Gatland: I'd Had Enough of the Negativity at Wales, but I Hope They've Hit Rock Bottom

Speaking exclusively to BOYLE Sports , former Wales head coach Warren Gatland has opened up on the issues facing the nation as it builds back towards the glory of his three Six Nations Grand Slams.

Gatland has explained why he walked away from the negativity and voiced his hope that Wales have hit rock bottom under Steve Tandy , warning that the rebuild will take time after the loss of a host of experienced players.

The former head coach has also given his verdict on the four-regions debate, the merits of following the Scotland model, and the talent gap between the ages of 15 and 19 that he believes is holding Welsh rugby back.

Leaving Wales

Why Did You Walk Away?

When I left Wales , I just woke up one day and said, look, I've just had enough of the negativity. I don't need this in my life at the moment. I was really proud of what we had achieved in 2023 at the World Cup , winning the group.

We had a poor Six Nations , but the exciting thing about the World Cup is it's the one time an international team feels a little bit like a club side where you get that time together to prepare and put the detail in.

So, we had a good World Cup , and then we lost a whole host of players, and I said, this is going to take time; it's not going to be twelve months, it's going to take a lot of time to replace the experience and the quality of players that have been lost. And even though after I've left, we're still seeing the rebuilding process, it's going to take a bit of time under Steve Tandy , who is working hard. It doesn't happen overnight.

You see that with coaches who go places and have had success; sometimes it takes time, and you can only deal sometimes with the cattle that you've got in front of you to be able to try and achieve things.

Have Wales Hit Rock Bottom With the Curve Now Moving Upwards?

Yes, I do. And I really hope so. I really do hope so. There's been a lot of issues there, not just with rugby, but a lot of things with four regions potentially going down to three, and the finances and people leaving.

It's a country with so much passion, so much history. You want them to be doing well, you want them to be successful, and hopefully they can get the right structures in place long term, and people can have a bit of patience while they look to rebuild.

And that has to be done through the age group stuff; you want the under-18s and the 20s to be doing well and to be successful, and then hopefully that can transfer into the national side.

The Regions

Can Wales Afford to Lose a Region?

If you asked me as a national coach, would I want to go from four to three? No, I wouldn't. You want as much choice as you possibly can have around players in terms of selection and availability. I've always said about the number of foreign players, if you're going down to three teams, what are the number of foreign players in the squad going to be?

I think quality foreigners can help a team in terms of experience, winning games, being great examples for the youngsters coming through, but I think they need to look at the numbers of those foreign players in the squad.

The pathways, the academies and stuff, that becomes really important. And then if you're going down to three teams, you probably need to scrap the law in terms of players having to play in Wales to be selected, because as a coach you wouldn't have that choice.

You need players then playing outside of Wales , and you'd probably be looking at the Scotland model, where you're encouraging some of your best players to be going to play for the top teams in Europe , and that's saving you money and then you're helping bring some of the youngsters through the system.

The Talent Gap

The Talent Is There in Wales, Isn't It?

Yeah, and I think that's the big issue; it isn't the talent. If you look at a club side of twelve-year-olds, they go across the bridge to England , they're going to be competitive, and often they'll win it.

The big difference comes when going off to high school, from about the age of fifteen to nineteen, when the structures that England have in place, with those traditional schools looking at players and having programs and quality coaching. That's something Wales is missing, that gap between the ages of 15 and 19.

That's where they need to really home in on trying to keep that talent in Wales but also providing opportunities and programs for them to keep getting better. And I think that's where you see the big gap of those players in England in good school programs, playing against quality teams and improving, and then that transfers into their eighteen-and-under and twenties.

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