Warren Gatland has clarified his controversial comments which appeared to criticise the current state of Welsh Rugby.
It has been a tough start to the Six Nations for Gatland's inexperienced Wales side, who came out on the losing side of their first two games against Scotland and England despite spirited performances in both.
Last Saturday brought a more resounding defeat to Ireland in Dublin, and Wales are yet to welcome France to Cardiff.
Ahead of their defeat in Dublin, Gatland spoke about the current state of Welsh Rugby and suggested that the domestic game was a "sinking ship." He said that he feared that the infrastructure in place within the Welsh regions was lagging behind the setups in Ireland and elsewhere.
Forget about the players. Get the infrastructure right, and then you start building your squad.
We have tended to do it the other way around – or a bit of 50/50 – and then it just feels like you are plugging up the holes of a sinking ship.
Gatland's comments, in which he expressed his doubt that the structures were in place for the regional teams to catch up once more with their Six Nations rivals, caused controversy in Wales, and the head coach has been forced to clarify his remarks.
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Warren Gatland rows back on controversial Welsh rugby criticism
22 January 2024; Ireland head coach Andy Farrell, left, and Wales head coach Warren Gatland during the launch of the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
As Gatland prepares his Wales side to host France next Sunday in the Principality Stadium, he clarified that he had not meant to offend or criticise the coaches working in the Welsh regions.
Probably the difference between us and Ireland at the moment is they have got their systems and structures in place and we’ve got a little bit of a way to go.
It wasn’t a criticism of coaches. I know how hard they are working in terms of the regions, and how hard they are trying.
All of the regions, if they look at their structure and their support staff, they have probably got a couple of holes and things that they are working to hopefully put right for the future.
Ospreys head coach Tony Booth had labelled Gatland's comments as "inflammatory" and "maybe a little clumsy," though clarified that he did not feel he or his fellow coaches had been specifically targeted by them.
New Zealander Gatland said this week that he was glad his comments had sparked a wider discussion about what needs to change within Welsh rugby to get the national team back to the level of the late 2010s, in which they won a Grand Slam and reached a World Cup semi-final.
I keep saying that the impact of the right environment, the right people and the right facilities will have so much more of an impact for us long-term than one or two players will do in a squad.
There is a big task at hand for Warren Gatland and the staff at Ospreys, Scarlets, Dragons, and Cardiff if they are to return to their previous highs.
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