Warren Gatland?!

[baz1664]

Is WG really the right man to lead the Lions after being voted the worst coach In super rugby last season after losing all 8 games? Surely other coaches deserved a chance, yes Gatland won in Oz and drew in NZ but after a stinker of a season with a solid Chiefs side he slots back into one of the most coveted roles in world rugby, he has a good lions CV but clearly his coaching ability is on the slide?

[AusTiger]

This feels like bait? not sure....

I personally think he's an incredible coach. I see your point about Chiefs last year but this year they are 2nd in the NZ branch and just turned over Crusaders who are basically the All Black pack. Maybe that points more towards the differences in building club compared to national teams. I would suggest coached/DoR's would need the same kind of bedding in periods to get used to the change and that change is already being seen.
In terms of replacing him with someone who would do a better job, who would you suggest?

[baz1664]

It’s just something that I think has been ignored, WG had his foot in the door for the SA Lions head coach post and was pretty much unrivalled.

The question is does he still have the belly or spark to lead the lions again, I think his selection will offer us a good indication, stick with his Wales boys and the Sarries chaps or look at offering opportunities to a few unknowns and mavericks who might not be getting a look in internationally but could be sensations on tour.

I am sure there would be many other hands raised to take the role as head coach.

AWJ already being mentioned as captain, same old same old if it is the case!!

[Wayne Richardson Fan Club]

Gatland isn't (officially) doing anything with the Chiefs this season, make of that what you will...

Being the worst franchise in NZ rugby is not exactly the worse team in the world though.

He was very nearly shown up in Oz against a very average Wallaby team & "helpful" officiating in NZ helped the Lions, but he is probably in credit Lions wise, but I agree his selection will be interesting, you see the logic in selecting players he knows, what you certainly need this time is good tourists who will cope with being in a bubble, they might not necessarily be the best players...

[Scott1]

No he shouldn’t! Overrated as an international coach imo, Edwards has been the far bigger loss for Wales. Beat one of the worse Oz sides in history due to a Beale botched kick and drew with NZ due to Barrett’s terrible kicking,SBW red and one of the worse offside decisions I’ve ever seen that wasn’t given against Owens,has a bit of spite about him too and seems to relish not picking certain players when it comes to the The Lions,I desperately pray this is his last tour!

[Dokie]

No he shouldn’t! Overrated as an international coach imo, Edwards has been the far bigger loss for Wales. Beat one of the worse Oz sides in history due to a Beale botched kick and drew with NZ due to Barrett’s terrible kicking,SBW red and one of the worse offside decisions I’ve ever seen that wasn’t given against Owens,has a bit of spite about him too and seems to relish not picking certain players when it comes to the The Lions,I desperately pray this is his last tour!

[Scott1]

No he shouldn’t! Overrated as an international coach imo, Edwards has been the far bigger loss for Wales. Beat one of the worse Oz sides in history due to a Beale botched kick and drew with NZ due to Barrett’s terrible kicking,SBW red and one of the worse offside decisions I’ve ever seen that wasn’t given against Owens,has a bit of spite about him too and seems to relish not picking certain players when it comes to the The Lions,I desperately pray this is his last tour!

[Traveller]

My view for a long time has been that there was no justification in giving Gatland three tours. The fact he isn't even coaching in the British or Ireland now makes it even more ludicrous.

By all means select the very best coach on the planet to coach a national team, irrespective of nationality. But the Lions are supposed to be different. That is the magic. Mcgeechan yes, because he was Scottish. Wherever possible the Lions should be British or Irish. Carwyn James did a decent job and he never coached a 5 Nations team.

[wellstiger]

I bet its more about services rendered ( Wales) than being of the here and now.
Its like honours.
Anyway every one else is busy.....

[Dokie]

Lots of criticism of Warren’s appointment but no suggestions of an alternative. There’s no one who readily comes to my mind but I’m happy with his appointment.

