Former Wales captain Sam Warburton has made it clear, that he doesn’t see himself as the right person to take on a high-level role within the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), saying the job of Wales head coach is better suited to someone like Warren Gatland.
Warburton, who is currently heavily involved with Cardiff Rugby, acknowledged that while he’s passionate about the game, he feels he’s not ready for the top job in Welsh rugby. Speaking with rugby kit giants Canterbury, Warburton said;
“I’m heavily involved in Cardiff rugby now. Helping them with rugby matters and I love it. If I was being honest, I haven’t earned that right to do that role, I’m too inexperienced. That’s why I’ve taken on the Cardiff role because I do care about the game of rugby and it’s something that excites me.”
The former Wales skipper went on to explain that someone with the depth of understanding that Gatland brings, would be far better suited to leading Welsh rugby through this challenging time. “Someone like Warren if he wasn’t a coach, I still think he’d be very useful, because he understands the landscape of Welsh rugby. Something that might have been missing from a personality trait, and I heard this from someone else, and he said to make an omelette you’ve got to crack some eggs. I don’t think Warren is afraid to crack a few eggs to do the best thing for Welsh rugby.”
Warburton has great respect for Gatland, noting that the New Zealander’s experience in Welsh rugby plays to his favour in a maintaining a future with the WRU. “I’ve heard what Warren’s ideas are on what needs to happen. He can’t make those calls as a head coach, he can advise but he can’t make that call. Those calls I’ve heard him say, I’ve agreed with. He knows the game and the landscape very well.”
Warburton also spoke sympathetically about Gatland’s current situation, stating that he feels sorry for the current coach following an entire calendar year of Test match defeats. A combination of factors has led to Wales struggling on the international stage, with an assortment of high-profile departures certainly hindering the side’s performance in the past 12 months.
“I feel sorry for Warren Gatland.” Warburton said. “I did a Q&A with him and when things were going well someone asked him ‘What makes a good coach?’. He didn’t brag about himself. He didn’t brag about his coaching staff. He answered back by saying ‘good players are helpful to be a good coach.’”
Warburton, who captained Wales to two Six Nations titles under Gatland, acknowledged that the squad’s current talent levels are nowhere near what they used to be. “He’s probably looking externally and thinking, ‘I don’t have the same calibre of players that the top five nations have right now.’
He’s not going to come out and say ‘we have some great players but right now we’re not where we need to be’, because that’s throwing players under the bus and that’s how you lose your team.”
The rebuilding process for Wales, Warburton said, is going to take time. “The hard thing a coach has to do is win over your team. You have to get your team to run through brick walls. Warren can’t be that honest in the press because he’s going to lose his team.
“Listening to interviews, he’s taking all the flack but he’s also thinking that he doesn’t have the quality of those top teams. I’ve got some quality but I don’t have enough of it and that’s where I feel sorry for him. He’s got a hard job there. Any new coach is going to have a hard job because it’s a rebuild.”
Warburton also offered a dose of realism to Welsh fans, urging them to understand the scope of the challenge ahead. “Welsh fans need to accept that if we win a Six Nations in the next three years, we have massively overachieved well ahead of schedule looking at the talent pool that we currently have. That’s why I’m not throwing daggers at coaches because sometimes you’ve got to call a spade a spade and with the tools we have, we haven’t got enough good tools compared to other nations.”
A key part of Welsh rugby’s recovery, according to Warburton, lies in addressing the player pathway system that the nation are putting into place. “There’s a few questions there, have we got our player identification right from the age of 15 and above? Is our pathway system and our school system fit for purpose to provide enough top quality players? Has there been enough accountability across all regions regarding their player pathway process? This is what it all comes down to.”
Warburton emphasised that the funding of regional teams is crucial to their ability to compete, but pointed out that short-term fixes will not solve the deeper issues at play. When comparing the financial budgets of the Welsh regions compared to the likes of Leinster at the top of the URC, it makes for stark reading for fans of Welsh rugby.
