{"id":688885,"date":"2026-01-11T12:26:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T12:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/688885\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T12:26:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T12:26:07","slug":"dark-side-warren-gatland-has-a-shock-new-job-months-after-quitting-wales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/688885\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Dark side&#8221; &#8211; Warren Gatland has a shock new job months after quitting Wales"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Warren Gatland has joked that he has moved to rugby\u2019s \u201cdark side\u201d after accepting a surprise consultancy role with World Rugby\u2019s match officials.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The former Wales head coach says working closely with referees during the British &amp; Irish Lions tour has given him a completely new appreciation of the pressures officials face, particularly amid intense scrutiny over red cards, high tackles and consistency.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>He wrote in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/rugby-union\/2025\/12\/29\/warren-gatland-dark-side-refereeing-law-tweaks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">his column for The Telegraph<\/a>: \u201cGoing across to the dark side (only joking!) has given me a whole new perspective and appreciation for the work that the referees are doing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/JKHnreYOVE66vRd1rAQI1E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Join our Breaking News and Top Stories WhatsApp community<\/a>\u00a0for all the latest news direct to your phone.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>A new respect for referees<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gatland admits referees have been under fire this autumn, especially over decisions in the dangerous high-contact area, but insists they are working tirelessly to improve.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cThey know they are not perfect. But what I see is a group of people working really hard to rectify the issues.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>While acknowledging mistakes \u2013 particularly around yellow and red cards \u2013 Gatland says frustration often comes from rugby\u2019s grey areas.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cI know how frustrating it can be when calls go against your team, particularly those that fall within the grey area.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>He points to issues such as side entry at the ruck, not releasing, or not rolling away quickly enough \u2013 areas where subjectivity is unavoidable.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What referees are really focusing on<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gatland revealed that elite referees meet only a few times a year \u2013 typically before the Autumn Nations Series and Six Nations \u2013 giving them limited time compared to teams preparing for a full season.<\/p>\n<p>Despite this, officials are working hard to align their approach ahead of\u00a0<strong>Rugby World Cup 2027<\/strong>, with four key focus areas:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Space<\/strong>: \u201cTrying to create more space when it comes to teams being able to attack.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Speed of ball<\/strong>: \u201cFocusing on the tackler, and ensuring that the jackaler is completely legal at the breakdown.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Safety<\/strong>: \u201cThis is important. There have been some mistakes made around this when it comes to consistency.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Scrum and maul<\/strong>: \u201cEnsuring both scrum and maul allow a contest for the ball and are also legal.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>However, Gatland believes these priorities have not been communicated clearly enough.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cI do not think these focus areas\u2026 have been communicated well enough to the fans, broadcasters and teams.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Referees should admit mistakes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Speaking from a coach\u2019s perspective, Gatland feels officials would gain more respect by openly acknowledging errors.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cThey will get more respect when they are reviewing a performance and admit that a decision was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>He also criticised some TV commentary for inflaming situations unnecessarily.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cThe most negative effect on the game can come from a TV commentator who says things like \u2018that was a terrible decision\u2019, but sometimes they are wrong or do not know the law.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>High balls, box kicks and Liam Williams<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gatland says the jury is still out on the clampdown on kicking escorts, arguing it has tilted the balance towards kicking teams.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cThat now weights it more heavily for the team kicking the ball\u2026 That is why we are now seeing more box kicks in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>If he were still coaching, Gatland says he would focus heavily on aerial skills in the back three.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cLiam Williams was one player who was brilliant at this.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Law changes Gatland would make<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Although he has no power to change the laws, Gatland outlined two areas he believes need clarity.<\/p>\n<p>First, the breakdown:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cIf a player is tackled and brought to the ground\u2026 I think they should be forced to release the ball and have to get back on their feet before playing it again.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Second, the\u00a0<strong>50:22 law<\/strong>, which he wants simplified.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cLet\u2019s make it simpler for the players, referees and fans.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>He argues that any kick made from inside a team\u2019s own half should activate the law, regardless of where the pass originated.<\/p>\n<p><strong>TMO delays and the bunker<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gatland accepts everyone wants the correct decision but believes the game is suffering from excessive stoppages.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cIn the pursuit of perfection, there can be too many delays.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>His solution?<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cIf a referee is convinced an offence is at least a yellow card\u2026 just show a yellow card and put the decision to the bunker straight away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>EDITORS PICKS:<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Players must take responsibility<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gatland also issued a warning to players, saying rugby risks drifting towards football-style behaviour.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cWe have increasingly seen players who experience some head contact being encouraged to stay down.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>He added: \u201cI would like to think that there is a responsibility for the players not to go down if they are not injured.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2018I am not Georgia coach\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Finally, Gatland addressed speculation about his future \u2013 and one rumour in particular.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cFor the record, I am not the new head coach of Georgia.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>After stepping away from Wales, Gatland admits he needed a break from negativity.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cI just do not need this level of negativity from the Welsh media in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>While enjoying time away since February, he has not ruled out a return.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cSome sort of role with a national team going into the next Rugby World Cup could be a good challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>He also left the door open to club rugby \u2013 and even a potential return of fallen Premiership giants.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cIt would be great for the Premiership if clubs with the history and tradition of Wasps, London Irish and Worcester could make a return.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>One thing is clear: Gatland may be on the \u201cdark side\u201d for now, but he\u2019s far from done with the game.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Martin Johnson and Jonny Wilkinson Reveal the Toughest Opponent They Ever Faced<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Jonny Wikinson and Martin Johnson have both opened up about the toughest players they respectively faced in their illustrious playing careers.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The 2003 World Cup-winners, along with three of their teammates from that triumph in Sydney, snubbed a number of top stars.<\/p>\n<p>Jonny Wilkinson: <strong>Christophe Dominici<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>(France)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Dominici played 67 times for his country and won the French championship five times with Stade Fran\u00e7ais before retiring in 2008. In recent years he had worked as a pundit for French radio and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/55056643\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TV before his death in 2020.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>WILKINSON SAID:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cHis opportunism, his flair, his game reading, his sheer explosivity to really change a game is something that sticks in my memory.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>DID YOU KNOW?<\/strong>\u00a0Dominci appeared in three World Cups for his country in 1999, 2003 and 2007, scoring eight tries over that time.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ruck.co.uk\/dark-side-warren-gatland-has-a-shock-new-job-months-after-quitting-wales\/2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CONTINUES ON PAGE TWO<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Like this:<\/p>\n<p>Like Loading&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"sd-link-color\"\/>\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Warren Gatland has joked that he has moved to rugby\u2019s \u201cdark side\u201d after accepting a surprise consultancy role&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":688886,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4102],"tags":[4151,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-688885","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-rugby","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115876461504868623","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=688885"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688885\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/688886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=688885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=688885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=688885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}