Warren Gatland
Warren Gatland
Warren David Gatland OBEis a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player. He is the head coach of Wales, and was head coach of the British and Irish Lions for their 2013 tour of Australia. He has previously coached Connacht, Ireland, London Wasps and Waikato. As a player he was one of Waikato's longest-serving players, having played 140 games - a record at the time...
england enjoyed month players squad together
An NPC preparation is a lot different to the Premiership. In England we had a squad of around 44 players and had over a month together before the championship started. This has been a lot different and more challenging in some ways, but I've enjoyed the change.
deal english fair found good guilty honest maligned patriotic straight supporting
I also think the English are maligned ... they are made to feel guilty about being patriotic and supporting their teams. But I found them really good to deal with, fair and honest and straight up.
keeping positives shape sure work
So we've really concentrated on the positives to work on -- keeping our shape and just making sure that defensively we're right.
homework hopefully week
We've done a lot of homework this week and hopefully we can get everything right on the day.
team games play
Rugby has always been a game for all shapes and sizes. You have the superstars and the fast guys who score the tries, but you also need the workhorses and the people who play all the other roles. Unless they all work together as a team then it's really going to affect the performance. Everyone's got to rely on everyone else.
fun player environment
My aim is to create a happy environment where the players are working hard, but enjoying themselves. You've got to enjoy yourself, and you've got to have a bit of fun as well.
team knowing people
There's no better feeling than sitting on the team bus travelling to the Millennium Stadium knowing that the team will be playing in front of 74,500 people. You're driven through the crowds where you see the smiles on people's faces and I get a huge buzz out of that.
team believe responsibility
Having a social appetite for knowledge and wanting to develop and improve as a coach is important, but I believe in empowering people, particularly the other coaches that work with the team, giving them ownership and responsibility.