Is Warren Gatland good enough to beat the Wallabies?

I doubt Warren Gatland would remember, but I once played cricket against him. It’s a story worth retelling, not for its importance as a seminal sporting moment, but for providing an insight into the man charged with delivering the 2013 Lions a series win against the Wallabies.

Certainly, if a healthy ego and a strong will to win a key success factors for coaches at international level then the Lions may well have the right person in charge.

The venue was a suburban ground in Taupo, New Zealand. The year? I couldn’t be certain, but some time in the early 80s.

The combatants were Midlands Colts and Hamilton Colts, two of the associations making up Northern Districts, one of New Zealand’s six first class provinces.

Although this was a 50 over rep match in its own right, it also served as a trial for selection into the Northern Districts Colts side, and from there a possible pathway into first class, and for some, international cricket.

The buzz was that Gatland, a promising top order batsman from Hamilton, was squarely in the frame for ND selection, and a solid innings against our modest attack was all he needed to cement his place.

We (Midlands) didn’t make too many, and didn’t mess about doing so. Less than two hours for something barely over 100. In reply, the Hamilton openers knocked off the total without any trouble and the contest was all done and dusted by early afternoon.

We weren’t happy about being humiliated on the field but packed our kit bags in anticipation of a longer than normal session on the turps to help us come to terms with our ineptitude.

Except that we’d overlooked a major issue. A Northern Districts selector had driven a couple of hours to watch Gatland bat, and wasn’t happy to see him sit idly by with the pads on.

Gatland too was beside himself, and a sook of major proportions ensued, Gatland and the Hamilton team manager pleading for us to resume the field to allow him and his side to bat out their 50 overs.

This didn’t exactly go down well with our lads, we’d played an admittedly ordinary game, but had done so fairly and honestly and, such as it was, the game was over. We were there to play a proper match, not to provide net practice to some Hamilton show pony.

A stand-off ensued, with our lads, increasingly impolitely, pointing out a shady orifice on Gatland’s own self, where he might like to shove his bat.

After a couple of hasty phone calls our manager delivered the news that a deal had been brokered at association management level and we were directed to take the field, no ifs or buts. We had no choice.

Unsurprisingly, care factor levels were extremely low, and if our attack had been toothless beforehand, it was now positively gummy. Batsmen took the rare opportunity to bowl, and no effort was made to cut off or chase down anything hit a foot either side of the field.

From memory, Gatland looked like a decent player, compact in defence and powerful in attack, using his solid frame to advantage. But it was no Test and soon enough everyone tired of the farce and the match was ended for a second time. The two camps went their separate ways and I don’t recall Xmas cards being exchanged.

Gatland never did play for Northern Districts but I rather fancy that was solely because his rugby career took precedence. He ended up playing a record 140 matches for Waikato at Hooker, plus 18 appearances for the All Blacks.

A very useful career by any standard.

Upon retirement he immediately pursued a coaching career in New Zealand and the UK, becoming coach of Ireland in 1998. The team performed without great distinction during this time, and after he was sacked in 2001 he enjoyed spells with Wasps in London, then with Waikato, before being appointed coach of Wales in 2007, a position he still holds today.

During his reign at Cardiff he was won two grand slams, the most recent in 2012, and his overall win-loss record stands at 50% – notably lower than Robbie Deans’ record with the Wallabies.

It was the timing of the second grand slam which helped him secure the Lions head coaching job, after previously being forwards coach on the 2009 Lions tour of South Africa.

Interestingly, some of the negativity towards Robbie Deans in the Wallabies coaching role is rooted in the fact that an Australian is not coach of the national team, and yet this is the second consecutive Lions tour to Australia with a New Zealand coach at the helm. One can imagine supporters of both sides complaining about the same thing, whoever loses.

Gatland is obviously a shrewd coach and he has done well to make Wales more than competitive at international level, after they had suffered through a very low period for such a proud rugby nation.

Indeed there has been little dissent surrounding his appointment, with 2009 head coach Ian McGeechan notably vocal in heralding Gatland as the best choice.

Further, his sides have generally played good rugby – conservative at times, but often with width and plenty of ball movement.

There are some question marks however. Although admittedly not alone, Gatland has never beaten the All Blacks, and even more significantly, since his taking the Welsh job in 2007, and winning his first Test against Australia in 2008, he has since lost the next eight in a row to the Wallabies.

In truth, many of the matches have been very close, but luck only counts for so much over so many games, and there have been tactical and selection blunders along the way which have contributed. In fact, taking this record in isolation, it would seem crazy to entrust a man with such a poor record against Australia, with the job of Lions coach, and expect him to somehow do better.

One of Gatland’s strengths is considered to be man-management. He will face difficult selection dilemmas in deciding how many other players to blend into what is likely to be a Welsh dominated Test side, and face even more difficulty keeping those who miss out interested and “on side” with the program.

One hopes for Gatland’s sake that there are no Austin Healey’s in this touring party, or if there are, that he has learned from Sir Graham Henry how best not to deal with them.

There are many rugby supporters who fear that the series will feature tight and risk free rugby, from two sides afraid to lose, and it does seem that Robbie Deans, through his squad selection, has already declared his hand in this direction.

But in reality, Lions Test matches are always thrilling, whatever transpires. The travelling red army of supporters who help fill sold out stadiums ensure an electric atmosphere, and each contest is guaranteed to be willing and combative, across the park.

I’m not in the business of predicting a series result. But just imagine if the two sides go into the Sydney third Test at one all, and after 80 minutes, it finishes at a 20-20 stalemate.

Thinking back to that cricket match in Taupo, it isn’t hard to imagine Warren Gatland making a beeline for the Wallabies dressing room, hammering the door down and exhorting the Wallabies to get back out on the field to finish the game off.