Warren Gatland says he is “excited” about Wales’ potential as he looks to take the team through to the 2027 World Cup.
But on Tuesday the head coach indicated that his future lies with ‘The Dragons’ as he looks ahead to the Australian World Cup in four years’ time.
“I’m excited about what we can start doing as a group going into 2027,” said Gatland.
“When you look at it, we’ve got such a small playing base we’ve got to look at how we bring these youngsters on and develop the likes of Sam Costelow, Taine Plumtree and Jac Morgan, we’ve got some exciting second-rows and backs coming through.
“We’ve got an opportunity to bring some youngsters in and build on the cycle to 2027 with players having 50, 60, 70 caps behind them.
“When you look at the potential we’ve got as a nucleus, and some in their 20s as well, we can be excited [about] what we can achieve over the next three or four years.”
In reference to the clause in his contract, Gatland said: “I was asked about it and said I didn’t know what was in my contract.
“I had a joke with Nigel (Walker, WRU interim chief executive) before and said ‘you can’t get rid of me’.
“I think my contract said if we didn’t get out of the pool they had a clause that said they could get rid of me. I said ‘if you do want to pay me off, that’s up to you’.”
Walker, who is set to become WRU executive director of rugby, echoed Gatland’s sentiments as he looked to the future.
“To be successful in international sport you have to have good coaches and good players,” he said.
“To be a good coach you need experience, miles on the clock, understand your craft, get your message across to players, and players have to trust you.
“You’ve seen the growth in the squad in a relatively small period of time and, like Warren, I’m really excited what the next four years can bring.
“We’ve got something to build on and we know we can grow the standard of the squad to an even greater level than we saw over the last four or five weeks.”
Gatland is enjoying his second spell in charge of Wales after guiding the team to three Grand Slams and two World Cup semi-finals during his first.
TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media
>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Eurosport.co.uk – https://www.eurosport.com/rugby/head-coach-warren-gatland-outlines-ambition-of-leading-wales-to-rugby-world-cup-in-2027_sto9840458/story.shtml
