Warren Gatland: From world’s best to Wales’ worst
Gatland has always believed that when he spends time with players, he can succeed, which is what the World Cup is ready to allow.
After naming the 54-man training squad, he had to deal with the international retirement of legends Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric, who Owens couldn’t get due to injury.
Gatland’s management skills are under scrutiny as Prop Rhys Carre is brutally released from the team for “unable to achieve personal performance goals.”
With Wales’ success in raiding the World Cup pool, intense training camps in Switzerland and Turkey seem to be working hard and wins in Fiji, Portugal, Australia and Georgia.
The 40-6 hammer on the Kangaroo side of Eddie Jones proves the highlight of Gatland’s second responsibility.
Wales plays Argentina in Marseille in the quarterfinals. This is the game Gatland thinks they should win, but Pride has resumed Welsh rugby.
This is a time when history may be different. With the start of the new four-year World Cup cycle, Gatland and WRU said goodbye after completing short-term work.
WRU rugby Nigel Walker executive director said before the French match that he supported Gatland to lead Wales to the 2027 World Cup and labeled him as “the best coach in the world” one”.
So Gatland kept moving forward, but his best player didn’t. Biggar and Leigh Halfpenny retired from international rugby matches, Tomas Francis left Wales to spend a new life in France, Owens hung up his boots, and George North exited the testing field after the Six Nations in 2024.
Gatland left an inexperienced team that had to use young players, a situation that caused Wales to fall to the wooden spoons of the top six countries in 21 years.
Gatland said his proposal to resign in the locker room after a failure in March 2024, condemning Wales’ sweeping losses from the six-nation country, but WRU CEO Abi Tierney rejected it A proposal.
He also made headlines again when he said Welsh rugby felt like a “sinking ship” at times.
