The end of an era for coach Warren
LAST HURRAH: GATLAND TAKES ON KIWIS IN PLAY-OFF
Warren Gatland will bow out from his 12-year stint as Wales coach having earned the respect of the sport’s powerhouses, but never reaching a World Cup final and with just one more chance to notch up a win over his native New Zealand.
Wales went down 19-16 to South Africa in Sunday’s Rugby World Cup semifinal in Yokohama, leaving them a third-place play-off with the All Blacks, who were beaten 19-7 by England on Saturday.
“The biggest thing I am proud of is that we have earned respect from the rest of the world in terms of what we have achieved in the last 12 years. I am not sure it was there before that,” said the 56-year-old Gatland.
Appointed as the 20th Welsh national coach in November 2007, he could hardly have had a better start, leading Wales to the 2008 Six Nations championship title and the nation’s 10th Grand Slam.
The Kiwi also oversaw the British and Irish Lions’ series victory in Australia in 2013 and the drawn series against New Zealand in 2017, but has come in for criticism for his poor record against southern hemisphere teams.
As a player, the former hooker featured in 17 non-international matches for New Zealand, but never won an international cap. He racked up a record 140 appearances for Waikato before retiring in 1995.
He first touched down in Europe as player/coach for Irish side Galwegians, opting to stay on after the 1989 New Zealand tour.
In 1996, he took over at unfashionable Irish province Connacht and succeeded Brian Ashton in 1998 as coach of Ireland, with whom he had a record of 18 wins, one draw and 19 losses.
From Ireland, Gatland joined Wasps, winning a hat-trick of Premiership titles in 2003, 2004 and 2005, the European Challenge Cup in 2003 and European Cup in 2004.
Returning home, he won the 2006 Air New Zealand Cup title with Waikato’s provincial side before joining the Chiefs Super 14 team and then taking over the Wales team.
Not only was there a Grand Slam in 2008, but a second in 2012, a Six Nations title in 2013, and a third championship clean sweep last season.
Cynics in Wales, however, will point at Gatland’s poor record against the south hemisphere trio of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, although that has slowly changed. – AFP