Warren Gatland: Returning head coach says his Wales legacy is on the line

Warren Gatland's past crippled successful complaint for Wales was the bronze-medal lucifer against New Zealand successful the Rugby World Cup 2019 successful Japan

Warren Gatland says helium is putting his estimation connected the enactment by replacing Wayne Pivac to go Wales manager for a 2nd time.

When asked if his bequest was threatened, Gatland responded: "That's the breathtaking happening astir it, isn't it?

"If you're a flop and fail... I'm nether nary illusions what the expectations are successful the adjacent 10 months."

Gatland besides guided Wales to the semi-finals of the 2011 and 2019 World Cups during his archetypal stint arsenic Wales coach, which lasted 12 years.

In his last season, Wales reached the apical of World Rugby's rankings acknowledgment to a 14-match unbeaten run.

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Now aft a "whirlwind 72 hours", helium finds himself taking implicit a squad that person won 3 of 12 games successful 2022 and person mislaid astatine location to Italy and Georgia successful the past year.

"I've ever loved the challenge, I've ever loved going into environments wherever determination are expectations and hopefully exceeding those expectations," added Gatland.

"That's portion of nonrecreational sport, determination are ups and downs. You unrecorded by your results and performances.

"I'm excited astir it but determination are pressures and risks. I'm assured I tin travel successful and hopefully marque a quality and get a broadside unneurotic who are arrogant to enactment that jersey on, and erstwhile they spell retired determination and correspond Wales successful beforehand of location fans they're prepared to dice for that jersey.

"Those are my expectations and I don't expect thing little from the players successful presumption of what it means to play for Wales - the history, the expectation.

"If we tin execute that successful a abbreviated play of time, I deliberation that volition springiness america the champion accidental to beryllium successful."

Gatland archetypal took complaint of Wales successful 2007, erstwhile they were astatine a debased ebb having gone retired of the World Cup astatine the excavation signifier pursuing decision by Fiji. Within six months, helium delivered a Grand Slam.

But connected this occasion, aft departing the Super Rugby broadside Chiefs to instrumentality to Wales earlier Christmas, Gatland has lone 10 months until the 2023 World Cup successful France.

"The vantage I've got is I cognize the set-up and truthful galore of the radical involved," added Gatland.

"I tin deed the crushed running. Obviously there's a caller radical of players. There's a process I've got to spell done implicit the adjacent fewer weeks and conscionable getting a existent consciousness for the spot again, truthful it's similar 2007-2008 and coming successful wholly cold.

"That's a monolithic vantage I've got successful presumption of knowing Wales and the set-up. I tin travel successful and hopefully beryllium seamless successful stepping into the role."

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) accidental Gatland could beryllium progressive with Wales aft the 2023 World Cup, perchance up until 2027.

On his semipermanent future, Gatland added: "At the infinitesimal my contiguous absorption is betwixt present and the World Cup, and afterwards it's myself and Steve Phillips [WRU main executive] talking astir possibilities going forward.

"During that 10 months we've got to beryllium showing we've made advancement and we've been successful, and past perchance different opportunities originate from that.

"That's however we are astatine the moment. There's nary certainty but I'm comfy with that, truthful if the adjacent 10 months is not palmy past you are progressive successful nonrecreational athletics and cognize what the consequences are.

"I'm comfy and assured that I tin travel successful and marque a difference, and make an situation we tin beryllium palmy in. If that happens past perchance different discussions whitethorn instrumentality place.

"But I'm not looking past the adjacent 10 months, I'm not looking past France."

England attack and backroom staff

Warren Gatland and Rob Howley person worked unneurotic astatine Wasps, Wales and the British and Irish Lions

When asked astir perchance choosing Wales implicit England aft being touted arsenic a contender to regenerate Eddie Jones, Gatland added: "I'm lone present to talk astir Wales, but what I tin accidental is, don't judge everything you work successful newspapers."

Stephen Jones, Jonathan Humphreys, Gethin Jenkins and Neil Jenkins were portion of Pivac's backroom staff, which Gatland says helium volition assess.

"To beryllium honorable I haven't truly considered that, it's benignant of been specified a whirlwind successful the past 72 hours," helium said.

"I request to speech to people. I request to get the laic of the onshore connected however things are determination wrong the set-up and past I'll marque the due decisions astir what happens going forward."

Rob Howley has been linked with a instrumentality aft moving with Gatland successful his archetypal stint successful complaint earlier being sent location earlier the 2019 World Cup aft admitting to betting offences.

When specifically asked astir Howley, Gatland added: "I haven't made immoderate decisions connected what the set-up looks similar successful presumption of the coaching set-up.

"I haven't adjacent got that acold successful presumption of going done that process.

"It's been reasonably full-on successful presumption of having those discussions with Steve [Phillips] and Ieuan [Evans, WRU chairman] and talking to household and worldly astir making this decision.

"From present connected that's wherever this enactment takes spot successful presumption of making definite I get things right, successful presumption of the set-up and the radical involved."

Pivac's three-year tenure saw Wales gaffe to ninth successful the satellite rankings, having won 13 games, mislaid 20 and drawn one. But Gatland praised the behaviour of his chap New Zealander.

"I privation to recognise the quality broadside to this with Wayne departing," added Gatland.

"That indispensable person been tough, truthful my thoughts spell retired to him and his household and it's important I bash recognise that. He is simply a bully antheral with immoderate bully values and I conscionable wanted to notation that."