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Gatland and Umaga square up to media

British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland

Warren Gatland bemoans the recurring questions about “Warrenball” while Sonny Bill Williams steps in to deflect attention from Tana Umaga over that infamous Brian O’Driscoll incident in 2005

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In this age of carefully choreographed press conferences and limited access to players governed by ever increasing media management teams assigned to major rugby outfits, isn’t it encouraging to see that rugby journos can still get under the skin of their interviewees?

Both Umaga and Gatland have been at this game long enough to know the potential problems that can occur when you plonk you derriere down behind a row of microphones and Dictaphones. While the coaches are there to get their message out to the rugby public, the nature of a press conference should always feature an element of danger. If you don’t want to answer the difficult questions then just issue some bland comments by press release or take the Donald Trump option and use a nodding dog spokesperson to field the tough ones.

Umaga has carried the stigma of having been part of an illegal and extremely dangerous tackle on Lions captain O’Driscoll for 12 years and must know it won’t go away while the men in red are in country. What would possess him to believe that such a tour defining moment would slip the memories of any rugby journo worth his salt?

The same is true of Gatland. The accusation that he plays one way – described as Warrenball to save space in newspapers – is an irritation the media have been regularly picking at for years. Now, back in the land of his birth attempting something spectacularly difficult, Gatland finds his every decision picked over and dissected on a daily basis. If anyone knew what was coming his way in New Zealand it was the former Waikato hooker who helped defeat the Lions in 1993.

That is why Sonny Bill’s need to “protect” Umaga from those horrid questions and Gatland’s comment as he ended the presser asking why he has to defend himself over his tactics every time he meets the press says so much more about those two rugby men than the media putting them on the spot.

I have always found Umaga an engaging, quietly spoken genuine bloke but I never felt he was in need of a minder. Gatland has a history of throwing verbal grenades around and standing back to watch the effect on his targets.

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This week has revealed a vulnerability in both men that will only embolden the media pack who know a good running story when the find one.

Umaga and Gatland have been here before and should have the strength of character and experience to handle the pressure without the need of minders. End of story.

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H
Hellhound 17 minutes ago
France put World Cup pain behind them with unbeaten run in November

France is starting to look like they are finally over their WC headache, although they were lucky that NZ had a very bad game. The Argies as usual is one game good, the next bad. If they can sort that out and be more consistent, they could become contenders for the WC.


NZ, Argentina (if they are more consistent), and now the Wallabies too is in an upward curve (can they be consistent?), as well as Fiji(as inconsistent as Argentina) looks like possible contenders. The Boks will be as usual a huge threat to defend their title. Things are looking up for the South, so the North should rightfully beware of the Southern Hemisphere threat.


With the French looking dangerous, the English with their close runs (mostly a mindset problem) and the Scottish seems to be the NH main contenders. The Irish is good, but not excellent anymore. They are more overbearing and with their glory days mostly gone with old players hanging on by a thread, by 2027 if they don't start adding in the younger players, they won't make it past yet another WC Quarter final. The problem is that their youngsters, while good is nothing special.


That is just 8 teams without the Irish that can become real WC contenders. Lots of hickups to be sorted still for these teams, excluding the Boks to become a threat. Make no mistake, the top Tier is much closer than people realise and the 2027 WC will be a really great WC, possibly the best contended WC ever.

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