Why Gatland is

Having appeared dead and buried at halftime against France in their opening Six Nations fixture, Wales made a miraculous recovery and played their ‘get out of jail free’ card.

After beating the French, Wales’ belief and winning streak grew, and they went on to clinch the grand slam in emphatic style against Ireland.

Wales are not dissimilar to the All Blacks in the sense that they have a knack of digging themselves out of a hole, when required, which is forged by an unwavering belief.

However, what made the Welsh performances so exceptional for me over the Six Nations campaign was that they played with so much intensity for so long and kept their discipline. The biggest variable is whether you can maintain your on-field discipline, and under Warren Gatland they have.

Wales, who have moved up to second in the World Rugby rankings, are genuine World Cup contenders in Japan and the reason is very simple. It’s the way they are playing the game.

What is interesting is that Wales beat both England and Ireland at their own game. If you examine the matches against England and Ireland, Wales won the aerial duels, got the ball back and dominated.

The kicking game, and most especially the aerial battle, is critical and what makes Wales so dangerous is that all of a sudden they are blessed with a few players who are effective in the air. The likes of Dan Biggar, Gareth Anscombe, George North and Liam Williams hit new heights.

With Steve Hansen having announced his decision to vacate the All Black head coaching position after the 2019 World Cup, some have suggested that Gatland’s name should be part of the conversation when it comes to appointing the next All Black coach. The 55-year-old, who has been in charge of Wales since 2007, is an effective manmanager, an experienced coach and is good at what he does.

However, I have reservations as to whether he would prove the right fit for the All Blacks.