Warren Gatland opens up on Wales exit and lack of support

Former Wales head coach Warren Gatland has broken his silence on his departure during the Six Nations, admitting his disappointment and questioning why no one was "fighting" for him in his final days in charge.

Gatland, who left his role following a string of 14 consecutive international defeats, acknowledged that change was necessary within Welsh rugby. His final match saw Wales suffer a 22-15 loss to Italy in Rome, a result that cemented their worst losing streak in history.

Following his exit, Wales quickly appointed Matt Sherratt as interim head coach for the remainder of the Six Nations, with matches against Ireland, Scotland, and England still to come.

Gatland returned for his second spell as Wales coach in December 2022, but his tenure was far from successful, winning only six of his 26 games in charge.

Despite attempting to remain composed in media interviews, he later admitted that he had already come to terms with his departure after the Italy defeat.

Looking back at his final moments with the team, Gatland described the atmosphere in the dressing room.

"It didn't go as planned. And, you know, we were disappointed.

"Probably in the past it would have been one of those games where I would have gone absolutely nuts in the changing rooms afterwards. But the players were hurting.

"The staff were hurting. We shot ourselves in the foot in terms of some discipline accuracy. The kicking game was poor."

During his last press conference, speculation about his future was inevitable.

"And you go into a press conference, and you get asked the same questions about whether your heart is still in the job. You are questioning yourself but, of course, you're never going to deliver a headline quote for someone saying you are."

However, despite the criticism he faced, Gatland was taken aback by the support he received from fans.

"On the Sunday going back, I was amazed by how many supporters came up to me at the airport and said, 'Good luck. Keep going. We are behind you.' I was a little bit overwhelmed by that, really. I wasn't expecting that. That makes you have second thoughts a little bit about those decisions."

Throughout his tenure, Gatland endured significant criticism, including from former players. While he accepted the scrutiny that came with the job, he believed the level of negativity from the media contributed to his struggles.

"I'm a reasonably emotional person. You give that facade in terms of not showing everything or too much emotion. I felt there was quite a bit of negativity.

"Not from the fans, the fans were brilliant. I've felt a huge amount of negativity in the Welsh press and that just kept weighing down on me.

"I just kept thinking, 'Where is someone in my corner or someone fighting a little bit for me?'"