Warren Gatland Q&A: What does my future hold now and the next world star will have The Lions

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The Lions slipped to a painful 19-16 defeat against South Africa in Cape Town to lose the series in a tense third Test.

For Warren Gatland and his tourist, it was a very close case, but so far.

This is what he said afterwards.

Can you just sum up how you feel?

“I was clearly disappointed but really proud of the effort the boys put in today. We went there to be positive and play some rugby. We missed a chance or two, got a lucky bounce and scored and tried to reverse play, maybe two 50/50 calls weren’t made on our way.

“But it was a proper test match, it was tough and physical and that’s what you want with the Lions series. It wouldn’t be easy to travel away from home for the world champions match and it was a really tough competition. We are disappointed but it could have gone any way. Congratulations to South Africa. “.

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“It’s kind of a deja vu, isn’t it? Counting penalties against us was 15-12 and at this level, it’s very important. Your goal is to keep your penalties under 10 in international rugby and if you can do that that makes a huge difference.

“We had a penalty kick our way and then a Finn Russell high shot went the other way, kind of a momentous moment. He should have made the pass 2-1 with Liam Williams and Josh Adams.

“You get one or two chances at that level and you have to make the most of it because you have to be clinical when they come.”

What do you think of Finn Russell’s performance?

“He was good. We talked about moving the ball more and the ball went in his hands a lot which is good. We cut it short on a few occasions when we went to stage four or five and that created some space for us.

“But he would be disappointed because he dropped a ball in the air he would normally take and wasn’t so lucky to get in. A left-footed kick in the middle of the park may not have been one of his best moments but he showed how fast he got the ball through his hands and created some things.

“For someone who hasn’t played much rugby, I thought it was excellent.”

Was this a fair reversal of the series?

“When you’re playing against the world champions, you know it’s going to be really tight competitions with the ball bouncing or the call or whatever. A little unlucky when you’re five meters from their line.

“So from that point of view there were some key moments and it was always the ball bounce and really tight competitions. The boys gave it 100% and from a training point of view you can’t ask for more than that.

“In the first half we talked about starting really well after the first half. We had a good first half and that was probably the most frustrating part of the game – that 10 minutes into the first half where we got a little bit stuck in our half and it took a while to start generating momentum “.

Alun Wyn Jones and Maro Itoje after the match (Photo: © INPHO / Dan Sheridan)

Would you look at the chain in frustration at the 100 little things you could have done 1% better?

“Yeah, it’s possible. This is rugby for you. At the highest level, you get a chance or two and a mistake is really expensive. Players have given it all but maybe they individually look back and go, ‘There was a mistake there’ or they awarded a penalty.” , as a big moment in the game.

“That’s kind of what you’re working towards at the highest level; to eliminate some of these kinds of things. But I can’t complain about our attitude or our approach.”

“We tried to stress them out as much as we could and turned down two three-point chances to go into the corner and try to build some headway. Then we put them under a little pressure just to force them to probably not keep going into the air and opening up the game. That then gives you chances if you loosen up the game.”

How did you feel late in the game and how did the tour affect you as a head coach?

“No, it didn’t take anything from me. It was a tough streak, it was exciting and that kind of thing is what you want to be involved in. At 16, I was thinking it reminded me a little bit of the World Cup semi-final, you think you have to stay in this and it will get Someone had a chance at the end of the game, unfortunately, it was us who got penalized and we got three points.

“That’s when you have to be very clear and maybe play a little bit off the ground and wait for a chance, because you’re going to have a moment in those last few minutes when the game is really tight. And they were the team that had that.”

What could help lions be successful in the future, and would you like to participate again?

“In terms of sharing, there is a lot of water under the bridge in four years. A lot of things can happen in that time.

“I loved my time with the Lions. I don’t think it’s anything different, it’s just about talking to clubs and unions about getting the right preparation time to go on tour.

“You play away from home, usually with a lot of travel and with a lot of expectations. You put a team together in such a short period of time and there is a lot of expectation to win a series.

“Like the Lions, when you bring together the best players from the northern hemisphere, we get less preparation time than the national teams do when they go on their own tours.

