Gatland back on home turf – and ready to take on familiar face

British and Irish Lions boss Warren Gatland aimed a jovial jibe at New Zealand counterpart Steve Hansen as he returned to home turf for the game against Chiefs. Hamilton native Gatland coached former All Blacks playmaker Stephen Donald in his early days at Waikato, and the two will go head to head tomorrow. The 53-year-old warned his players not to let Donald sell them a dummy, before congratulating the 2011 World Cup winner on his engagement. Gatland joked “I do have my sources” when quizzed on how he knew of Donald’s impending nuptials – in a clear reference to Hansen refusing to reveal how he knew the Lions were calling up six players as early as last Thursday. “I was lucky enough to coach Steve (Donald) for a few years,” Gatland said of the ex-New Zealand fly-half. “New Zealanders either loved him or loathed him really, but he’s a fantastic individual, a great team man and it’s nice to see him play. “Twelve months ago when we were here with Wales I said, ‘Whatever you do, don’t take a dummy from Stephen Donald’, and the first thing he did was throw a dummy and score. “So that will be the message again for Tuesday. Stephen’s an icon around here, and it’s nice to see. I heard he just got engaged as well – I’d like to congratulate him on that. “I think he was out white-baiting and the ring was offered out the back of the Ute, so that’s typical Stephen Donald.” When asked how he managed to have advance knowledge of Donald’s big news, Gatland joked: “Well, I do have my sources of information!” Hansen had offered a dig at the Lions by claiming to reveal their plans to add six players in a New Zealand press conference last week. Wales quartet Cory Hill, Kristian Dacey, Gareth Davies and Tomas Francis have made the short trip from Auckland to link up with the Lions, while Scotland’s Allan Dell and Finn Russell have jetted in from Australia. Gatland, who coached Waikato from 2005 to 2007, was delighted to be back on his old stomping ground and hugely appreciates the support of the region. “If you cut me open I probably bleed red, yellow and black; I’m very proud of my roots,” Gatland said. “It’s a great place to have grown up. Waikato people are incredibly loyal. The amount of support I’ve had is amazing. “We experienced that in the 2011 World Cup. “Really looking forward to a great occasion on Tuesday night, a fantastic atmosphere and a proper rugby ground as well.”