Gatland less sure-footed on his return

WARREN Gatland has made more mis-steps in his second stint as Wales's head coach than he did in his first 12 years at the helm.

The latest, and gravest, came last week when he named Cory Hill as the captain for the match against Queensland Reds in Brisbane.

The second row, a surprise inclusion in the squad for the Australia tour because he was playing for a fourth division side in Japan and before the trip had not been capped for three years, pulled out of the side on the morning of the match for personal reasons.

Hill left Wales for Japan at the end of 2021 shortly after it was revealed he was one of three men who damaged a house in Rhondda that was occupied by a woman and her small children.

A report at the time said that Hill was under the influence of alcohol and that the men had gone to the wrong property. His representative said that he had made a full and remorseful apology. He was not charged by the police.

After Gatland, above, had named Hill as captain, the player said that he regretted the incident and publicly apologised. “I made a mistake and I am sorry,” he said. “There is always going to be negative reaction to mistakes someone has made in the past.

“I have been honest and open here. The issue was dealt with by the club (Cardiff) and authorities three years ago. It was a mistake. I hold my hand up and I am sorry for what happened.”

Gatland said he made the decision looking to the future rather than the past. “I have been clear that people do make mistakes in life and make some decisions or actions that they wish didn't happen,” he said. “Young men do make mistakes.”

And older ones. A storm very quickly blew up on social media and the following day the victim of the 2021 incident was interviewed on radio, saying she was disgusted and shocked that Hill, right, had been made captain. She also revealed that she had met Gatland and the Welsh Rugby Union's Nigel Walker last year to discuss the matter.

“I remember Warren Gatland's face, he looked so shocked when I started to share with him what my experience was, what my children's experience was,” she said. “He looked just beside himself.

“I felt like, this is over. So when I discovered that they'd completely U-turned on the feeling of that meeting, how it was concluded, you could have blown me down with a feather, I was so shocked. I am beyond disappointed.”

It was only last year that the WRU found itself embroiled in a misogyny scandal. An independent review found that the organisation had a “toxic culture of bullying and discrimination”. There was a managerial shake-up and the Union's chief executive is now a woman, Abi Tierney.

“The independent review's report is incredibly humbling and describes issues, actions and attitudes that are hugely regrettable,” said Tierney, who started work in January, after its publication. “They should not exist in our, nor any, workplace. We will implement all of the recommendations the independent review panel has made.”

That context made the appointment of Hill all the more astounding. National squads have in the past operated in a bubble but a number of factors, including the rapid growth of women's rugby, makes it hazardous to take decisions in isolation.

Hill's decision to pull out of the match will have followed discussions with the WRU as it grappled with the public reaction to the decision, its embarrassment evident.

“Last-gasp success but Welsh rugby remains a mess,” boomed a headline on the BBC Sport website after Kieran Hardy's try secured victory over the Reds. The loss in the two Tests in Australia extended Wales's losing streak in internationals to nine, one short of their worst run.

They won the Six Nations in 2021, but are on a run of 12 defeats in 13 matches in the championship with the solitary success coming in Italy last year. They have lost their last seven at the Principality Stadium, including two against Italy.

Gatland said after the Queensland match that he was confident jeers would in time turn to cheers. “It has been challenging but I have loved it because it has been different. “We honestly believe this is going to be a good team. We just need a bit of time together and to develop some depth in the squad. We have been clear we want to work towards the next World Cup and we know it is going to take a built of time.”

Wales's head coach has always had to tread a political tight-rope. Gatland was sure-footed in his first stint from 2007, but there have been a few wobbles this time. Gatland is the last of his generation coaching in the Six Nations after Eddie Jones's departure from England. The challenge he faces is not just on the field.