Warren Gatland Return of the Lion king
The road is now cleared for Warren Gatland to become All Blacks coach – if he has the patience to play the long game to its conclusion.
The tangled path that previously existed for Gatland to become the second man to coach Wales, the British and Irish Lions and the All Blacks (after Sir Graham Henry) has cleared significantly as the dominos continue to fall in the former Waikato and All Blacks hooker’s favour.
Steve Tew’s decision to stand down as chief executive of New Zealand Rugby at year’S end removed one major stumbling block. It’s well known that Tew and Gatland don’t see eye to eye, and that it would have been tough for the well-travelled Kiwi coach to ascend to the top coaching job in the game under the current regime.
But with a new CEO set to be in place post-World Cup it appears that obstacle has been obliterated. Most importantly Gatland now has the stepping stone he needs to eventually ascend to the All Blacks job with news he will return to coach the Chiefs in Super Rugby in a four-year deal that still allows him to guide the Lions on their tour of South Africa in 2021.
Whatever way you look at it, that significant development is a win-win for all concerned. The Chiefs land one of the best coaches in the world to assume the reins of their franchise for an extended period, even if he’ll vacate the chair for a year to undertake his Lions duties. That can also be spun positively, with Gatland having the time to put a plan in place and the
Hamilton-based franchise the chance in 2021 to really upskill one of his hand-picked assistants in the top job.
(As an aside, it’s encouraging to see this lateral thinking around sabbaticals extending to the coaching fraternity at a time when it’s important to be creative to keep premium rugby talent in New Zealand.)
If it’s done right – and there’s no reason to think it won’t be – the Chiefs can make this little interlude work for them, with Gatland still able to guide his No 2 through his challenges from afar and then returning to a setup much more equipped to handle the day-to-day challenges of this tough franchise competition.
Gatland brings a significant amount of intellectual property back to the Kiwi game and the prospect of him guiding some of the finest young players in the country through their formative years in the Chiefs region is an exciting one to say the least.
Lastly Gatland, who has spent the last 12 years as Wales coach and will, in 2021, embark on his fourth tour as part of the Lions setup, gets to come home, to a community he identifies with and to a city he feels connected to, and start making a difference to New Zealand rugby again.
Just where the All Blacks sit in all this equation is the big question.
Well, we know Gatland won’t be the next All Blacks coach. That was a given as soon as he took on the Lions role for a third straight tour as head coach. The die was cast there.
But his commitment to returning to the New Zealand system via Super Rugby indicates he still has ambitions back in his home country. He doesn’t need the money, or the kudos, as much as he’ll surely enjoy the chance to get his hands on some real Kiwi talent again.
Gatland has never made any secret of the fact that he would dearly love to coach the All Blacks one day. And there’s no reason to think that changes on the back of this decision, even though he will assuredly pledge that his focus is now fairly and squarely with his beloved Chiefs franchise.
Crucially, he is now just one step removed from that job.
New Zealand Rugby will have to come up with Steve Hansen’s successor at some stage this year. It appears Scott Robertson’s job to lose, though Joe Schmidt’s uncertain availability still hovers around the succession planning.
That leaves Gatland perfectly placed as their next cab off the rank, with a role that ends perfectly after the 2023 World Cup.
‘‘Gatland now has the stepping stone he needs to eventually ascend to the All Blacks job.’’ Steve Hansen, left, with Lions coaching counterpart Warren Gatland in 2017.