Gatland coup another triumph for Waikato

After a Super 12 victory over their neighbours, the Waikato region scored another triumph over their rivals when they signed Warren Gatland to coach the NPC side and help out the Chiefs.

Waikato and Auckland chased Gatland after he announced he was leaving his coaching post with English side Wasps at the end of May and wanted to return to similar work in the upper North Island. At that stage both provinces had their NPC coaching staff in place for this season.

Auckland hoped they could persuade Gatland to wait for some role with the Blues in next year's expanded Super 14 series. But they knew they would need New Zealand Rugby Union approval because Gatland did not have the NPC coaching experience to qualify for such an appointment.

When John Mitchell announced he was leaving his NPC post for the Super 14, Waikato saw their chance to outmanoeuvre their provincial adversaries.

"I got in touch with Gatty, put an offer to him, he considered it and we were delighted he accepted it," Waikato chief executive Garty Dawson said yesterday. "He is a professional rugby coach who wanted to do that back home."

Gatland has agreed to a three-year deal to coach Waikato and assume a technical adviser's role with the Chiefs. He will return to New Zealand in mid-June and start work on July 1.

"We discussed something with him," Auckland chief executive David White said, "we looked at options but we did not have anything we could offer him. He was interested but we have heard nothing back."

Gatland said from London yesterday that he had chosen the Waikato job over the Auckland offer because the Waikato post was more of a hands-on one.

"It also definitely makes it more attractive that I'm going to have a role in the Super 12 as well," Gatland said.

He said he was impressed with the structure Waikato had put together and the direction in which Waikato rugby was heading.

He would be talking to as many people in Waikato rugby as possible to get a feel for the existing playing talent and more detail on structures before deciding on support staff, but said it made sense to maintain continuity.

While he admitted to ambitions to coach at a higher level, Gatland said he first had to learn about New Zealand rugby because he had been away from it for so long.

"Because of the sort of person I am, if I say I'm committing to Waikato rugby for now then that's what I will do."

Waikato open their NPC campaign on August 12 with a home game against Taranaki.

- additional reporting: NZPA