But Gatland’s pragmatic statement does not overlook the size of the task ahead, as he begins the process of building a Wales team to restore national pride – not just at the RBS Six Nations opener on February 2nd, but for the duration of the coming season and beyond.
Also on his list of ‘things to do’ are:
– A host of Welsh coaches ready to take over from him in four years time
– Leaving Welsh rugby in a better state than when he found it
– Installing a new mental toughness into current and future players and creating an intense and pressurised training environment for all
– Putting his heart and soul into the job
“It’s a big ask, we haven’t had success at Twickenham for a while now, but that’s one of the little boxes I want to tick off over the next four years,” said Gatland of his immediate goal of creating a team to match England on February 2nd. I want to achieve some of the things that have not been done for a long, long time.
“To go to Twickenham in our first game on the 2nd of Feb, for me, you can’t get much tougher than that. Perhaps I’ve got a bit of an advantage because I’ve been there for some good victories with Wasps a few times and I also have a great insight into some of the England players. I hope that will help us in the week or two we have to prepare for that game.
“The Six Nations Championship is such a confidence tournament. If you can get a couple of wins your confidence grows and you can get another couple of results. But I’m also fully aware that if you lose a couple then your backs are against the wall and you end up having to dig yourself out of a hole.”
Facing England in February will obviously be at the forefront of Gatland’s mind when he takes up residence in his new office at Wales team headquarters for the first time tomorrow (Monday), but his every action for the foreseeable future will also be coloured by his desire to leave a lasting legacy to Welsh rugby.
When the New Zealand-born former Ireland and London Wasps boss leaves for home in four years time, he is adamant there should be a host Welsh coaches waiting in the wings to replace him.
“There’s an old saying that ‘a savage loves its native shores’ and that goes for me as well, but I can tell everyone in Wales now I’ve taken this job you’ll get heart and soul from me,” he said.
“I’ll give my all, and devote everything to improving Welsh rugby. I aim to leave in four years time with the game here in a better position than when I started and I also hope I leave three or four Welsh coaches waiting to take my place.
“I’m very determined about that, there’s an obligation that comes with this role. It’s not just about me, but about me doing my best to improve Welsh rugby and if I can put my hand on my heart in a few years time and say that’s happened then I’ll be pretty pleased.”
And, when he says he will give the job is all, Gatland sounds like he means business. Wales’s new leader intends to put the players through their paces, it surely won’t be a case of last man standing wins a place in the side, but the tough-talking Kiwi will pressurise our current stars.
“At training we are going to be putting the players under stress and pressure,” he said. “There are times at training I’m going to try to break a couple of them, both physically and mentally to see how tough they are.
“I’ll tell them I’m going to try to do it too, because we’ve got to replicate matchday intensity on the training field. If we put ourselves under intense pressure in training hopefully when it comes to the game the players are prepared for it. At times the training situation almost needs to be even harder than game day, so you know you can do it.
“Mental toughness is about starting off with some simple basic things. I’ll be saying to the players look in the mirror when you come off the pitch and make sure you are able to say to yourself you tried your hardest to be the best you can be.
“If a player can say I’ve given everything, I’ve tried really hard, then that’s a start. When you get on the field there’s no excuse for an international player pulling an international jersey on and NOT dying for the cause. If he doesn’t and if he’s holding back, then he doesn’t deserve to be there.
“I’d like to think that the players will really enjoy the environment, they’ll learn and appreciate the style of rugby. I hope they find it really challenging and know that this is how the game should be played and enjoy the challenge.
“If I can create that kind of environment, that will go a long way to getting some results.”
