WRU must reverse this talent drain
“Welsh rugby cannot afford to let English clubs keep poaching our best young coaches”
WE’VE known for a while Danny Wilson is leaving Cardiff Blues at the end of the season, but confirmation of his move to Wasps this week really got me thinking.
It’s about time we moved to stop the drain of Welsh coaches leaving the regional game. It’s blighting the development of elite rugby in this country and we need to do something about it. Now.
Before anyone jumps down my throat, I know Danny isn’t technically Welsh as he was born in Weston Super Mare. But after coaching with the Scarlets, Dragons and finally the Blues, I feel he’s very much a product of the Welsh system and is another one we’re letting go.
It’s a far from an ideal scenario in my view and I hope the Welsh Rugby Union share my worries because, as a small nation, we can’t keep letting English clubs poach our best young coaches.
Next season it’s almost certain we will have only one Welsh coach in charge of a region and that’s Steve Tandy at the Ospreys. And let’s be honest, life is hardly rosy at the Liberty Stadium right now so that could all change as well before the start of the 2018-19 season.
It’s clear to me that a lot of Welsh coaches seem to think working in England, France, or even further afield, is an attractive proposition, more appealing than staying at home and a possible stepping stone to one day returning to Wales.
The question I’ve been asking myself, is why?
In my opinion, part of the reason is that we’re such a passionate rugby nation, that being a coach in Wales is a particularly difficult job. If things are going badly, you get it from all sides and while that shouldn’t be an excuse for leaving, I’m convinced it’s part of the problem.
Look at the number of Welsh coaches we’ve seen struggle, get the sack, and then move on to pastures new in a different country: Phil Davies, Lyn Jones, Kingsley Jones and Nigel Davies are just a handful of guys who spring to mind and fall under that category.
Remarkably, both Phil and Lynn Howells were coaching at the last Rugby World Cup. If these guys are good enough to be working at the highest level, then surely we should try to have them involved in Welsh rugby to some degree?
The fact they’ve gone abroad isn’t ideal and it’s a trend I can see continuing. When Warren Gatland leaves Wales after the 2019 World Cup, his assistant Rob Howley will follow suit. I’ve seen Rob say already he wants to go and coach in France or England as his next job.
What does that mean for Robin McBryde and Neil Jenkins? They’re two more Welshmen, like Rob, who we don’t want to lose. Jenks, in particular, has done a fantastic job for me. When he was appointed a lot of people questioned the need for a skills or kicking coach. He’s proven them wrong by making Leigh Halfpenny and Dan Biggar among the best kickers in the world today.
Some people might be reading this and thinking I’m advocating a Welshman for every top job in regional rugby.
Let me make it clear, I’m not – I think the best man for the role has to be appointed. We’ve seen guys from abroad come in and really impress as foreign coaches. Wayne Pivac is obviously a very good example of that at the Scarlets.
Certainly, I think a Kiwi thick skin can help in Wales, Warren and Wayne have shown that to be beneficial.
Hopefully there is someone within the WRU who might read this and think action is required. We’ve spent months and months talking about the need for our best players to be featuring in Wales at regional level. We’ve even changed our selection policy and sacrificed the talent of Rhys Webb to do so.
While all that has happened, nothing has changed on the coaching front really and the only exception to the rule I can see is Stephen Jones. As an ex-team-mate of mine, I know exactly what Stephen is like and he’s done a brilliant job in getting the Scarlets back division firing and I’ll say it again, I see him as a future Wales coach.
The challenge for the WRU now is to bring more young men like Stephen through. Dwayne Peel, another former Wales team-mate of mine, is another I’d like to see given a chance here.
How a man of Dwayne’s pedigree has been lost to Ulster is beyond me.
We need guys like Stephen and Dwayne in our coaching system, not others’, if our game is to thrive and my memo to the WRU is to keep an eye on this area. It’s one which for me, is currently going under the radar.