Warren Gatland admits he is 'hurting' after Wales exit, explains why decision was 'right for everybody'
Published 19/02/2025 at 12:11 GMT
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Warren Gatland admitted he is "hurting" following his Wales exit in the middle of their Six Nations campaign, and explained why the decision was "right for everybody." Gatland brought his second spell at the Welsh helm to a close after going down 22-15 to Italy in Rome, which brought their losing streak to a 14th straight defeat.
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Warren Gatland admitted he is "hurting" in the aftermath of leaving Wales in the middle of this year's Six Nations.
The second round of the tournament saw Wales lose to Italy under relentless Roman rain, stretching their losing streak to a 14th straight defeat.
It was then that Gatland realised his second stint in his beloved Wales was finally over.
"The negativity will go away, it will go," he told The Telegraph. "Am I hurting a little bit? Yes, of course I am hurting.
"But I will get over that quickly. I will be able to take the negativity to one side and then look back on some really fond memories and some great days at the Principality Stadium. Some great memories with some amazing people and with some brilliant players.
"Yes, I’ve made lots of sacrifices. But when I look back on it, I have loved my time in Wales. I have made some great friends and some unbelievable fans. That is what has made it special."
"It was always a must-win game," he says of the Italy clash. "We had a good week’s preparation in Nice and, you know, I understood there were a lot of people saying how important the game is. I was well aware of that.
"The Friday or the Saturday before the game, I made sort of a decision without thinking too much about it. If we didn’t win that game, then I’d have to seriously consider my position. It would be the best time and the best thing for everyone to walk away."
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Wales lost 22-15 in Rome in what was perhaps their poorest performance of their 14 defeats. Gatland had indeed lost key players in Dafydd Jenkins and Liam Williams shortly before the game, but the overall display was criticised for being indisciplined and poorly coached.
The New Zealander tried to keep his dignity in the post-match press conference, but it was clear that it was the end of the road for Wales' most successful coach.
"It didn’t go as planned," he added. "Probably in the past, it would have been one of those games where I would have gone absolutely nuts in the changing rooms afterwards.
"But the players were hurting. The staff were hurting. We shot ourselves in the foot in terms of some discipline accuracy. The kicking game was poor.
"And you go into a press conference, and you get asked the same questions about whether your heart is still in the job. You are questioning yourself but, of course, you’re never going to deliver a headline quote for someone saying you are.
"On the Sunday going back, I was amazed by how many supporters came up to me at the airport and said, ‘Good luck. Keep going. We are behind you’. I was a little bit overwhelmed by that, really. I wasn’t expecting that. That makes you have second thoughts a little bit about those decisions."
'I'VE LOVED MY TIME IN WALES'
But on Monday the journey was finished, and a conversation with Wales Rugby Union (WRU) chief executive Abi Tierney brought his second tenure to a close.
His first stint in Cardiff brought an unprecedented amount of success in the professional era, guiding Wales to three Grand Slams and two World Cup semi-finals. He took sabbaticals to lead the British and Irish Lions to a series victory against Australia in 2013 and a draw against the All Blacks four years later.
The run-up to the 2019 Rugby World Cup even saw them briefly top the world rankings after a 14-match unbeaten run.
He returned following the dismissal of Wayne Pivac in the autumn of 2022, and the second portion of his time in charge has been anything but prosperous, aside from a promising month at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
He has presided over statistically the worst Wales side in their 144-year international rugby history, with 14 successive Test losses. They have won six matches and lost 20, for a success rate of less than 25%.
"I’ve always said it’s not about me," he says. "I’ve loved my time in Wales. There have been highs and lows. The fans are incredibly passionate. The support that I’ve had has been amazing. I love the fans, but sometimes you’ve got to ask yourself that question. And for me, I’ve always been pretty positive, I always believe.
"In the past, I have gone into games always nervous but excited, a little bit apprehensive, nervous about what’s going to happen. Recently I’ve been going into games nervous, probably not feeling that sort of positivity and not having that belief - almost dreading the game and the results and the negativity that follows.
"It was the best decision for Welsh rugby, first. That was the team first, and then Welsh rugby and then the best decision for me.
"Time to walk away and give everyone a bit of breathing space and for someone else to take over and see if they can have an impact.
"It wasn’t just about taking pressure off the team. It was about taking some pressure off the union, giving them a little bit of breathing space. Giving some of the other coaches some breathing space as well in terms of the pressure. Everything was directed at me in terms of selection, the way the team was playing, the game plan.
"I’m quite happy to take all of that criticism and then be the fall guy. I think it was the right decision for everybody."
LEGACY 'DOES NOT BOTHER ME'
Following his initial departure in 2019 after an incredible 12-year spell, Gatland's Gate was erected in his honour at the Principality Stadium.
While he hopes that the gate remains, he insists that the idea of preserving his legacy is something that does not bother him.
"No regrets," he says. "Someone did say to me yesterday, ‘Should we get the spanner and the crescent out and go and take the gates off so you can ship them back home?’
"I’ve been asked about legacy a lot of times. ‘Is there a chance you’re going to ruin your legacy?’ Those things don’t bother me. What we achieved in the World Cup was above expectation. And what we’ve done now, we haven’t quite lived up to expectations.
"When you look back, there was the golden era of the 1970s. Hopefully people look back at my period, going back to when Wales won the Grand Slam in 2005 under Mike Ruddock to basically the World Cup quarter-final in 2023, as a golden era in terms of a generation of people sort of expecting success every few years.
"Whether that’s three Grand Slams or a championship or World Cup semi-finals. It’s been success every two or three years. We overachieved for such a small nation, massively, and I’ll be forever proud of that."
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