Gatland’s Lions talk not fooling anyone
WARREN GATLAND’S tongue-in-cheek attempts to play down his interest in the Lions head-coach role can be dismissed. In fact, by emphasising the arduous nature of next year’s tour to his native New Zealand, the Kiwi coach of Wales is already acting as if he is preparing to take on the job again. Gatland’s comments at the official RBS 6 Nations launch were a high-profile way of illustrating the momentous task that he is likely to face. Never mind the quip that his Ireland counterpart, Joe Schmidt, ‘can have the job’ — Gatland, the architect of the 2013 triumph in Australia, is a competitive beast who will crave a shot at immortality against the All Blacks. Meanwhile, Schmidt claims his contract wouldn’t leave scope to coach the Lions anyway, but that is another red herring. The Irish Rugby Football Union would be castigated if they blocked his path. As John Feehan, the Lions chief executive, noted dryly: ‘I am sure, somehow, we’ll manage to get a coach.’
BE careful what you wish for. Two years after their rebellion nearly caused the break-up of European competition, English and French clubs have a duopoly in the Champions Cup quarter-finals.
Three of the last eight are French and five are from the Premiership. That is cause for domestic celebration to an extent, but with the bigger picture in mind, the narrow range of the knockout games is a worry. An Anglo-French event wouldn’t be a terrible concept, but the draw has produced two all-English ties which won’t set pulses racing among the neutrals.
A tournament with just two nationalities left standing lacks intrigue, colour and variety.