A Sunday newspaper columnist has suggested Wales should keep Warren Gatland and convince Sir Clive Woodward to become director of rugby.
With Gatland going 10 games without a win in the Test arena, questions have been raised by fans and former players about his future in the job. Former Welsh Rugby Union chief executive David Moffett has even suggested that Gatland should resign.
With much uncertainty around the 61-year-old’s future, The Sunday Times writer Stephen Jones has suggested a radical change should be made at the epicentre of the WRU, and added the blame cannot be piled upon Gatland alone.
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In an article headlined ‘Keep Warren Gatland – and beg Sir Clive Woodward to be director of rugby’, Jones was critical of WRU bosses and, in particular, executive director of rugby Nigel Walker. He wrote: “Gatland is now under pressure for his job, and yet what a profoundly undeserving scapegoat he would be — he came back with Welsh rugby not so much on its uppers as on its backside.
“Welsh rugby was badly led at almost all levels, with a mass of great players having passed on to other nations or into retirement. But it would be unbelievably convenient, to the point of corruption, for the rest of Welsh rugby to blame the coach — just so that all the other culprits can stay in their positions and fool themselves for yet more seasons.”
He continued: “It would be excellent to bring in a dynamic specialist coach or two,” explained Jones. “And as I keep saying, to engage Sir Clive Woodward as an adviser, or even a director of rugby, to replace (Nigel) Walker would be the boldest and best move — but Wales is probably still too small-minded a country and too anti-English to dare employ a knight of the English realm. What a shame.”
Like Sam Warburton explained earlier this week, Gatland will likely be given at least until the end of the autumn campaign before any decisions are made about him and his role. Of course, there is the possibility that he could resign, but that seems unlikely.
Sir Clive has a fine sporting resume, winning the World Cup with England in 2003 and working as Team GB director of sport between 2006 and 2012, although he was unsuccessful with the Lions in 2005.
“Everybody now tends to want to jump in and make a decision,” says Warburton. “My thing is, let it breathe, get to the end of the campaign and then cross that bridge when it comes. A lot can happen in two international Test matches.
“You’ve got to give it another couple of games and then you’ve got to get together and make a decision.”
Wales host the Wallabies at 4.10pm on Sunday afternoon, before going up against the Springboks six days later to close out the autumn.
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