Sam Warburton responds to Clive Woodward, names Gatland successor

Retired Wales captain Sam Warburton has ruled himself out of a Test rugby return as a WRU administrator. The Welsh national team are currently in free fall under head coach Warren Gatland, with defeat to South Africa in their closing Autumn Nations Series outing their record-setting 12th loss on the bounce.

Warburton, who retired from playing in 2018, spent a short time coaching Wales in the early part of the Wayne Pivac era and is now assisting Cardiff as a member of their board.

There has been a clamour for change in recent months at national level but while Warburton believes a director of rugby must be appointed above Gatland, he explained that he is not experienced enough himself for the role despite last month’s backing from Clive Woodward.

Writing in his Sportsmail column, the former England and British and Irish Lions boss claimed: “The WRU really should look to bring in a heavyweight character to head up their rugby operation, regardless of whether Gatland stays or not. I would urge Wales to look at the great Sam Warburton as someone to consider.”

Warburton has now responded to Woodward’s suggestion, telling Canterbury:  “I’m heavily involved in Cardiff rugby now. Helping them with rugby matters and I love it. If I was being honest, I haven’t earned that right to do that role, I’m too inexperienced. That’s why I have taken on the Cardiff role because I do care about the game of rugby and it’s something that excites me.

“Someone like Warren, if he wasn’t a coach, I still think he’d be very useful because he understands the landscape of Welsh rugby. Something that might have been missing from a personality trait and I heard this from someone else and he said to make an omelette you’ve got to crack some eggs. I don’t think Warren is afraid to crack a few eggs to do the best thing for Welsh rugby.

“I’ve heard what Warren’s ideas are on what needs to happen. He can’t make those calls as a head coach, he can advise but he can’t make that call but those calls I’ve heard him say, I’ve agreed with. He knows the game and the landscape very well.

“I’m flattered by what Clive said and I respect him a lot but there is people out there more qualified with more experience that would be able to deliver in that role better than myself. I have got a lot on my plate right now, so I don’t think I’d be able to juggle the role with what I have got going on either.”

Warburton added that if Gatland isn’t to continue as head coach for the 2025 Guinness Six Nations, which starts away to France on January 31, an interim coach – rather than a permanent successor – would be best.

“It would be very difficult to find a permanent coach at this time of the year so if Warren did go, bringing in an interim coach would be the least disruptive option,” he suggested. “It’s going to come down to availability and would come with a big compensation payment to a club which could get messy so it’s the cleanest thing to do and it’s easier from a player perspective too.

“I’m not sure that would fix a whole lot. That would be a decision if Warren chose to walk away. Otherwise, not much would change. One of the assistant coaches whether it’s (Rob) Howley or (Jonathan) Humphreys or Mike Forshaw, their systems would stay the same, they wouldn’t reinvent the wheel.

“I’ve never been on that train of thought that the Wales head coach has to be Welsh. If a Welsh coach is the best option, that would be a priority. But if there’s not a Welsh coach deemed to be fit to do it then you have to get the best person for the job.

“It’s a highly pressurised, elite role. There should be the aspirations of being a world-leading team that has a world leading coach. Saying that, there is Welsh coaches out there that could deliver that.

“Steve Tandy, he would be a good fit as a head coach and would be great to have in the system. At Harlequins, you have got Adam Jones. You have got Simon Easterby, who has lived in the Glamorgan area but coaches in Ireland – he has done well there. He played his rugby in Wales and has been the head coach of the Scarlets. There is a lot of people there that know the Welsh system.

“It’s difficult for a coach to come in and coach Wales. Having been someone that has lived in Wales, played in Wales, to know the Welsh system is a very important factor of being the coach.

“Someone that knows the Welsh game historically, the previous politics and the current landscape, someone that has that understanding would be beneficial and would lend itself to someone who has got a strong experience of coaching in Wales in the past.”