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England fans' mixed reaction to Warren Gatland's Red Rose rumours
By
Josh Raisey
After rumours began to circulate recently that Warren Gatland is the frontrunner to replace Eddie Jones after the World Cup, England fans are not best pleased on Twitter.
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The New Zealander is due to step down from his position as Wales head coach at the end of the year, and it is also unclear as to whether Jones will remain England head coach after the tournament too.
The former Wasps boss has been with Wales for 11 years now, and has had a lot of success. He led them to a Grand Slam in his first year in charge in 2008, and back to back titles in 2012 and 2013, including another Grand Slam in 2012.
On top of that, he has coached the British and Irish Lions twice, earning a series win against Australia and a draw with the All Blacks. This is alongside the three Premiership titles and one Heineken Cup he won when with Wasps.
Despite his impressive record, the majority of England fans seem very unenthusiastic about this possibility. Gatland has garnered a reputation of being quite a defensive coach over the years, playing a direct style of rugby reliant on powerful forwards and backs. While it has not inspired many, it has undoubtedly brought results.
However, Gatland has not done enough during his decade with Wales to win over the English fans, and this is what they have to say:
https://twitter.com/CDBJDurham/status/1097805625566867458
https://twitter.com/colinboag/status/1097796953365196800
https://twitter.com/StTim/status/1097755606964936706
https://twitter.com/sean747butler/status/1097809746755809280
https://twitter.com/KaneMoffat/status/1097649103675318272
https://twitter.com/craigmorley/status/1097621139239723008
No ta! Next
— scott (@bradbchesney3) February 19, 2019
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Nonetheless, there are still some fans that think that this would be a good move. A number of Welsh fans think that England would be lucky to have a manager with the quality of Gatland, contrary to what some other fans are saying, and even some England supporters share these views too.
This suggests that while this bizarre link has been scoffed at by many, it would not be a universally unpopular decision.
This is what they have to say:
https://twitter.com/EddieStephensMD/status/1097712186246324224
https://twitter.com/richlittlebath/status/1097785058226855936
https://twitter.com/MarianEWeadick/status/1097815112734396416
Personally think he'd be perfect for England
— Steffan Thomas (@Steffan_Thomas1) February 19, 2019
