Wales chiefs can be forgiven for an edge of smugness in declaring Warren Gatland “the best possible person available” to take their head coach helm.
Gatland has swept back into the Principality Stadium for a second stint as Wales boss to replace Wayne Pivac, which could yet stretch well beyond next year’s World Cup in France.
There was no time wasted in securing Gatland’s services, amid serious interest from England. But while the RFU continues negotiations to bring in Steve Borthwick to replace Eddie Jones, Gatland is already down to work in Cardiff.
Wales can press on in earnest with plans for a pivotal 2023, leaving new chairman Ieuan Evans delighted with the WRU’s decisive move.
“We identified the best possible person available, and we were able to go and get him,” Evans told Standard Sport.
“We had a window, and we grasped it. Warren’s CV is without reproach, he has an incredible ability to get the best out of the resources he has. He’s a cultural architect, who also has an intimate knowledge of the Welsh landscape.”
Gatland led Wales with distinction between 2007 and 2019, and is back in Cardiff after Pivac’s tenure ran aground in a disappointing 2022.
Expectations will rise given Gatland’s previous success, but Evans believes the experienced New Zealander has the credentials to cope with that pressure.
"The next challenge is, ‘right, what do we do with this opportunity?’,” said Evans. “Going back to the incredible success Warren and his team achieved in his first tenure, the expectation now is that we exactly replicate that.
“He’s got broad shoulders, he understands there’s a legacy there, but he’s quite prepared to put that legacy out there to secure the next chapter of success for the Welsh national team.
“He has broad enough shoulders to cope with that weight of expectation, and succeeding in elite rugby, which we know is such a rapidly evolving landscape.”
