Tightness of squad will be tested more than ever

Departure threatens to derail Wales’ bid for first World Cup win, writes Mick Cleary in Tokyo

Do not underestimate how much of a blow to Wales this is. Do not try to downplay how shattered Warren Gatland will be. The Wales squad, too. There is a lot of guff spouted about tightness and bonding at these elite gatherings as if a bunch of highly trained athletes and highly remunerated men were not able to perform without the bolstering, boosting effect of a companion-inarms alongside. But the mantra is true. And it is rarely tested. It will be now.

In covering eight World Cups in person, there is not one single winner among those champion teams who have done it purely through the skill levels of individuals. Mates matter. Togetherness has tangible output. Kinship is important. And, here is the thing, none of those elements can exist without trust.

Howley is a lovely fella. He is easy-going, genial, bright, accommodating and good company. Warren Gatland knows that, which is why he has had him at his side for 11 years. The pair get on well. Gatland knows where the line is, though, when it comes to blokeish matters, such as having a flutter. It is not clear what Howley’s alleged transgression is. But it is not beyond the ken of streetwise people to know what the parameters are in a professional game.

Gatland is not a conventional coach, all data and spreadsheets. As he has shown with the British and Irish Lions, he has an intuitive sense of what makes people tick. He is a people-person, a hard taskmaster when he needs to be but also the guy who likes a chuckle. That is the environment he has fostered, a grafting set-up on the training field allied to a grown-up approach off it. Howley was very much part of that scene. Now all that Gatland has worked towards with, and for, Wales over the last decade may have been compromised. Gatland backed his man even though there have been

‘All that Gatland has worked towards over the last decade may now have been compromised’

doubts raised about his ability as an attack coach. Gatland stood firm in front of Howley, defending him from his critics. That faith has been dented. Gatland also coached Howley as a player at Wasps. Howley was ahead of his time as a scrum-half – super-fit, dedicated, maximising what talent he had through rigorous conditioning.

Elite sporting teams all speak of the need to be adaptable, of being able to deal with adversity, of reacting to challenges. Yet this alleged incident goes way beyond the norm. Of course, there will be rallying cries issued, a circling of the wagons, a sense of defiance within camp. But deep down there will be a fissure and any minor turbulence from hereon in could prove catastrophic.

Teams cannot function without a mutual faith system, without total commitment, without a sense of the other being the first and only priority. Howley, for whatever reason and, let us not gloss over the notion that perhaps he needs some sort of help, appeared to think of himself. Selfishness does not breed champion teams.