Wales v South Africa: Warren Gatland aims to continue Wales innings
There appear to be two schools of thought on Gatland’s Wales future.
One opinion is the sport has moved on from his first spell of being Wales’ most successful coach and his style is outdated.
Former Wales captain Gwyn Jones has accused Gatland of already “checking out”, saying his “race is run”.
The conflicting view is Gatland is still the man to turn Wales around with no other coach being able to achieve results with such an inexperienced group of players.
Gatland insisted this week the squad had received public support which has helped the squad cope in the latest crisis.
Wales assistant Rob Howley called his boss the best coach in the world and confidently asserted he would not leave his role.
That is an opinion you would expect from somebody who has worked with Gatland for 20 years for Wasps, Wales and the British and Irish Lions, but it is also a view shared by others.
There has also been external support from South Africa head coach Rassie Eramus and captain Siya Kolisi.
Five years ago, Gatland’s team almost defeated the Springboks in a World Cup semi-final. In 2022, Wayne Pivac’s side became the first Wales men’s team to win a Test in South Africa.
Things have changed considerably and today’s teams are poles apart in terms of depth and experience.
The Springboks have 963 caps in their matchday 23 while Wales only muster 334, including just 61 internationals in the home seven-man starting backline.
South Africa’s second-row duo of Eben Etzebeth and Franco Mostert have 207 caps, two more than Wales’ starting side.
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