Why NZR ‘felt it had won the lottery’ when Gatland signed
The recipe for making a high-quality coach is well established — prove yourself at home and then head off for a northern hemisphere role for a few years before returning to New Zealand with a rounded education.
Warren Gatland has brought that northern hemisphere finishing school to Hamilton.
Gatland is world class and has so much intellectual property from his time in the north coaching Wales and the British & Irish Lions that every Kiwi Super Rugby coach who goes up against his Chiefs is going to benefit.
The 56-year-old will not play 10-man rugby, but already he has talked about bringing a more pragmatic style to the Chiefs. The Rugby World Cup proved that the New Zealand way is not the only way.
So, forget Steve Hansen’s grumbles about the nature of Gatland’s Chiefs contract.
New Zealand Rugby must have felt like it won the lottery when Gatland signed for four years and that is not meant to disrespect the unfairly maligned Colin Cooper.
Scott Robertson is 45, Leon MacDonald is 41, Aaron Mauger is 39 and Jason Holland is 47.
With John Plumtree on the team of new All Blacks head coach Ian Foster, that quartet of relatively young coaches could be coaching in Super Rugby next year.
NZ Rugby already does a bit for coaching development. In November the
Toronto Blue Jays’ assistant director of high performance, Dr Dehra Harris, addressed the Super Rugby coaches on the psychology of performance.
Highlanders mentor Mauger was buzzing about her presentation and the food for thought she had offered.
But there is nothing quite like butting heads with a canny and experienced coach such as Gatland to pick up some lessons.
Gatland has been unafraid to set the bar high for the
Chiefs. Already he is talking about building something at the
Chiefs that the other
Super Rugby franchises aspire to. That’s the sort of comment that will be prick up ears at the Crusaders, who might reasonably suggest they are going all right thank you very much.
But Gatland’s ambition is welcome. Clearly, he has not returned home to settle for a few satisfactory appearances in the finals, he wants to win the competition.
He also still wants to be the All Blacks coach, which sets up a potentially intriguing head-to-head with Robertson.
Foster’s two-year deal with the All Blacks still offers a carrot to both Gatland and Crusaders coach Robertson, giving their Super Rugby encounters some extra pepper. The maligned competition would get a fine subplot. Gatland also knows that the Chiefs have done a good job in giving him a squad with the potential to win the title.
They are stacked at No 9-No 10, the midfield and the back row. Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi appears to have turned up at preseason training lighter and sharper. It could be a big year for the halfback, his pass rivalling All Blacks incumbent Aaron Smith.
The stage has therefore been set up well for Gatland. His return adds a bit of edge to the Super Rugby season, and every coach in the country will be better for it.
New Zealand Rugby must have felt like it won the lottery when Gatland signed for four years...