I’m proud to call Warren a mate as well as a great coach

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Send off:

WHAT a send-off received from the crowd at Principality Stadium. And didn't he deserve every clap and cheer!

He has done remarkable things for and has become a part of our culture. It is going to seem strange without him after the past 12 years, but he knows he has left the team in good shape and handed it over to another strong coaching team.

I'm often asked about my favourite Warren Gatland memory. There are many, but the one that sticks out comes from the aftermath, or should that been fallout, from my first win over in 2008.

It was Warren's first game in charge and a famous win that kickstarted our Grand Slam campaign. I have to admit that I probably over-imbibed and long into the night, or morning, I asked him out for a fight.

Not the best way to start a new relationship with your coach, but he smiled, declined and we went from there. I have to say he is one of the nicest guys I've met in and I can't thank him enough for what he did for me while I was playing for and the .

He gave me the freedom to roam around the pitch and he always managed to get the best out of his players. He understood the Welsh ethos and way of thinking and he knew how to get people to play for him.

We'll miss him, but I've got this sneaky suspicion we'll see him again in the future. For the meantime, at least, thanks Warren – I'm proud to call you my mate!

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