WRU chief executive addresses Gatland to Northampton rumours

The Welsh Rugby Union is confident Warren Gatland will honour the final two years of his contract despite attracting attention from Northampton Saints.

Gatland has already announced he will leave his role as Wales head coach after the 2019 World Cup, but the Saints have hinted they could try to tempt him away earlier.

The Premiership side, who are 10th in the table, sacked director of rugby Jim Mallinder last week after a decade in charge, and chairman Keith Barwell confirmed Gatland had been identified as a potential replacement.

However, WRU chief executive Martyn Phillips does not think the Saints will be able to turn Gatland’s head.

“I didn’t lose a beat if I’m honest,” he said. “He’s going to get linked with all sorts of jobs isn’t he, because he’s one of the top coaches in the world.

“When you come down to a list of who really are the proven top-class coaches, those that are will get talked about a lot.

“I would like to believe he will be here for the World Cup. It comes up [in conversation] a lot.

“He is one of the highest profile, most experienced coaches in the world and gets linked with quite a few things and I tend not to get to distracted by it.”

Saints side parted company with Jim Mallinder last week, the 51-year-old’s decade-long stint coming to an end following nine defeats in a 10-game spell.

The identity of Mallinder’s replacement remains unclear, but Barwell has confirmed Gatland – who is set to leave his Wales role after the 2019 World Cup – is among those being considered.

“When we recruited Jim 10 years ago, Warren Gatland was one of those shortlisted,” Barwell told the Daily Mirror.

“We decided not to ring him then. Well I thought we’d give him a second chance.

“I won’t be choosing the coach, let me say that, we’ve got a committee that’s doing that.

“But I want people to understand that we’re starting from the top not the bottom so, yes, we’re interested in Warren.”

It is also interesting to note that earlier in the year Phillips stated that should Gatland wish to leave his contract early, he wouldn’t stand in his way.

Conceding to BBC Sport that he would not force the 53-year-old to stay against his wishes.

“I don’t think he’d do it [leave],” Phillips told BBC Sport.

“A huge value for him is loyalty, so I don’t think it would happen.

“But having said that, if he did, the people you need on your team have got to want to be there.

“The job is so critical to Wales. I wouldn’t want somebody doing it who doesn’t want to be there.

“So if he wanted to go, he could go.”

Warren Gatland was appointed as the 20th Welsh national coach on 9 November, 2007. Four months later he had led Wales to the 2008 RBS 6 Nations championship title and the nation’s tenth Grand Slam. He replicated that achievement in 2012.