[Cagey Tiger]

My view for a long time has been that there was no justification in giving Gatland three tours. The fact he isn't even coaching in the British or Ireland now makes it even more ludicrous.

By all means select the very best coach on the planet to coach a national team, irrespective of nationality. But the Lions are supposed to be different. That is the magic. Mcgeechan yes, because he was Scottish. Wherever possible the Lions should be British or Irish. Carwyn James did a decent job and he never coached a 5 Nations team.

Carwyn did a more than decent job
The only reason he didn't coach Wales (in those days, a national coach only came from that nation) was WRU politics - he coached Llanelli (West Wales) not Cardiff (East Wales).

[Wayne Richardson Fan Club]

My view for a long time has been that there was no justification in giving Gatland three tours. The fact he isn't even coaching in the British or Ireland now makes it even more ludicrous.

By all means select the very best coach on the planet to coach a national team, irrespective of nationality. But the Lions are supposed to be different. That is the magic. Mcgeechan yes, because he was Scottish. Wherever possible the Lions should be British or Irish. Carwyn James did a decent job and he never coached a 5 Nations team.

Carwyn did a more than decent job
The only reason he didn't coach Wales (in those days, a national coach only came from that nation) was WRU politics - he coached Llanelli (West Wales) not Cardiff (East Wales).

Touch of the Brian Clough about that....

Just think how good a 70's Welsh side coached by Carwyn might of been...as the late great Ray Gravell said "West is Best"
As for alternatives to Gatland, there aren't any really, although Joe Schmidt might of been a change, genuine home nation head coaches....nope struggling.

[Tiglon]

I struggle to come up with a stronger alternative who would be available and interested - especially if he is expected to be from British Isles. With everything that is going on at the moment, it doesn't hurt to have someone in charge who is familiar with the setup and has previously worked with many of the players likely to be involved.

I would 100% like to see someone else take on the role next time around though.

[Tigers86asw]

My view for a long time has been that there was no justification in giving Gatland three tours. The fact he isn't even coaching in the British or Ireland now makes it even more ludicrous.

By all means select the very best coach on the planet to coach a national team, irrespective of nationality. But the Lions are supposed to be different. That is the magic. Mcgeechan yes, because he was Scottish. Wherever possible the Lions should be British or Irish. Carwyn James did a decent job and he never coached a 5 Nations team.

Carwyn did a more than decent job
The only reason he didn't coach Wales (in those days, a national coach only came from that nation) was WRU politics - he coached Llanelli (West Wales) not Cardiff (East Wales).

Touch of the Brian Clough about that....

Just think how good a 70's Welsh side coached by Carwyn might of been...as the late great Ray Gravell said "West is Best"
As for alternatives to Gatland, there aren't any really, although Joe Schmidt might of been a change, genuine home nation head coaches....nope struggling.

I’ve always thought Townsend and Schmidt were the most outstanding coaches over the past decade. What Townsend did with Glasgow and then some of the results with Scotland have been very good. They only have two professional teams and punch well above their weight given the number of professional players they have available.

[sam16111986]

Lots of criticism of Warren’s appointment but no suggestions of an alternative. There’s no one who readily comes to my mind but I’m happy with his appointment.

Which is exactly why he got the job I think. He's a known quantity. He's done a competent job on the last two tours, well maybe excluding the first test Vs the All Blacks. Anyone else is taking a bit of a punt though I was really disappointed to see him snub Scott Robertson's offer to join the tour, given some of the options unavailable he could have been an incredible addition.

I can't say I rate Gatland particularly highly, I always felt that he leaned heavily on the Edwards defence especially as time went on for Wales. I think the one season with the Chiefs maybe showed up his lack of day to day coaching nous, after years on the international scene stepping back to club rugby even Super Rugby has different requirements. I don't think Chiefs fans are keen to see him return. I don't think he has any real chance of getting that All Black's job he desperately wants.