Sam Warburton backs Warren Gatland, Wales boss favourite for the sack

During his first stint in charge from 2008 to 2019, the Kiwi enjoyed enormous success, leading Wales to Six Nations Grand Slams in 2008, 2012, and 2019. They also won the Six Nations title in 2013 and reached the Rugby World Cup semi-finals in 2011 and 2019, as well as the quarter-finals in 2015.

However, recent months have been challenging, with Wales finishing last in the 2024 Six Nations and enduring a disastrous summer.

Despite this, Warburton believes Gatland deserves more time, even though he is currently the favorite Six Nations coach to be sacked.

Warburton began: "If I was in charge, I would wait until after next year’s Six Nations to make any decision on Warren Gatland’s future,” he said. 

“It would be way too cut-throat to sack him now. You have got to give him time so I would wait and see how results and performances pan out until the end of the Six Nations next year.

"Given his track record and his progress over the summer, changing the coach wouldn’t be in my thinking for the powers that be at Welsh Rugby Union.

“I have not given it any thought on who his replacement could be. His style is a good style for international rugby. I don’t know who is out there. Whoever comes in, you want to look at someone that’s had previous international experience.”

Six Nations Sack Race Odds:

Andy joined the Irish coaching set up in 2016 as Assistant Coach. He was named as Head Coach to succeed Joe Schmidt after the 2019 Rugby World Cup/

Andy was assistant coach with England from 2011 to 2015 as well as defence coach for the 2013 Series-winning British & Irish Lions tour to Australia.

Prior to joining the England set-up, he coached Aviva Premiership side Saracens. A dual code player, he played rugby league for Wigan (370 caps), England (11 caps) and Great Britain (34 caps) before switching to union and joining Saracens.

Farrell won eight caps for England, including three appearances at the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

Italy's rugby scene saw a major shakeup when Gonzalo Quesada was appointed head coach of the national team, succeeding Kieran Crowley from January 1, 2024.

Their resurgence was evident when, under Quesada's guidance, they clinched a historic victory against Scotland in the 2024 Six Nations Championship, marking their first home win in 11 years and their first tournament victory since 2022. The momentum continued as they triumphed over Wales in a nail-biting match at the Millennium Stadium.

Although they finished fifth in the tournament standings, Italy's performance was hailed as a significant achievement, marking their best showing since 2013 with multiple wins and avoiding the bottom of the table for the first time since 2015.

Borthwick’s professional career began in 1998, when at the age of 19, he made his debut for Bath against Saracens.

He went on to earn 246 caps for the West Country club, captaining them to the 2007/08 European Challenge Cup title, and announcing his move to Saracens at the end of that season.

He notched up 144 appearances in his six years with the north London club before retiring at the end of the 2013/14 season. Borthwick also boasted an impressive international career. Making his England debut in the 2001 Six Nations against France, his career spanned nine years and 57 caps - 21 of them as captain.

Eddie Jones was quick to appoint Borthwick as Japan’s forwards coach in 2012 immediately after ending his playing career, and later recruited him for the same role with England in December 2015, where he played a key role in developing England's pack.

In his time with the national team Borthwick oversaw two Six Nations titles, including a Grand Slam in 2016, a 3-0 Test series win in Australia the same year, an unbeaten run of 18 matches, and a Rugby World Cup in Japan. He was also part of the British & Irish Lions’ tour of New Zealand in 2017 which saw the side draw a Test series against the All Blacks.

Borthwick was appointed head coach of Leicester Tigers in the middle of 2020, where he led them to the 2021/22 Premiership title - their first since 2013.

ownsend took on the position of Scotland Head Coach in the summer of 2017 after five seasons at the helm of Glasgow Warriors.

The Gala man made an immediate impact at the Scotstoun club, leading the side into the Play-Offs in his first season (2012/13) before reaching the PRO12 Final in 2014, ultimately losing to Leinster.

In 2015, however, Townsend led Glasgow to title success, defeating Munster 31-13 to lift the Guinness PRO12 trophy, before enjoying another first in his final year, when the club reached the knockout rounds of the European Champions Cup for the first time.

Townsend was named Guinness PRO12 Coach of the Year twice during his time in the west of the Scotland, a club he joined from his position as Assistant Coach to the Andy Robinson with the naitonal team (2009-2012).

Capped 82 times for his country and twice capped by the British Lions, Townsend played for his home town side, Gala RFC, before joining Northampton Saints and then French club, Brive.

In 2000 he joined the Top14 side Castres Olympique before returning home to play for the Borders professional outfit.

