There’s a case for viewing selection as the most important part of being a rugby coach.
Warren Gatland excelled at it during his first stint in charge of Wales, with countless big calls coming off. He knew what he wanted, didn’t pay too much heed to outside influences and backed his own judgement. Most of the time he got things spot-on, though individual players might not always have agreed.
Not for Gatland indecision and confusion in the manner of the pundit who once said of the England football team “the midfield picks itself: Beckham, Scholes, Gerrard and A. N. Other”.
