Frustration led Gatland to Wales job

Warren Gatland’s ’frustration’ with the limited career opportunities in New Zealand forced him to return to Britain.

The former Wasps and Ireland coach, who left Waikato to become Gareth Jenkins’ replacement with Wales on Friday, said that New Zealand Rugby Union procedure kept him out of top jobs and that the Welsh Rugby Union’s decisive action was one of the reasons he took the position.

Gatland told The Sunday News: “I like that attitude that they were aggressive in making a decision and that’s the way I like things to operate.

“Back in New Zealand we’re too PC and you have to go through all the processes. New Zealand can learn a lot from what’s happening in the northern hemisphere.

“I was frustrated back home, having gone back there and won the 2006 Air New Zealand Cup, that there wasn’t the opportunity to step into the next level at Super 14.

“Potentially I could have been left in a little bit of a hole so when I got this opportunity I thought it was too good for me to turn down.

“I’ve been turning down a number of jobs over the past 12 months but I decided this was the right one for me.

“There’s not a lot of positions in New Zealand at the highest level, so I decided to leave.”

Wales may have struck at the right time as two of the five Kiwi franchises may soon be advertising for new head coaches with Robbie Deans of the Crusaders and Blues’ Australian coach David Nucifora looking likely to follow Gatland into the international arena.