“There’s issues regarding funding of regions which need to be funded in order to be competitive. The union have recognised that but for this season and next season, they’re going to be underfunded but they’re the short term fixes and that’s where you’ve got to bring in good players. It will help you somewhat but it’s not going to turn you into the European powerhouses that you want to be.”
The former flanker added that a robust system with multiple academies is essential for Welsh rugby’s long-term success. “That needs to come from a robust pathway system where you’ve got 200 of the best players and five academies when you include RGC (Rygbi Gogledd Cymru) up north. Eventually, if you spread that into four pro teams, you’re going to end up with 30 Welsh players in each team, 120 players in total with a non-Welsh qualifying quota which I believe is essential to aid the game from a leadership, cultural and tactical perspective. To have those overseas players is very important to the regions.”
Reflecting on Wales’ recent struggles, Warburton pointed out that teams like Fiji and Italy, once considered “guaranteed wins,” are no longer easy targets. Wales lost to the Azzurri in the 2024 Six Nations, before the Pacific Islanders secured their first ever win at the Principality Stadium this past Autumn Nations Series.
“The one thing that you don’t have these days compared to before is there would always be two fixtures a year where you’re very likely to win. That would have been this year in times gone by, Italy in the Six Nations, and Fiji. Both of those are banana skins but you would be very confident in winning both of those games.”
Now, Warburton did add, that both teams are much improved and represent tougher competition than they have in recent years. “The landscape has changed now compared to even three years ago. Those teams are far superior than what they used to be. There’s much less respite so there’s more likelihood of defeats happening.”
Warburton also discussed the concerning lack of world-class players coming through Welsh rugby’s system. “We haven’t got the same calibre of players that other nations have right now,” he said. “There’s a few but to be top level, you need a dozen or so players of that level. We don’t have that many right now.”
While recognising that veteran Welsh players like Taulupe Faletau, Leigh Halfpenny, and ex-Test match star Jamie Roberts are world-class, Warburton emphasised that these kinds of players don’t come the through the development ranks every season. “You’re never going to have 10 players of British & Irish Lions quality coming through every season. Wales are in an unfortunate situation where there hasn’t been a bottle neck of those players coming through. There’s a few but to be top level, you need a dozen or so players of that level. We don’t have that many right now.”
He also noted the impact of Welsh players leaving for clubs in other countries. “If all Welsh qualified talent was in the regions, for sure the regions would have more depth in their squads.”
Finally, Warburton offered his thoughts on the potential for a change in coaching staff, admitting that finding a permanent coach at this stage would be difficult. “It would be very difficult to find a permanent coach at this time of the year so if Warren did go, bringing in an interim coach would be the least disruptive option.”
Warburton also pointed out that while a Welsh coach could be ideal, it’s crucial to choose the best person for the job, regardless of nationality. “I’ve never been on that train of thought that the Wales head coach has to be Welsh. If a Welsh coach is the best option, that would be a priority but if there’s not a Welsh coach deemed to be fit to do it then you have to get the best person for the job. It’s a highly pressurised, elite role.”
He added that coaches who understand the Welsh game, like Steve Tandy, Simon Easterby, and Adam Jones, could all do a great job. “Steve Tandy, he would be a good fit as a head coach and would be great to have in the system. At Harlequins, you’ve got Adam Jones. You’ve got Simon Easterby, who has lived in the Glamorgan area but coaches in Ireland, he’s done well there. He played his rugby in Wales and has been the head coach of the Scarlets. There’s a lot of people there that know the Welsh system.”
Warburton concluded by stressing the importance of having a coach who truly understands the Welsh rugby landscape. “It’s difficult for a coach to come in and coach Wales. Having been someone that’s lived in Wales, played in Wales, to know the Welsh system is a very important factor of being the coach. Someone that knows the Welsh game historically, the previous politics and the current landscape, someone that has that understanding would be beneficial.”
