We were shocked . . .it took time to sink in
GATLAND REVEALS PAIN OF HOWLEY BOMBSHELL
WARREN Gatland often sits with his shoulders hunched in press conferences, but this was different. Here was the Wales head coach, five days out from his side’s first World Cup match, not with Georgia on his mind, but rather the bombshell of his best mate’s alleged gambling.
Sportsmail sensationally revealed on Tuesday that Gatland’s No 2, Rob Howley, had been sent home from the World Cup to ‘assist with an investigation’, according to the Welsh Rugby Union, in relation to a potential breach of the game’s betting rules.
It rocked not just the Wales camp but the sport itself ahead of the showpiece event in Japan.
The news broke on Gatland’s birthday. But Wales had known this ‘ thunderstorm’ — as one insider put it — was coming a week ago when a gambling company raised the alarm.
‘We were shocked,’ Gatland said as he sat ashen-faced in Wales’s city-centre hotel in Kitakyushu. ‘It took a bit of time for it to sink in.’
Gatland was flanked by Martyn Phillips, the WRU’s chief executive, looking equally stony-faced as the pair faced questions not on Dan Biggar and Co, but on betting and coaches.
‘I did text him to say I hope you got home OK and to see how he was doing,’ Gatland added to
Sportsmail at Wales’s base here yesterday. ‘He spoke to one or two players but that was about it. You have to deal with adversity at times, you lose key players, and it’s how you react to that.’
But for all the attempts at upbeat talk, the mood was dark. It was a stark contrast to the blazing sunshine outside the windowless media room, and the sunny scenes from Monday when Wales were cheered on and serenaded by 15,000 local fans at the Mikuni Stadium.
Phillips sat next to Gatland and was asked whether Howley had a gambling problem — or if the issue of betting was endemic in the Welsh game. To both questions he responded: ‘ That’s one of those speculation points. We are dealing with the facts we have.’
Senior Welsh management figures have been seriously sleep-deprived trying to deal with the fallout of this saga. A number of them went to Tokyo for a World Rugby conference on Tuesday, where they were praised for the amazing reception down south the day before, but they knew what was coming.
They have had an inkling that Howley might be involved in an investigation for a week — when a betting company’s integrity unit informally alerted them to adverse findings. But Phillips explained they could not act immediately.
‘It’s very hard to do something about a situation you don’t know anything about,’ he said.
Last Friday things became grave. ‘Serious allegations’ were made formally, which led to talks in Cardiff on Saturday and Phillips flying to Japan on Sunday to make a bee-line for Howley. By Monday night, he was gone.
It is awful timing for Wales but they are genuinely concerned for Howley’s welfare. ‘ We have put the necessary support around him,’ Phillips added. The level of Howley’s alleged breach is still unclear. The WRU are set to lead an investigation back home, with World Rugby leaving them to it for now, but they are able to step in if they feel it is necessary.
The governing body, however, have praised Wales for their ‘pro-active’ approach.
All players and staff are taken through countless ‘ integrity’ sessions in their careers, making it clear no one involved in rugby can bet on their own sport.
They have face-to-face talks with anti-corruption officers and must complete online modules before tournaments such as the World Cup. Howley would have sat through dozens of such meetings in his 23-year Wales career, including one within the last week in preparation for this tournament, which starts tomorrow.
When Sportsmail asked if Howley being investigated over a possible breach of the regulations was a source of embarrassment to the WRU, Phillips countered: ‘I wouldn’t call it eembarrassing. I’m ppleased about the way we’ve reacted and the way World Rugby has reacted.
‘What we’ve seen here is rugby taking the aallegation seriously. There is no doubt in my mind that the players and coaches know what ‘Regulation 6’ is and how it works. Without a shadow of a doubt, people in rugby know what’s required of them.’
A WRU panel will be convened hastily in Cardiff to investigate Howley, with the option of an external set to analyse the case if necessary. It could take weeks, even months, to sort out.
‘I’d be far more interested in quality, not speed,’ said Phillips. ‘These are serious allegations, there is a lot to cover, people to speak to, data to look at.
‘I wouldn’t put any pressure on anyone to do things quickly, I will be putting pressure on them to do it right.’
That is why Howley’s Wales career could be in jeopardy. He will not return to Japan. The senior players have selected Stephen Jones to replace him and the incoming attack coach will arrive today in Toyota and stay for the duration of the World Cup.
Publicly the players put on a brave face. They could be seen chucking balls around the team room waiting for training yesterday afternoon.
Biggar — who leads the attack in the absence of a coach — and Jonathan Davies talked about ‘drawing a line in the sand’.
Gatland was impressed by their reaction to the chaos. ‘The players in the last 24 hours have really stepped up,’ he said.
‘ They have been incredibly responsible and resilient, and sometimes that brings teams closer together. It’s probably a Welsh trait. They know it’s a difficult period, but we need to respond pretty well.’
So angry will they be that this could threaten their World Cup, it would be no surprise if Wales thrash Georgia on Monday. But even so, no one of a Welsh persuasion wanted this on the eve of the tournament.
A decent win would at least lighten Gatland’s mood, after Howley (right) ruined his 56th birthday.
As Gatland signed off, he was at least able to show a bit of gallows humour. ‘I have had better birthdays, for sure!’ he laughed.
‘It’s all part of the life experience.’