The messiah of Welsh rugby has returned to the Principality. And he hasn’t wasted any time in returning to his infamously ruthless self.
As he walked through the gates to the stadium (what are they called again) Gatland had the small problem of effectively ‘getting the band back together’.
If he has any chance of turning the ship of Wales around, a monumental task, and arguably the biggest of his career to date, Gatland needs to secure the services of his old band of merry men, Howley, McBryde, Edwards.
What was widely regarded at times as the most unified and most recognisable coaching team in world rugby, played a huge role in guiding Gatland to his most successful years with Wales and the Lions.
Pivac on the other hand had the coaching novices of Stephen Jones and Gethin Jenkins as his trusted advisors. Now I am not in a position to criticise these two grand slam winning and 100 cap legends of Welsh rugby, but I believe they are equally as culpable for the torrid year Pivac and Wales faced in 2022. Gatland clearly seems to agree.
Within two weeks of his appointment Gatland has cast them aside. This couldn’t have been an easy decision or conversation with either man. And it wasn’t really clear cut that he would wield the axe.
Gatland cannot secure the services of the coveted Shaun Edwards in France, or Robin McBryde in Leinster. Neither side would want to let these key men go. So it wasn’t assumed that Jones and Jenkins would get the boot. He is now searching far and wide for his assistants.
Instead Gatland is back on the phone to his old pal Howley, his former right-hand man to see if he wants to make a remarkable comeback. Now while it hasn’t been confirmed it looks like the natural fit.
It would just seem odd to see Gatland with a completely brand-new set of coaching staff.
The WRU got Gatland back in a desperate attempt to bring back the golden era of Welsh rugby, but the men of Howley, Edwards and McBryde were equally as key to this too.
There are many cloudy questions lingering over the Principality Stadium this coming Six Nations, but chiefly among them is, will Gatland be the same without his old band?
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