comments, Gatland responded: ‘My son rung me about them. He was probably more upset about them than I was. Phillsy was probably one of the best to pull on the Welsh jersey. Probably some of the things that have happened to him have been a little bit sad. I take some of those comments with a little bit of a grain of salt.’
Gatland’s hopes of a badly-needed win against Australia were hit when he was forced to name his team for the revived Wallabies without Tomos Williams.The scrum-half suffered a shoulder injury in the 24-19 defeat by Fiji and is one of four changes from that game for Australia.
Wing Tom Rogers and flankers James Botham and Jac Morgan are the others. Rogers replaces Mason Grady who needs ankle surgery.
‘I haven’t really been in this situation before,’ admitted Gatland. ‘It’s different. Am I happy with where we are at the moment? No. Is there pressure? Yes. It’s a different kind of pressure. ‘It’s a pressure that potentially I don’t like, but I’m not uncomfortable with because I understand where we’re at.
‘We can only continue to work as hard as we’ve been doing and hopefully, we’ll get across the line. Do I believe in what we’re doing? 100 per cent.’
Former Wales scrum-half Mike Phillips said Gatland should be ‘kicked out’ in a scathing attack
Williams is also a significant doubt for Wales’ final autumn game with back-to-back world champions South Africa next Saturday. His definite absence for Australia is a significant blow given that his form for Gloucester this season makes him Wales’ best current player.
Australia’s dramatic victory over England last Saturday means they have arrived in Cardiff full of confidence. Wales have the ability to beat them – the two sides shared a close July series which Australia won 2-0 – but Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies have improved dramatically since then.
Whatever happens, Gatland is unlikely to be sacked this month given to do so would cost the WRU compensation money they simply cannot afford right now.That being said, if Wales’ winless run extends to 12 by the end of this month, Gatland may well decide to step away – even if it is not something on his radar right now.
Wales team to face Australia: Cameron Winnett; Tom Rogers, Max Llewellyn, Ben Thomas, Blair Murray; Gareth Anscombe, Ellis Bevan; Gareth Thomas, Dewi Lake (capt), Archie Griffin, Will Rowlands, Adam Beard, James Botham, Jac Morgan, Aaron Wainwright
Replacements: Ryan Elias, Nicky Smith, Keiron Assiratti, Christ Tshiunza, Tommy Reffell, Rhodri Williams, Sam Costelow, Eddie James
