Lucky for me Warren refused my kind offer in Cardiff

WARREN Gatland will coach Wales for the 100th time against Ireland – a remarkable achievement and he deserves all the accolades he gets.

I loved playing under Warren and I produced some of my best rugby with him as Wales coach, but I got on the wrong side of him almost straight away... a mistake I never made again!

After his first game in charge against England in 2008 we went back to Cardiff. Winning at Twickenham was a great result and spirits were high as we celebrated starting Warren’s time in charge with a brilliant victory. There were a few drinks floating about and I had my fair share of the beer. When we arrived in Wales we went out and I ended up offering to fight Warren!

Why I did that I’ll never know, but I apologised very quickly and thankfully, Warren saw the funny side of it all. There was no fight and after that, we had a great relationship because he’s a top guy.

When I look back on my career, I feel very lucky to have been coached by Warren. I’m not sure he gets the credit he deserves, there’s no doubt he’s one of the best in the world. His record with Wales – and the success he’s had with the Lions – shows that.

The thing that stood out for me with Warren was how he would look after his players. He was so approachable, an image perhaps at odds with the one the public have.

When he took over with Wales he pretty much gave me a free role. As a winger that was fairly new, but Warren told me to slot in wherever I felt was natural on the pitch. I ended up scoring a fair few tries as a result, so I owe him a lot.

It’s no surprise to me that he’s reached 100 Tests with Wales. He takes his job very, very seriously and I’m sure he’ll want to mark his century with a win against Ireland.

It will mean a lot to him, especially as his time with Wales is now coming to an end with his swansong at the next World Cup around the corner.