New Zealander Warren Gatland is to become the second foreigner to take charge of the British & Irish Lions after being named yesterday as head coach for next year’s tour of Australia.
The Wales coach, who was assistant to Ian McGeechan for the 2009 tour of South Africa, was the favorite for the role after leading Wales to the Grand Slam in this year’s Six Nations and the semi-finals of last year’s World Cup.
Gatland is to coach Wales in the autumn Tests against New Zealand and Australia before being seconded to the Lions — a squad made up of players from the home nations — on a full-time basis ahead of a 10-match tour which takes in three Tests.
Photo: AFP
“I am really honored to have been asked to take the position of head coach,” Gatland said. “I really enjoyed the experience as one of the assistant coaches in 2009 and since then have harbored the ambition to lead the tour to Australia next year.”
“A Lions tour is unique, it is the ultimate career pinnacle for coaches and players. I want to ensure that we get the tour environment right so that we are hugely competitive and that our fans are proud of the team,” he said.
Graham Henry, also of New Zealand, is the only other non-Briton to coach the Lions — in 2001, when the Lions lost the series 2-1 after winning the first Test.
They also lost in New Zealand (3-0) in 2005 and South Africa (2-1) three years ago, meaning they will be bidding next year for a first series win since 1997.
“There is no question it will be one hell of a challenge,” Gatland said. “Playing in the southern hemisphere is one of rugby’s hardest challenges. The Lions came close in South Africa and our ambition is to win the series in 2013 — and I believe we have the players to do that.”
Apart from the three Tests — in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney — the Lions are to play six matches against regional teams and also a tour curtain-raiser against a Barbarians side in Hong Kong.
Gatland’s appointment was one of the worst-kept secrets in rugby and would have been confirmed in April, had he not fractured bones in both heels in a heavy fall while cleaning windows at his beach house in New Zealand. That forced Lions officials into delaying the announcement.
A hooker in his playing career, Gatland actually competed against the Lions in 1993, when the Waikato team he captained beat the touring side 38-10. He played 17 times for New Zealand, but found regular spots for his country blocked by Shaun Fitzpatrick.
He coached Ireland between 1998 and 2001, before being hired by English club London Wasps — where he won the European Cup in a trophy-laden spell. With Wales since 2007, he has won two Six Nations Grand Slams.
Rob Howley is to take charge of Wales in Gatland’s absence.
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but