David Flatman: Warren Gatland couldn't care less about criticism... his only focus is on the main prize

Warren Gatland has got the big decisions right on a tricky tour
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David Flatman19 June 2017

The best thing about Warren Gatland is how few stuffs he seems to give for the opinions of those outside the know. Well, it might be argued that his actual achievements are the best bit, but that’s all a touch too obvious.

He is known to be a boss who communicates fully and openly with his coaching team, but he is also known to be very comfortable making the final, big decisions. One might justifiably assume that all head coaches ought to be happy to make loud, abrasive calls, but many fear that life. Plenty struggle to deliver bad news. Not Gatland.

And all of this makes what seems, frankly, to be an anti-Gatland movement on social media all the more giggle-worthy.

Just imagine, during the daily Lions media briefing, the press team telling Gatland about his controversial call-ups: “Some former players have said they don’t like it — and lots of the non-Welsh public seem to agree.”

Can you honestly imagine Gatland replying with any concern whatsoever in his voice? Thought not.

Of course, as is the way with new media, it will doubtless be merely a loud minority whose voices are heard, but it’s palpable nonetheless.

This degree of what amounts to self-belief can be dangerous in the wrong hands and can quickly see a leader become a lone wolf. However, when it’s within a man so relaxed and happy to debate with his peers, it can be extremely useful.

We know, from the last Lions tour, that big calls do not intimidate Gatland and we must assume that he knows a good amount about public opinion. To this end, he must surely have predicted the clamour of so many to disapprove about his decision to call up players on a purely geographical basis and he did it anyway.

Though I absolutely disagree with this move (the logic doesn’t work, as Gatland could have acquired the very best players a few days earlier and avoided the jet-lag), his sheer belligerence and conviction is rather appealing. Plenty might argue that it is not belligerence at all — and that’s fine — but an entirely predictable and large public backlash did nothing to dissuade him.

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This road has been a bumpy one so far, with losses and injuries coming with troubling regularity. But, when we look at the Saturday games, the games in which the more Test-like teams have played, things don’t look quite so ominous.

Looking back, Rob Howley’s repeated referrals to the “chaos” with which the Lions wanted to play was a fine piece of verbal diversion. We all went mad, telling the world that chaos was a terrible idea, meanwhile the Lions got on with shutting down some of the best attacks in world club rugby, and with being about as unchaotic as a brand new team could be. Lovely stuff, and well played.

Ben Te’o now seems likely to start the First Test, and surely nobody predicted that. But Gatland, in selecting him, showed sufficient foresight to predict that, when facing probably the best side ever in open spaces, a good dollop of power and close-quarter footwork might be just the thing.

Plenty tucked into him for this selection, suggesting “Warrenball” would see the Lions destroyed. Now, though, with Stuart Hogg gone and with the back three yet to quite hit their straps, the power game has come into its own.

Of course, more than sheer power will be needed to win this series, but the Lions have shown the ability to strangle enthusiastic ball players and to stifle and crowd some scary athletes.

These Saturday victories are significant and haven’t happened by accident. The correct players have been selected, an unattractive but absolutely necessary gameplan has been created, and the wins have come.

These wins have been built on the plans of a head coach who believes he knows how to beat the best of the best. He may come up short — indeed, the odds make that likely — but he will arrive at the end of this tour having appeased no-one and having done precisely what he thought needed doing. He’s the right man for this most brutal of jobs.

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