Gatland shocked as betting row rocks Wales World Cup bid

Kitakyushu: Wales coach Warren Gatland said he was ‘shocked’ on Wednesday and urged his team to recover quickly after his assistant Rob Howley was sent home over betting allegations just days before the Rugby World Cup.

Gatland said Howley, the former Wales scrum-half and captain, was ‘devastated’ by the bombshell turn of events that has thrown the Six Nations champions’ preparations into disarray.

Attack coach Howley, Gatland’s right-hand man at Wales since 2008, left their World Cup camp on Monday and will be investigated over a possible breach of World Rugby regulations covering anti-corruption and betting — which is outlawed for players, coaches and match officials.

“I have had better birthdays for sure!” said Gatland, who turned 56 on Tuesday, the day he broke the news to the squad. “We were shocked. The (Welsh Rugby) Union are dealing with this and my focus has to be on the next five days in terms of preparing the squad for the first World Cup game against Georgia.

“You have to deal with adversity at times and it’s how you respond to that. I must say the players have really stepped up in the last 24 hours. They have been incredibly responsible and resilient.”

Former Wales fly-half Stephen Jones, who was due to succeed Howley as attack specialist after the tournament, is on his way to Japan and will join the squad later this week. Gatland expressed concern for the welfare of the 48-year-old Howley, who had been linked with the Italy coaching job but whose future now appears uncertain.

After a glittering playing career, Howley was part of four victorious Six Nations campaigns as a coach including in 2013, when he deputised for Gatland who was preparing to lead the Lions.

Gatland, who will step down after the World Cup, said he hoped Wales would bounce back quickly from the revelations as they prepare to start their tournament against Georgia on Monday. “Sometimes that (adversity) brings teams closer together,” he said. “We have got to draw a line in the sand on this and really focus on preparing the team for the next five days. It took a bit of time for this to sink in.”

Agence-France-Presse