WRU chief Roger Lewis believes Wales is on top of the rugby world following the success of the British and Irish Lions.
The Lions series victory over Australia may have been an alliance of all four home unions, but WRU boss Lewis believes the tourists’ first success in 16 years was firmly ‘made in Wales’.
And with Wales supplying 10 starters for the historic third Test win in Sydney, as well as the majority of the back-room staff, Lewis reckons the Lions series:
* Backed the WRU’s new contract for Warren Gatland in 2010;
* Justified the controversial decision to release Gatland to the tourists;
* Can pave the way for success at the 2015 World Cup, and will inspire a new generation of stars in Wales.
Wales, on the back of a successive Six Nations titles, not only dominated the look of the Lions but also caused the damage against the Wallabies.
Man of the Series Leigh Halfpenny, George North, Alex Cuthbert and Jamie Roberts accounted for a remarkable 87% of the Lions points during the three Tests, scoring 69 of their team’s 79 points.
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Lewis said: “It was a pleasure and privilege to be present in Sydney.
“The absolute pinnacle of any player from Britain or Ireland career is to put on that Lions shirt but to have 11 Welshmen on that pitch (Justin Tipuric was a replacement) there was a great tribute and a testimony to everyone involved in Welsh rugby.
“For all the people who enabled those players to fulfil their potential, from clubs across Wales, from the regions, from the Welsh national set-up, it was something magical.
“They did themselves proud, their families proud and Wales proud.
“The Welsh players on the pitch represented the British and Irish Lions but also represented the four corners of Wales.
“There were also seven Welsh Rugby Union coaching staff behind the scenes with Warren – and that is absolutely awesome.â€
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Gatland succeeded where predecessors Sir Clive Woodward and Graham Henry failed in delivering a winning Lions series, to add to an already burgeoning reputation and personal trophy cabinet.
Since taking over following the debacle of the 2007 World Cup under Gareth Jenkins, Gatland has overseen the most successful period in Welsh rugby since its heyday in the 1970s.
Under Gatland, Wales have won three Six Nations titles, including two Grand Slams, as well as reaching a World Cup semi-final.
For the WRU and Lewis, it provides vindication for taking the unusual step of offering a head coach a new contract before a World Cup, as they did with Gatland in 2010, as well as releasing the Kiwi for 12 months before the Lions.
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Lewis said: “I always thought from the day we went to see Warren in 2007 that he was the right man for us.
“But what I’m particularly pleased with, is making that decision in 2010.
“I came under a lot of stick to say that he was the guy that would take us forward to the 2015 World Cup and I came in for more criticism when we released him for the Lions.
“We had a tough time last autumn but then Rob Howley took us through and delivered a Championship which was absolutely extraordinary, and now Warren has delivered this great win for the Lions.
“This has firmly put Welsh rugby on the world map and what everybody has also learned, the players and coaches alike, is going to take us forward.
“We got it right and at times Welsh rugby should not be embarrassed to say, ‘We are leading the way’.â€
Perhaps Gatland’s biggest influence upon the Wales players has been installing a new belief and winning mentality to a team that previously veered from the sublime to the ridiculous.
And no-one more so than the coach himself had to show that self-confidence when he dropped modern great Brian O’Driscoll for the decisive third Test.
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Lewis said: “Warren places accountability on players’ shoulders but also leads from the front.
“He put the accountability, in no uncertain terms, on himself with that selection.
“The criticism he came in for was off the scale. It was totally inappropriate and out of order but he backed himself and that’s why he’s a winner.
“He also gets the players to back themselves and that’s why you see the likes of Leigh Halfpenny, Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies playing with such confidence.â€
The Lions triumph capped a remarkable 2013 for Wales’ national teams with the Under 20s reaching the final of the Junior World Cup and runners-up in the Six Nations, while the Sevens achieved notable scalps, including Fiji at the World Cup in Moscow.
Such global success marks Wales as potential winners of the 2015 World Cup, of which eight games will be held in Cardiff, given the youth in Gatland’s side.
And while Lewis moved to temper that excitement, he believes the achievements of this current crop, including the likes of Adam Jones will inspire a new generation the same way the likes of Barry John, Gareth Edwards and Gerald Davies once did.
Lewis said: “In 1997, Martin Johnson inspired a generation of players when the Lions won in South Africa – and Sam Warburton and all of these players that have represented Wales on this tour will inspire a generation of Welsh players.
“Things are looking good for Welsh rugby, not least of all on the back of another Six Nations Championship, but also what our players have done throughout these couple of months.
“All of us in Wales take a great deal of comfort for what we’re doing.
“Yes, we know we’ve got stuff we have to sort out and we know we need to work closer together.
“But we are facing in the right direction, we’re doing a lot of things right and if we carry on like this the future is so positive for us all.â€
Article source: http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/11069/8811917/Winner-Gatland
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Warren Gatland, Wales and the Lions: WRU chief Roger Lewis on how Welsh ...
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