He has also represented Natal Sharks in the Super 12 and returned again to France for season 2004/5 with Montpellier.

He rejoined the Borders as player/coach for the 2005/6 season.

In his prime, Galthie was the linchpin at scrum-half, dominating the field for Colomiers and later Stade Français. His illustrious career boasts 64 caps for France, featuring prominently in four Rugby World Cups and leading the team in the 2003 edition.

Renowned coach Bernard Laporte hails him as France's premier scrum-half of all time. Honored as the IRB International Player of the Year in 2002, Galthié's influence transcends mere accolades.

Transitioning from player to coach, Galthié has left his mark on the French Top 14 scene, guiding teams like Stade Français, Montpellier, and Toulon. His coaching prowess caught the attention of the national team, where he served as assistant coach starting in 2019, eventually ascending to head coach in 2020. Under his leadership, France clinched the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2022, cementing Galthié's status as a mastermind both on and off the field.

 Gatland returned for a second stint as Wales head coach following Wayne Pivac’s departure after a review of Wales’ 2022 Autumn Nations Series campaign which included a home defeat against Georgia.

Wales won just 13 of 34 Tests under Pivac’s direction after he succeeded Gatland following the 2019 World Cup.

Gatland held the same post between 2007 and 2019, during which time Wales won three Six Nations titles – each Grand Slams – reached two World Cup semi-finals and briefly headed the world rankings.

Gatland was appointed as the 20th Welsh national coach on 9 November, 2007. Four months later he had led Wales to the 2008 RBS 6 Nations championship title and the nation’s tenth Grand Slam. He replicated that achievement in 2012 before completing a remarkable tenure with a third Grand Slam in 2019, when his Welsh side crushed the reigning champions Ireland, at Principality Stadium.

He launched his coaching career as player/coach for Taupiri in 1989. He then decided to stay on in Ireland after the 1989 New Zealand tour to act as player/coach for Galwegians. He helped the Galway-based club achieve promotion into the AIB Division 2. After retiring from club and provincial rugby at the end of 1994 he became assistant coach to Thames Valley in 1995, taking them from the third to second division.

In 1996, he became coach to Connacht and led them into the quarter-finals of the European Challenge Cup in 1998 after twice beating Northampton Saints in the pool stages. He succeeded Brian Ashton as Ireland coach in 1998 having previously helped him at sessions with the national squad.

He held the post until 2001, when the IRFU decided not to re-new his contract and gave the job to his assistant, Eddie O’Sullivan. Under Gatland, Ireland moved up two places to sixth in the IRB Rankings and finished the 2001 Six Nations campaign as runners-up to England after denying them the Grand Slam with a notable victory.

He won 18, drew 1 and lost 19 of his 38 games in charge and was at the helm for the first Irish victory over France in Paris in 2000. That victory followed a disappointing exit to the 1999 Rugby World Cup, when Argentina put paid to Irish hopes in the quarter-final play-offs, 28-24. He masterminded a 29-23 win over Wales at Wembley, but was on the receiving end of a 23-19 defeat at Lansdowne Road the next season.

After losing the Irish job he joined the coaching staff at London Wasps when Nigel Melville was director of rugby at the club. The side were bottom of the Premiership table at the time and he helped steer them clear of the relegation zone and develop one of the meanest defences in Europe.

He took over as director of rugby when Melville moved to Gloucester in 2002 and Wasps flourished under his guidance. They won the Premiership title in 2003, again in 2004 and made it a hat-trick in 2005 – conceding only one try in the three finals at Twickenham.

In Europe, he won the Challenge Cup in 2003, wining nine of out nine matches, and the Heineken Cup at Twickenham in 2004, losing only to the Celtic Warriors on their way to victory over Toulouse in the final. He left the UK at the end of the 2004/2005 season to return to New Zealand, where he was installed as coach to the Waikato Air New Zealand Cup team. In 2006, Waikato won the Air New Zealand Cup title.

He joined the Waikato Chiefs Super 14 team in 2006 as technical advisor before taking the reigns as Wales Head Coach in December 2007, commencing a four year tenure in charge of the nation he described as the ‘sleeping giant’ of world rugby. In his first five matches in charge Gatland coached Wales to a Grand Slam in the RBS Six Nations.

By the time Gatland’s reign had finished at the conclusion of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, where Wales came fourth after losing to New Zealand in the Bronze final, Gatland’s 12 years in charge had gained unparalled success with four Six Nations titles and three Grand Slams