Warren David Gatland OBE was born on the 17th September 1963. He is the head coach of Wales, and was head coach of the British and Irish Lions for their 2013 tour of Australia. He was a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player. As a player he held the record for most games played for Waikato, at 140 caps. Other teams coached include Connacht, the Irish national side and London Wasps.
On 9 November 2007, Warren was named head coach of Wales, and took up his position on 1 December 2007. Warren’s first game as Welsh coach was in the opening week of the 2008 Six Nations Championship (a major upset as Wales beat England 26–19 after trailing 19–6 with nearly sixty minutes played). It was Wales’ first win at Twickenham since 1988.
After victories over Scotland and Italy, Wales went on to defeat the Triple Crown holders Ireland at Croke Park 16–12, taking the Triple Crown for themselves. This was the first time Wales had held the trophy since 2005.
Whoever you talk to in Wales and Welsh Rugby, Warren Gatland is pretty much always discussed fondly. Even in defeat, the usual rules of blame the coach don’t seem to apply. The general belief is that Warren is always doing his best for the national side and is beyond reproach.
I met him recently at an event in the Vale Hotel Resort. He’s a real gentleman – charming and engaging and always seems to make time for people. Yes, we’re definitely fans of Warren Gatland here at Rugby Life Wales.
