Gatland has been spending time at Ystrad Mynach over the last fortnight and has been helping the Dragons out with their defence. And Bernard Jackman has praised both Gatland and the WRU for agreeing to the arrangement.
“He was good enough to say that he would come up last week and this week,” said Jackman.
“He’s been there for a bit of mentorship and advice, catch up with the likes of Ross Moriarty, Cory Hill, Elliot Dee etc. and to check in on Leon Brown, Tyler Morgan and Hallam Amos.
“I just think it makes sense. There’s no massive plan behind it, it’s just good to have interaction and communication.
“The national coaches have been brilliant since I came here in terms of their visibility. Not just Warren; Robin McBryde, strength and conditioning coaches, physios.
“From what I believe happened in the past, I’ve seen massive strides in terms of collective cohesion and it makes sense. To have Warren up here is great for the boys to have opportunities to have a chat with him and have feedback.
“It’s nice to have someone of his experience in and it keeps the boys on edge. It gives us that little extra edge in training.”
Dragons skipper Cory Hill was also full of praise for Gatland and was quick to point out the improvements he has made in training.
Hill insisted there isn’t a team in the world who wouldn’t benefit from Gatland’s input.
“He’s one of the best coaches in the world so he’s going to have an impact on any squad,” said Hill.
“Obviously Warren is in, he’s the national coach and it just ups everyone’s intensity, even if he’s just standing on the side.
“Everyone wants to train better and impress. So, of course, it’s impacted on us massively.”
