words hamish Stuart pictures Steve pope
thE Man With
thE Midas touCh
shoWs thE valuE
oF GoldEn rulEs

the value of success has been an those cracks are appearing now. gatland has done “We had to get buy-in from the players in terms
elusive prize in the boom/bust bearpit some research on Wales, but more importantly of the way we wanted to play the game, the style
of Welsh rugby, but Wales coach Warren he has learned lessons from other countries and of play, and to do that we had to get some results.
Gatland has turned it on its head to show other times.
the success of values. “i do not want to say too much more, opposition
he promised publicly to break the players, but coaches are going to have to look closely at what
Having taken a team of World Cup flops and turned instead he has been the making off them. for all we did and what we achieved.
them into grand Slam champs, the values of hard the public promise of austerity, he lured flanker
work, pride in the jersey, respect and honesty are the martyn Williams out of retirement by promising it “We worked hard, it was pretty simple with a
key words for the quietly spoken Kiwi. would be fun. balance between the rock stars out there who
were able to create something and the grafters
he has instilled those values in the players and they all his success with Wales surprised most of the who were happy to make tackles.
work hard for that success. While it was an attractive rugby world, but not the man himself, although he
package which lured gatland from new Zealand, the is not prepared to divulge details of what brings “there was a nice balance in the side, but
phrase ‘value for money’ can be added to the list. the midas touch. tactically it was a significantly different to anything
these players had experienced before.
he has a contract through to the 2011 World cup in “We got what we deserved in the Six nations,”
new Zealand and as a result there are those who feel he said. “looking back and analysing it we “the whole game is based on trying to create
the boom/bust days of Welsh rugby are over for the deserved to win the Six nations and the grand mis-matches and we achieved that on a number
time being, with a stronger structure underpinning the Slam, being mindful that a lot of teams were going of occasions and we were also able to score tries
international achievements. through a transition phase with new coaches and from our defence. our discipline was good, but
it was just after the World cup. that is an area we can improve.”
that is quite a statement for the rugby country which
has traditionally followed success with internal blood- “We looked at the Six nations as really being the and that is as far as gatland is prepared to go in
letting. first three games, England and then two games explaining how he pulled the Six nations rabbit
at home. We felt that if we could win two or out of the hat, rather like a magician admitting it
the list is damning of those who used to run Welsh three of them then we could finish high in the was sleight of hand but without explaining further.
rugby – a dazzling triple crown in 1988, but coaches competition and that is what happened.
Tony Gray and Derek Quinnell did not get to defend it. With some coaches you can point to the
a championship in 1993, but a year later alan davies, “it was based on hard work, we concentrated on influence of a certain hemisphere, but Gatland has
gareth Jenkins and bob norster were hastily replaced. our defence and spent a lot of time on trying to spent so much time in ireland and england that it
improve that. It was identified as a weakness in is much harder to identify.
graham henry could not survive taking charge of the World cup and last year’s Six nations.
the lions, while most famously ruddock-gate saw the on returning to Waikato after his successful time
grand Slam winning coach gone within a year of that “the game plan was quite different to the way at Wasps, things took time to come together and
success. these players had played in the past. probably the there were plenty of commentators who argued
casual observer would not notice that, but it was that his ‘northern hemisphere’ ways would not
but where the seeds of mike ruddock’s departure profoundly different to anything these players had work in new Zealand.
were sown before the grand Slam was won, none of played previously.
sportingwales
maytwothousand&eight
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