Warren Gatland fires back at ex-Wales players with timely reminder after leaving job
Warren Gatland has reminded a lot of his ex-players who criticised him and his team that they “wouldn’t be in the media” if they weren’t successful under him for Wales.
The New Zealander left his role with Welsh rugby recently following a catastrophic run of results that has seen Wales lose 14 on the bounce and slide to 12th in the world rankings. Not since 2023 have they won a game and Gatland and his side were increasingly criticised.
Defeat in Italy in the last round of the Six Nations proved the final straw for Gatland, who has left his post midway through the tournament. The 61-year-old had presided over a golden era in his first spell, but found things much harder the second time round.
A number of players whom he picked have since retired and moved into punditry roles, with several of them having to be critical in their new jobs. Gatland though reminded them that it was their success under him that granted them pathways into the media.
He said in an interview with the Telegraph: They (former players) are trying to find their feet in the game and sometimes you have to be seen to be objective. And by being objective, be critical. I look and can say that there’s a number of them that wouldn’t be in the media if they hadn’t played for Wales, or hadn’t played for the (British and Irish) Lions, or hadn’t been successful.”
Gatland also added: “I’ve felt a huge amount of negativity in the Welsh press and that just kept weighing down on me. I just kept thinking, ‘where is someone in my corner or someone fighting a little bit for me?’.”
The ex-Wales boss doesn’t name names, nor hint at them, but the likes of Sam Warburton, Dan Biggar and Jamie Roberts have all landed themselves media gigs. His former scrum-half Mike Phillips, who won Grand Slams and Lions tours, was particularly critical of Gatland on Twitter.
Gatland’s final game proved to be the 22-15 loss in Rome, which was the third time in four years that Italy had beaten Wales in the Six Nations. The Kiwi admits he told himself prior to the game that, if he wasn’t successful, he would give serious thought to leaving.
He said: “It was always a must-win game. We had a good week’s preparation in Nice and, you know, I understood there were a lot of people saying how important the game is. I was well aware of that.
“The Friday or the Saturday before the game, I made sort of a decision without thinking too much about it. If we didn’t win that game, then I’d have to seriously consider my position. It would be the best time and the best thing for everyone to walk away.”
Get email updates with the day’s biggest stories