"There's a clause" - Warren Gatland admits he could leave Wales after defeat
Rugby NewsSaturday, 14 October 2023 at 22:49
Warren Gatland conceded, "If the Welsh Rugby Union wants to get rid of me, then that is up to them," after his team's 29-17 loss to Argentina.
Gatland's five-year contract with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), signed last December, has a post-World Cup clause.
Discussing his contract during his post-match press conference, Gatland said: "There's a clause but I don't know exactly what it is.
"I want to see this group through but if the WRU [Welsh Rugby Union] want to get rid of me then that is up to them."
Gatland added: "We're massively disappointed because it's a missed opportunity.
"We were not at our best, but still could have won. We're gutted that this slipped away from us.
"The way we trained, we went into this game thinking if we can be accurate then we can get to the semi-finals. But it wasn't to be and that's sport.
"However I'm incredibly proud of the effort everyone has put in. We've made good strides and we need to make sure we continue on that path into the Six Nations and not go backwards. That's the challenge.
"This is an exciting group, but we have to take learnings. We need to look at 'how do you improve and develop from this?' and learn."
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Nigel Owens ranks who is worst to referee between Biggar, Farrell and Sexton
Arguably, the three worst players to deal with these days are Owen Farrell, Dan Biggar and Johnny Sexton.
Owens has had his say on all three, ranking them from worst to best.
#3. Owen Farrell (England)
Nigel Owens said: "I can only speak from my own experience of refereeing him and, when I did, he was an excellent captain to deal with.
"I have a huge amount of respect for him as a player and a person. He always knew where the line was with me.
"I would say to him that he could always come and talk to me as long as it was at the right time and in the right tone and he always did that."
#2. Dan Biggar (Wales)
Owens said: "Oh god yes. He's so focused and so passionate about what he's doing, we've had a few run ins on the pitch down the years.
"I mean, it's always been in a respectful way as we always have a drink and a laugh after the game."
Dan Biggar of Northampton Saints kicks the penalty to take the lead during the European Champions Cup, Quarter-final match between Exeter Chiefs and Northampton Saints at Sandy Park on 20 Sept 2020. Photo: Phil Mingo/PPAUK.
#1. Johnny Sexton (Ireland)
Owens on Sexton and Biggar: “I’ll tell you what, they’re probably the best two referees in the world, Dan Biggar and Johnny Sexton, because when you ref them they always think they know more than you!”
Andy Farrell, Head Coach of Ireland and Johnny Sexton, Captain of Ireland pose with the Guinness Six Nations trophy during the 2023 Guinness Six Nations Media Launch at County Hall, Lambeth, London on Monday 23rd January 2023 | Photo: James Fearn/PPAUK.
Owens also named the referee who would make the best player, as well as the referee who would make the worst player.
“Which referee fancies themselves as the best player? Well, that would be Nic Berry, because he played at the top level for Wasps and [Racing 92] as a very, very talented scrum-half and a very talented referee as well,” Owens said.
“I’ll tell you which referee wouldn’t make a talented player – Wayne Barnes!”
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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