Born: 17th September 1963 in Hamilton, New Zealand.
Education: Hamilton Boys’ High and Waikato University. Started his working life as a schoolteacher.
Rugby Playing Career: Represented Northern Region Secondary Schools as well as Waikato Secondary Schools before progressing to the Waikato Colts in 1984. He played at No.8 until he was 21 before switching to hooker. He made his Waikato debut in 1986 after spending the entire 1985 season as reserve hooker in the “A” squad. Played club rugby for Hamilton Old Boys before moving to Taupiri in 1989. Took over captaincy of Waikato from John Mitchell in 1988. Went on to play a then record 140 games for Waikato between 1986-1994, including wins over the 1988 Wales touring team (28-19) and the 1993 British Lions (38-10). Other notable wins for the Gatland inspired Waikato side included Canada 28-9 in 1989, and 59-3 in 1990, Argentina 30-12 in 1989, Australia 21-10 in 1990 and Western Samoa 39-29 in 1992.
Picked to tour Australia with the 1988 New Zealand side, he made his All Blacks debut against Western Australia in Perth on 19th June in a 60-3 victory. He made six appearances on that tour, winning every time, and played 17 times for New Zealand without playing in a Test match.
Was in the 1989 New Zealand touring party to Canada, Ireland, Wales and England. The All Blacks won all 14 games with Gatland featuring in the wins over British Columbia, Swansea, Newport, Leinster, Connacht and an Oxbridge XV in an unofficial match.
He figured in three matches on the 1990 tour to France, beating Languedoc 22-6 and France A 22-15 and losing 18-12 to Cote Basque. After featuring in the Possibles team than beat the Probables 25-24 in the New Zealand trial in 1991, he toured Argentina and made three appearances, helping the side to beat Cordoba 38-9, Argentina B 22-6 and Mar del Plata 48-6. In 1992, he captained the New Zealand XV in two ‘Tests’ against England B, winning 24-18 and 26-18. He was also in the Waikato that won the 1992 NPC title and a year later was in the side that took the Ranfurly Shield off Auckland.
Rugby Coaching Career: 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 Galwey-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, a post he relinquished earlier this year.
Gatland by numbers (Correct at 9th November 2007)
140
The record number of appearances he made for Waikato
5
The number of major trophies he won with London Wasps – three consecutive Guinness Premiership titles, the European Challenge Cup and the Heineken Cup
22
The number of days until he takes up his four year appointment on 1st December 2007
39
The number of internationals he was in charge of with Ireland between 1998-2001, winning 18 and drawing 1
17
The number of appearances he made for the All Blacks, although never in a Test
1963
The year he was born, on 17th September in Hamilton, making him 44
3
He will be the third Kiwi to coach Wales in the past decade, following in the footsteps of Graham Henry and Steve Hansen
85
The number of day until his first international with Wales, in the RBS Six Nations opener against England at Twickenham on 2nd February 2008
50
The number of points his Irish side conceded at Twickenham in their 50-18 Lloyds TSB Six Nations defeat in 2000
4
The number of titles he won at Twickenham with London Wasps in a three year period
19
He will become the 19th man to coach Wales since David Nash was made National Coach in 1967
29
The number of points his Irish side scored against Wales at Wembley in 1998 in their 29-23 victory
41
The number of days it took the WRU to appoint Gatland as Head Coach following the removal of Gareth Jenkins after the Rugby World Cup defeat by Fiji in Nantes on 29th September 2007
