Lee Byrne’s comments, plans for the future
up remarkably well and knew where he was. Johnny and Owen are both fantastic to work with.
Looking forward, are we definitely counting down to the end of your time with Wales in 2019? Yes, you are. Over the last 12 months, particularly before the autumn series last year, I’d had conversations with close family and friends and decided about finishing in 2019.
It was quite difficult having just been appointed as interim head coach. Ceri, my wife, said she thought I should say before the autumn series that I was going to go in 2019 at the same time as Warren.
But I felt, having just been given that position, it wouldn’t be a great signal to the coaches and players I was going to work with in the next 12 months. So, that was put on the back burner.
After the autumn series, having won three out of four, it might have been the opportunity to say then and I didn’t. Throughout the year, I’ve had conversations with Warren Gatland. I just feel that come 2019 I would have been here for 11 years and it’s time to move on and be involved elsewhere in a rugby environment.
I was surprised when the Union came out on the Sunday of the AGM and said it was a shortlist of three for the Wales job.
It was news to me. When that came out, I needed to quickly speak to someone because I’d already made my decision. I spoke to Martyn Phillips on the Monday morning to let him know I had made the decision that I’m not going to be here past 2019. He hugely respected that decision.
I spoke to Gats and he said he was more than happy to say about it in the press conference, which he did. That’s the timeline.
In hindsight, my darling wife was right that I should have come out and said it before.
So what next for you from 2019?
Who knows? I am looking forward to the next two years because the talent we are developing hopefully gives us the chance of achieving something special in the World Cup.
I would like to be a head coach somewhere. I love the game of rugby, I am very passionate. I think I can add a little bit of value and that’s what I want to do. If that’s over the bridge, if that’s in France, who knows.
When I finished at Cardiff and went to Wasps that was 250 miles away and it was one of the best decisions I made. I have made tough decisions before. The family will come first, they always have.
Why do you want to step away from Wales in 2019? You have been an assistant and it would seem the natural progression to throw your hat into the ring for the main job.
I’d like to be head coach or director of rugby at a club.
I really enjoyed the experience of being interim head coach and I think to go back and have that experience of being head coach day-in, dayout over a period of time, maybe longer than a year, would put me in a better place.
I’ve enjoyed immensely being the interim head coach and the experiences I’ve had here with Wales. It has been unbelievable – from the highs and the lows to the French episode back in 2017. It has been a rollercoaster. I thoroughly enjoyed the championship in 2013, culminating in the England game, the autumn last year. But I just think it is the right time.
I am almost 48 and I have got 12 years to survive. I would like to go away first and then come back. I need to examine my own values and look at what I need to do. It is maybe on a bucket list of mine that I want to coach in the Premiership or France, who knows? Whether that opportunity comes along, I don’t know. Would you like to come back and do the job Warren has done? Maybe some day.
Is there also a sense that post-2019 there would be a need for a new start after the same coaching team for 11 years?
Only the Union can answer that question.
The management team has been together for a long time with a lot of success.
It has been the culmination of the integrity and values that we have as a coaching team.
When you look at a football module, there have been some worldclass managers who have stayed in the same environment for 20 odd years.
The values that Warren Gatland has shared with us as a coaching team have put us, and me in particular, in good shape for whatever is on the horizon post-2019.
I’ve been lucky enough to work with a man whose values, honesty and respect in world rugby are there for everyone to see.
I have enjoyed all my experiences, learned a lot and now I would like to put all of that to good use for a longer period of time than a year at club level rather than international level.
Looking at the Welsh autumn squad, Scott Williams and Jamie Roberts are notable omissions. Was there a feeling they don’t fit in with the 10-12 dual play-maker system Warren has talked about?
Not really. Over the last two years, post-World Cup, we’ve talked about the ability to pass and play to space.
The two ball players is big in the global game now and England have been down that road under Eddie Jones. Having width in attack, not just passing but a kick, pass option.
We just feel there’s an opportunity this autumn to expose players like Owen Williams. There’s an opportunity maybe to see Rhys Patchell playing at 12, Hadleigh Parkes. It’s just keeping our options open.
I spoke to Scott and Jamie on Monday and both were difficult conversations. With Jamie, in particular, he was outstanding in the summer on and off the field. The door is open. But we’ve see an opportunity here to evolve players between now and the World Cup.