ITHOUGHT Warren Gatland was going to have a rest after the World Cup?! Warren will leave his role as Wales head coach when the tournament in Japan comes to an end and now we know what he will be up to for the next few years after it was confirmed last week he will return to New Zealand to take control of Super Rugby franchise Chiefs. What a coup that is for them.
He will start his role with the Chiefs in 2020 and his four-year deal includes a break clause to coach the British & Irish Lions in South Africa in 2021. It's the perfect situation for Warren and I'm delighted for him, but I do have one concern over what is going to happen next.
I wish Warren all the best, but in my opinion him moving back to the Southern Hemisphere only pushes him one step nearer to coaching the All Blacks.
Can you imagine the world's best coach taking charge of the best team on the planet? That is one very scary prospect! Obviously that looks a way off for now, but I can certainly sense it being on Warren's radar. When he was my coach with Wales and the Lions it was clear to me how proud he is to be a New Zealander.
He would speak to us about the country a lot and I think that's why he's stayed so long with Wales and has enjoyed his time in charge so much.
New Zealanders and the Welsh are very similar people – fiercely patriotic, proud, often stubborn, and absolutely mad about rugby! There is a tradition of coaches leaving Wales and then going to take charge of New Zealand and I can definitely see Warren following in the footsteps of Sir Graham Henry and Steve Hansen in becoming the All Blacks boss.
I know Warren was hurt by the personal attacks he received in his homeland when he was Lions head coach in 2017, but I also know that hasn't tainted his nation for him.
If you think about it he has the end of his career mapped out nicely. We all hope – in Wales at least – that he ends the year as a World Cup winner and then the Chiefs will be the next to benefit from his guidance. They're the perfect fit for him for a number of reasons. The first is logistically.
Warren hails from the Waikato and Hamilton area and loves it there. If you've ever been, you will know why.
There is no more serene place than the banks of the Waikato River and it will allow him to be close to his family from whom he has been away for so long due to his Wales duties.
Warren, of course, is also a Waikato legend from his playing days as a hooker with the club.
The other reason is that wherever he has gone in his coaching career, Warren has transformed also-rans or middle-of-the-road teams into real competitors and serial winners.
He did it at Connacht and Wasps and I'm convinced he would have done it with Ireland if he'd been given longer in charge. Warren took over Wales after we'd been knocked out of the 2007 World Cup by Fiji and the following year we were Grand Slam champions.
You all know the story since then. I've long argued in my column that Warren is the best coach in world rugby today and I'm sure Chiefs supporters will be delighted at his signing.
They have a formidable team, but they haven't won a Super Rugby title since 2013. I'd imagine that might change in the next two or three years! Warren will only improve the likes of Brodie Retallick, Sam Cane, Damian McKenzie and Anton Lienert
Brown. If I was another Super Rugby head coach, I'd be very worried! I really do hope Warren is a success in New Zealand and I'm sure he will be.
The final point to make is over the Lions. I've no concerns Warren taking the Chiefs job will impact the South Africa tour.
In fact, it might prove a masterstroke. Warren will still have plenty of time to keep an eye on the Northern Hemisphere and let's be honest, he knows the Celtic nations and England pretty much inside out now anyway.
It wouldn't surprise me if he already knows who he wants to pick Lienertand he will also have whoever he chooses as his assistants to do plenty of scouting for him if he can't make it.
Coaching in Super Rugby will also allow Warren to keep a close eye on the South African sides and the men his team will play against in a Springbok jersey in the summer of 2021.
If you look at it, Warren's next five years could see him win a World Cup with Wales, bring the Chiefs back to their former glory, complete three unbeaten Lions tours, and then potentially take charge of the All Blacks.
It would be a fitting end to an unbelievable career. Hats off to you, Warren!
”Gatland moving back to the Southern Hemisphere pushes him one step nearer to coaching the All Blacks”
