Shane Williams backs Warren Gatland’s return but warns succession plan must be in place

Shane Williams has backed Warren Gatland to be the man to take Wales to the World Cup next year, providing there’s a solid succession plan in place for when he leaves Welsh rugby again.

Gatland is expected to take over the reigns from the underfire Wayne Pivacy, who seems likely to lose his job after a disappointing 2022 that brought just three wins from 12 and maiden home defeats to Italy and Georgia.

Nothing is confirmed just yet, but it is understood that a secret WRU board meeting took place where Gatland emerged as the preferred choice, while WRU CEO Steve Phillips’ words in a statement on the planned review sound ominous concerning Pivac’s future.

READ MORE: Today’s rugby news as Shaun Edwards backs Warren Gatland Wales return and Wood says he’d make ‘significant’ difference

Williams, who played under Gatland, has backed the former Wales coach to come back into the fold, calling upon the WRU to act sooner rather than later if they plan to make a change.

“We’re less than a year away from a World Cup,” said Williams on a BKT United Rugby Championship media call. “Wayne Pivac has had a real go at it and he’s won a Championship.

“However, I think he’s up against it. Performances haven’t helped and results certainly haven’t. The lack of depth around the regions hasn’t helped either.

“He’s been stuck between a rock and a hard place. I’ve bumped into Warren several times during this autumn series, hanging about Cardiff. I was wondering what he was doing there!

“But if there’s a change needed, it’s needed right now. It was needed yesterday. If there’s someone who understands the squad and the players involved, it’s certainly Warren Gatland.

“Sometimes a change does you good. Look back to 2007 and we had an awful World Cup where we were knocked out by Fiji, we get Warren Gatland on board and within the space of months we win a Grand Slam.

“I don’t think he has the luxury of players to choose from in 2008, however, I do think he wouldn’t be a bad choice and the whole of Wales would back him if he did.

“If we are going to make a change, we have to do it now because the Six Nations is right around the corner. We need a good Six Nations to build confidence and momentum for the World Cup.

“We haven’t had any of that – it’s been all doom and gloom. Hopefully, he can put a positive spin on things and we can look forward to the Six Nations and World Cup.”

Of course, were Gatland to take the job, it seems unlikely that the three-time Lions head coach, who left his Wales post in 2019, would stay beyond next year’s World Cup.

Having coached Wales for over a decade previously, it would seem a backwards step for Gatland to continue a longer term basis. But with Test level coaches few and far between – and other countries like England likely to be in the market too – there is the danger that Wales could be stuck behind the eight ball searching for another new coach in 10 months time.

“There is that danger,” added Williams. “Whenever you speak to a coach, it’s always about building towards a World Cup.

“I don’t see that we’ve done that in Wales. The players we had in this autumn, it felt like survival mode.

“If it’s the case that Warren is here for the year to make sure Wales have a successful World Cup, then so be it. But what I’d like to see is that if Warren is involved, we don’t know if it’ll be him yet, that he’s there to nurture future coaches who aren’t quite ready for that step-up.

Have your say : What is going wrong with Welsh rugby? Take our fans’ survey now

“So not only developing the players of the national team, but the coaching aspect. There are some really good Welsh coaches in and outside of the country who could come in and do a job.

“I’m a really big fan of Steve Tandy. He’s done a great job in Scotland and he could potentially come back and be nurtured by Warren Gatland.

“There’s guys like Stephen Jones and Gethin Jenkins still in the set-up. And then there’s talk of Rob Howley coming back, who I believed was a really, really good coach that I certainly got the benefits of working with.

“We need to be clever. If Warren is coming back, we don’t just want him for the season and then say thank you very much. We need him to help us get out of the doldrums so we can look ahead to the World Cup after this one.”

Read more:

Dan Biggar calls for Wales’ 60-cap rule to be scrapped and argues players should be picked whichever club they are at

Wales’ player of the year on verge of quitting Welsh rugby amid freeze on new regional contracts

Dragons confirm they’re helpless to stop Will Rowlands quitting Welsh rugby and host of others could also leave

Today’s rugby news as Shaun Edwards backs Warren Gatland Wales return and Wood says he’d make ‘significant’ difference

Live updates as Wales coach Wayne Pivac on brink and WRU hold review