Warren Gatland’s blunt answer on lopsided Rugby World Cup draw
Warren Gatland comments on the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals: France v South Africa and Ireland v New Zealand.
Warren Gatland has never been shy to provide a blunt answer, and that wasn’t going to change ahead of Wales’ Rugby World Cup quarter-final against Argentina.
Wales head into the clash after topping Pool C following wins over Fiji, Portugal, Australia and Georgia.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the draw, the top four ranked sides in World Rugby collide in two quarter-finals.
The draw, which was done based on the performances at the last World Cup, has been met with backlash, but Gatland was not going to join in on the pile-on.
They should have done better
The Wales head coach was asked about the draw after naming his team for the quarter-final against Argentina.
“I just say to the other teams, they should have done better in the last World Cup, shouldn’t they?” Gatland quipped.
“That is where the draw has come from. It’s not our fault that it happened; if teams had better performances and results from the last World Cup, they would probably be in different pools.
“You didn’t hear us complaining in 2015 when we had Fiji, Australia and England in the same pool; we never complained about that.
“You are dealt the hand, and you have just got to deal with it. I understand there has been a lot of complaining, and I agree with the sentiment that, potentially, the draw may have been done too early in the past.
“It was probably done too early in 2019 as well, so whether the people in control of it next time can put the pools together a little bit later that is up to them, but we can’t change what’s been done.”
Gatland added that Wales actually got a challenging pool in the end, and he was pleased with the side’s progress after they were written off before the competition.
“All I can say is we are only in control of what we are doing,” he said.
“We are happy with the progress we have made, and considering there’s a lot of people speculating, a lot of people in this room said we wouldn’t get out of our group. We can only play and do what is in front of us.
“I thought our group was the most even group. The way Portugal [played] and Georgia are not easy teams to knock over; the only group who didn’t have a real minnow in there that didn’t get 60 or 70 points put on them. I think that has set us up nicely for the quarter-finals, and it’s one step at a time.”
All Northern Hemisphere semi-final
The 2015 Rugby World Cup saw Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa set up an all-Southern Hemisphere semi-final.
Eight years on and the roles could be reversed, with an all-Northern Hemisphere semi-final possible if Wales, Ireland, England and France win their respective quarter-finals.
“The first step was all Northern Hemisphere teams finishing at the top of the pools,” Gatland said.
“That has never happened before, so that is a real positive for the game, considering how much the southern hemisphere dominated the World Cups in the past.
“I can only see that being positive for the game if that potentially does happen [all northern hemisphere semis]; I’m not looking too much at the other games.
“I will watch it from a spectator’s point of view with interest. We are just focusing on ourselves and not looking too far afield or ahead. We are aware of it, but it is not really at the front of our minds.”
A third semi-final for Wales under Gatland
Saturday’s clash with Argentina provides Gatland with the opportunity to lead Wales into their third World Cup semi-final under his guide.
“I think when I look back on it if we make the semi-finals, it would be our third semi-final we have had,” he said.
“In 2015, we led South Africa for 75 minutes and then conceded at the end.
“I think reflecting on that, I’d be pretty proud of that. I have always spoken about how much I have enjoyed the World Cups because of preparation.
“Actually, it’s the only time you get to feel you are a club side in terms of getting our detail done and having an off-season and feeling like you can make a huge amount of progress.
“That has helped us in the past, and we have done pretty well at World Cups, and we have tended to do well in Six Nations following World Cups as well.
“It is going to be different because we are going to have a few changes in terms of some players not being available to us going forward.
“After the challenges during the Six Nations with the documentary, potential strikes and the contracts and money with the union and region, at the time we would talk about, some coaches would joke, ‘What is going to happen today? What is going to be the next thing that is thrown at us?’ I think there has definitely been a line in the sand that has been drawn under that, and if we can make the semi-finals, it would be a huge achievement for this group of players and the coaches who have done a great job.
“The backroom staff have been absolutely outstanding, and I know there are some people in some teams out there who won’t want to face a Wales team when they start playing with confidence and start having momentum. That is when we are at our most dangerous; we are starting to look that way at the moment.”
