Warren was the one for Wales success - Lewis

Mar 7 2008 by Simon Thomas, Western Mail

WARREN GATLAND’S instant success with Wales may have come as a surprise to some people, but not to the man who appointed him.

WRU chief executive Roger Lewis insists he knew from the first time he met the New Zealander that he was dealing with somebody very special.

And he says Wales’ perfect start to the Six Nations has totally justified his decision to change the coach, describing the sacking of Gareth Jenkins immediately after the World Cup flop as a “cruel necessity”.

Having shown Jenkins the door, Lewis launched a worldwide search for his replacement – a search that resulted in Gatland’s appointment in early November.

“Warren is unique and that is why I asked him to come and join us,” he said.

“It was apparent from the first time I met him. I remember it so well. It was Friday, October 12, midday at Auckland airport.

“There are some special moments when you meet someone and realise there is something special going on and, in that very first meeting with Warren, one realised we had a unique individual here.

“We had known of his capability with the huge success that he brought to Wasps and I had seen that at first hand, having lived in High Wycombe for many years.

“But meeting him, his attitude was quite extraordinary. It was the attitude of being a winner, but backed up with integrity and honesty.

“There’s this perception that he’s very hard and driven and he is, but there is an honesty and a sensitivity there as well.

“What for me made him so special was an incredibly high emotional intelligence. That’s an awareness of people, an awareness of situations and an ability to create a frequency with people so he can be on the right wavelength at the right time.

“That’s what makes him so special. There are not many people in life I’ve met like that.

“He has great management skills and, not only a great understanding of the game of rugby, but a great understanding of the business of rugby.

“What was so compelling about Warren was he understood we not only had to achieve success on the field as quickly as possible, but we had to put in place the systems and structures to create long-term sustainability for the game.

“This wasn’t about him coming in, doing a number and then disappearing.

“He understood there was a huge job to be done in and around the game.”

As well as making his own assessment on the former Ireland coach, Lewis also took soundings from people who knew him well.

“I did my homework before and after meeting him,” he said.

“I sought advice from a range of people in New Zealand, Ireland and England.

“I looked at his background in Waikato, how he approached his work with the All Blacks as a player, how he fitted into the whole culture in Ireland and how he worked at Wasps.

“I spoke to coaches and administrators in New Zealand, I spoke to the union and media in Ireland and I managed to get feedback from players at Wasps as well.

“The feedback was hugely positive. The key word that came through was respect. There was huge respect for a guy who really knew how to coach rugby, huge respect for his honesty and the way he communicated with players and huge respect for the work ethic and environment he created around them.

“I also had a series of one-on-one meetings with senior Welsh players and backroom staff and the clear message was the players required an environment and a structure that would give them crystal clear pathways for their development.

“Then, before we made the appointment, Warren came to stay with me for a couple of weekends because we had to understand how he would connect with the culture and environment of Wales.

“Taking everything into account, you knew he was right for Wales.

“What has happened since has absolutely vindicated what we did.”

Indeed it has, with Gatland having begun his reign with victories over England, Scotland and Italy to put Wales on course for the Triple Crown and Grand Slam going into tomorrow’s Croke Park clash with Ireland.

You would have got pretty decent odds on that at the start of the championship, but Lewis insists he had confidence in the new man delivering the goods.

“When we were looking at issues surrounding the Six Nations back in December, Warren turned to me and said, ‘Roger, you know, we will win.’

“He wasn’t saying we were going to win the Grand Slam. It was just a general comment.

“But he is so focused on winning. So does it surprise me what he’s achieved? No, because Warren is a winner.

“He is driven by winning and, as he’s always said, he hates losing.”

Lewis came in for some heavy flak for sacking Jenkins the day after Wales’ World Cup exit at the hands of Fiji, rather than allowing him to return home first, but he stands by that decision.

“I would do the same again,” he said.

“It was cruel necessity, but I had to send out an unambiguous signal to Wales that we had to change and we had to approach it with a dramatic immediacy.

“It was tough because Gareth Jenkins is a man I like hugely and it was tough on him personally. I have always been at pains to recognise the huge contribution he made and his desire and hunger for success.

“But I always said it wasn’t about Gareth. It was about looking at a range of issues around the elite game in Wales. We made the right decision last October and we have now got the right team in place.

“That’s why I use the phrase cruel necessity.

“It was brutal, it was tough, it was ruthless, but it had to be done to move us forward and we are moving forward on all fronts now.”