McBryde had been part of Wales’ coaching team since 2006 when he left following the culmination of last year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan.
The former hooker was also interim Wales head coach on the 2009 tour to USA and Canada, to Japan in 2013, and a two-Test tour against Tonga and Samoa in 2017.
After the 2019 World Cup, McBryde joined Leinster as forwards coach and helped his new team to a third straight Guinness PRO14 final and a place in the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals.
“Looking back it was a massive honour for me to coach Wales. That’s the best job in Welsh rugby – to be coaching the national team. I was very fortunate,” he said.
“I feel very privileged and honoured to have been in that set-up for that long. To have had the successes we had and to have contributed to building that environment was great.
That’s the best job in Welsh rugby – to be coaching the national team. I was very fortunate
“Certain things go with the territory with most people in Wales having an opinion, but you’ve just got to deal with that. Everybody just wants the best thing for the national side.
“The job itself brings a certain amount of pressure with regards the expectancy the nation has with the national team.
“The more success you have the greater the expectation and rightly so. With every honour you get there’s a duty and my duty was to do my job as well as I could.
“Over the years I can look back and be proud of what we achieved as a national team. At that level it really is small margins with regards to success and failure so you just roll with the bad times and enjoy the good times.
“We had plenty of good times. When I look back it was just fond memories.”
McBryde had plenty of success with Wales and his last was the 2019 Six Nations Grand Slam
McBryde coached Wales to three Six Nations Grand Slams in 2008, 2012 and 2019 and was also part of the Championship-winning side of 2013.
He went to four World Cups with Wales finishing fourth in both 2011 and 2019.
All of those successes were achieved with Warren Gatland as Wales head coach.
“I look back at my time and I was very fortunate and thankful to Warren for allowing me to be part of that environment for so long,” McBryde said.
“People who have been involved in different environments and experienced different teams realise at the time how special that time was for Wales under Warren’s leadership.”
Asked what he took from working with Gatland – who is now preparing for the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa – McBryde said: “It was the environment he created and the culture from within.
“He would always say exactly the same mantra before every campaign – family comes first. When you hear that over and over again and his actions spoke volumes it wasn’t just lip service.
“I’m indebted to Warren for what he did for me and my family.
“With that you build loyalty and trust. I’m sure the players felt that as well. He also used to say no other team in world rugby would be working harder than us.
“Testament to that were the camps before World Cups. Right at the beginning of his tenure were the trips to Poland which was a new experience for everybody.
McBryde had 13 amazing years with Wales and is now coaching at Leinster
“I’ll never forget the reactions of teams in that 2011 World Cup where they felt when we put that red jersey on it was as if we were superhuman almost.
“Warren kept things simple with a lot of old fashioned values. He had that conviction of where we are going.
“He was well versed in northern hemisphere rugby having had experience both with Ireland and Wasps. He’s been successful wherever he’s been.
“He was quite willing to give you your head and to go out there and try anything. There was a little bit of trial and error.
“He was very good with that and he allowed you space to go and grow yourself. Some of the people he brought into the back-room staff were the best in their field.”