“It’s a common theme. I’ve been saying that constantly. And hopefully in the next six months they can sort that out and we can arrange the four-year schedule in terms of the finals, so that you can get the whole team together for two weeks before going on tour. It’s going to make a big difference. In terms of helping prepare.”

What’s next for you? Do you want to stay involved with lions?

“It’s something I will think about. I’m very proud to be involved and I’ve been very fortunate. I’m very excited for the Lions. I go back to New Zealand tomorrow and start thinking about my role with the Chiefs.

“A long trip and then 14 days of isolation in a hotel – that’s the least I’m looking to do. It’s going to be tough because I’ve already been in isolation for the past eight weeks. So there are other challenges coming for two weeks.”

“And I think time on my own would be a good opportunity to think about what the next chapter of my life will be. I’m not someone who plans for the future very much, I’m a big believer in what it will be.

“There are other things looming in the future, and other opportunities. I’m not sure what it will be. I don’t have any long-term plans, so it’s just a bit of a wait and see.

“The thing about Lions Tours is that they are very intense, not just for the players but for the device and everything. Everyone needs a little break to refresh and clear their minds and start thinking about what’s going to happen next.”

How do you rate Marcus Smith and Sam Symonds on this tour?

“I just hope that they learned a lot from this tour, not so much about playing but from the other players around them in terms of the best players in the team, in terms of their professionalism and the way they trained and the additions they did, their recovery, and for sure they will have benefited from that.

“I think Marcus Smith would be a star in the game. I think he’s incredibly talented. I think if he had been with one of the other four nations, he would definitely be playing international rugby by now.”

“I hope he gets this opportunity to move forward because he definitely has an incredible amount of talent.

“There are some players who haven’t participated but their experience from this will put them in a really good position for their national teams, but if they are selected in four years for another Lions tour, this experience will be invaluable for them.

“A really good example is that Robbie Henshaw was excellent tonight and probably learned from experience four years ago and that really made him improve as a player. There will be a number of players here in the same boat.

“You have that mix of really experienced players, midfield players and some youngsters who will really grow from being a part of the lions.”

What is the significance of lions for the game?

“If you talk to anyone, the players involved – either the Lions players or someone from the southern hemisphere, there are two events on the calendar that happen every four years; the Lions and the World Cup.

“Those are the two things that players want to be a part of, whether you are chosen for the Lions or the players in the Southern Hemisphere.

“It carries a lot of players in the southern hemisphere who might look for other opportunities, travel abroad, and might re-sign with their national teams for a year or two to be a part of playing against the Lions.

“The regular rounds generate a huge amount of financial rewards for Southern Hemisphere teams, but they are special and unique.

“It’s something we need to keep on the calendar, and it’s a very important part of the cycle.

“We know the Rugby, the Six Nations and it’s annual – these bi-annual stuff on a four-year cycle are exceptional, unique and incredibly special.”

Should there be games in the middle of the week during auditions from now on?

“It’s a really good question and it’s something we’ve talked about and I don’t know the answer to.

“In the week of the trial match, you want to be able to have the full preparation time with this trial aspect.

“There has been criticism in the past that we brought in players to protect this Test team in preparation, but it’s also difficult for those players who haven’t been in the Tests because they don’t even have rugby for three or four weeks.

“Keeping them a part of it, one of the things about the midweek games is that it gets them involved, they play rugby and that’s a positive.

“I don’t know the answer, maybe what Clive Woodward did in 2005 in terms of having two separate teams – is that the right model going forward? Then, are you missing all things in terms of constant interconnection? Are you underestimating the shirt a little bit by having an A-team and “NS”?

“I think it’s a really good discussion in the coming years about the right form and how it works.

“We’ve tried to bring players in in the past to support this team in the midweek game before the test and keep everyone engaged and involved, we did that also when we didn’t and that was very challenging for Test 23 because you’re on the bench on Wednesday and then you’re on a bench in a game When that’s usually a really tough training day in a typical test week.

“I haven’t given you an answer, but it’s really worth discussing as something going forward.”

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