Why Warren Gatland and the Chiefs shouldn't get a free pass for their form in Super Rugby Aotearoa

Whichever way the bread is sliced, it’s hard to deny that the Chiefs may be getting a bit of a pass for some of their failings in Super Rugby Aotearoa.

For Warren Gatland, apparently the best coach going around today, his 0-8 record since March certainly leaves more questions than answers as the debrief into what went wrong begins after one last hit out against the Hurricanes.

Some of the reaction from rugby fans in wake of the Chiefs’ worst ever season is both wildly unfair but tinged with a small bit of merit.

Remember Colin Cooper? The knives were certainly out when he coached the Chiefs to a 0-4 start to Super Rugby in 2019.

No such treatment for Warren Gatland, yet the record under his reign is far worse.

Does that mean Gatland should resign? No, such a statement is laughable considering his pedigree, but there is merit in exploring whether or not that coaching style fits with this Chiefs team while also taking a look at some of the talk that has come out of the camp during this difficult run of results.

Explanations for the Chiefs woeful form in Super Rugby Aotearoa cover two key areas.

Firstly, the intensity of playing New Zealand Super Rugby franchises each week and the toll that this takes on players who all compare the Kiwi derbies to test matches. No excuses are being made there, the Chiefs know that they’ve come up short of the standard required.

There’s also been some of the contentious calls by referees, at least one of which clearly cost the Chiefs getting a win against the Blues, and the team itself has been more than a little vocal about that.

The losing margin? Typically, by no more than five points, but that doesn’t tell the real story of what’s gone wrong here, nor should it excuse Gatland getting what feels like an obvious free pass from some in the media.