Warren Gatland Affirms Desire to Remain Wales Head Coach

Warren Gatland, during his initial tenure as Wales coach, secured three Grand Slams and guided the team to two World Cup semi-finals. The upcoming Autumn Nations Series fixture will see Wales face South Africa at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday, 23 November, with a kick-off time of 17:40 GMT. Coverage will be available live on S4C, BBC Radio Wales, Radio Cymru, and via live text and commentary on the BBC Sport website and app. Warren Gatland has stated his intention to remain as Wales head coach, as he prepares his team to confront world champions South Africa in Cardiff this Saturday. Gatland’s current period has seen a record 11 consecutive Test match defeats. Should Wales suffer another loss this weekend, it would mark the first time since 1937 that the team has gone a full calendar year without a Test victory. When directly questioned about his strong desire to continue in his role, he responded: “Absolutely. I think we’ve been clear in terms of the plan we’ve had. We’ve got a group of young players that need a bit of time.” Gatland further noted his understanding of “the pressures of international rugby with performances and results.” “We can only work as hard as we have done. I’m aware of the pressure and that decisions could be made outside of my control,” Gatland stated. He added: “We’ve just asked for a little bit of time. Whether we get that time, we’ll have to wait and see.” After the record 52-20 loss to Australia last Sunday, Gatland confirmed he held discussions with Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) chair Richard Collier-Keywood and executive director of rugby Nigel Walker in the Principality Stadium changing rooms. He has also consulted with his family regarding his future. However, three days after the defeat by Australia, Gatland stated he has received no indication from any party that he would not continue in his role beyond the forthcoming match against the Springboks. The New Zealander, who has dismissed rumors of a break clause in his contract after next year’s Six Nations, indicated he would resign if such a decision served the best interests of Welsh rugby. “I do care passionately about Welsh rugby, and that’s why I’ve said that if people feel that the best decision is for me to go, then that’s okay, I’ll move on and look for something else,” Gatland commented. He further questioned: “I honestly believe by making that decision now, what are you going to achieve, and is someone else going to come in there, start again and how long is that process going to take?” Gatland mentioned receiving support in recent days. “The amount of people who have contacted me in the last week or and the messages I’ve had, whether that’s by phone or email or messages through my family, has been incredible,” Gatland stated. He acknowledged: “There obviously seems to be a bit of a divide, doesn’t there? You know, ‘to go or stay’.” “I appreciate people that have reached out and support they’ve given me but you understand that there’s another side of opinion as well,” he added. Welsh rugby currently lacks a strategic plan and is facing difficulties both on and off the field, a contrast to Gatland’s initial 12-year period at the helm of Wales. “I mentioned in the past that when the dam burst, it was going to take a while to plug it up again, that’s probably where we are at the moment,” Gatland remarked. He continued: “For a number of years we felt like the success we had with the national team was papering over the cracks underneath.” “We need to look at the future and the pathway and some of the structures to make some changes,” he emphasized. “I’ve encouraged the union on a number of occasions to be bold about some of the changes that we make in the best interests of Welsh rugby,” Gatland concluded.