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'This is like an Eddie Jones question, is it' - Gatland on his Wales future
By Ian Cameron
Wales boss Warren Gatland was quizzed on his future as head coach following Wales' Rugby World Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of Argentina in Marseille yesterday evening.
The Welsh may have crashed out of the tournament following the 29-17 loss to Michael Cheika's Argentina but Gatland struck a surprisingly upbeat figure in the post-match press conference in the bowels of the Stade Velodrome.
The 60-year-old was asked about his immediate future with Wales, whom he took over for a second spell earlier this year.
"This is like an Eddie Jones question, is it?! I’m not actually sure what’s in my contract. I think there’s a clause from the union. I’m not too sure what the actual wording is, I haven’t actually read it.”
Gatland however was clear, he wants to stay on as Wales head coach.
"Yeh, absolutely, [on whether he wants to continue coaching Wales] but if the union want to get rid of me, they are completely entitled to do that as well. That’s up to them.
"I think that’s the big thing. We’re all pretty disappointed, pretty gutted about that. It’s one that slipped away from us, but you’ve got to take learnings. How do you continue to improve and develop as a squad? Some of the learnings from today...we had a team that kicked a lot against us and kicked long and we probably at times played a little bit too much rugby around about halfway and maybe needed to be potentially a little bit more conservative. But how do we take those learnings and grow as a team?
"I’m incredibly proud of the work that these players have put in, the coaches, the whole staff have been absolutely fantastic. We’ve made some really good strides and we need to make sure we continue on that path. We don’t want to be going backwards. That’s a good challenge for us to accept, to make sure we continue to keep improving.
"A lot of people were writing us off before this tournament, saying we wouldn’t get out of the group, so that was the first thing. This group have worked really hard to get what they have achieved. I just said to the players in the changing room… they are very down, very disappointed but they should hold their heads up. They should be proud of what they have done. We have got to make sure we continue to grow and improve as a team. We have got some exciting players coming through. Hopefully they will be inspired by this and will want to be involved in it going forward.”
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Latest Comments
Don't think you've watched enough. I'll take him over anything I's seen so far. But let's see how the future pans out. I'm quietly confident we have a row of 10's lined uo who would each start in many really good teams.
Go to commentsHopefully Joe stays where he is. That would mean Les, McKellar, larkham and Cron should as well. It’s the stability we need in the state programs. But, if Joe goes, RA with its current financial situation will be forced into promoting from within. And this will likely destabilise other areas.
To better understand some of the entrenched bitterness of those outside of NZ and NSW (as an example 😂), Nic, there is probably a comparison to the old hard heads of welsh rugby who are still stuck in the 1970s. Before the days where clubs merged, professionalism started, and the many sharp knives were put into the backs of those who loved the game more than everyone else. I’m sure you know a few... But given your comparison of rugby in both wales and Australia, there are a few north of the tweed that will never trust a kiwi or NSWelshman because of historical events and issues over the history of the game. It is what it is. For some, time does not heal all wounds. And it is still festering away in some people. Happy holidays to you. All the best in 2025.
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