Failure has been normalised, Gatland decision leaves Tierney's reputation on the line
Warren Gatland's stay of execution has bought the New Zealander more time to turn around the ailing fortunes of Wales' national side but during the Six Nations it won't just be his job on the line, but the reputation of Welsh Rugby Union CEO Abi Tierney.
In the hours following the WRU's decision to keep faith with Gatland for the time being, Tierney held court with a handful of journalists who specialise in Welsh rugby. "I absolutely went into that board meeting and recommended that Gatland should stay," said Tierney. "There was then a really intense conversation that followed that, where the board challenged me on that and challenged whether it was the right decision."
As CEO, Tierney will be judged by the success or otherwise of the decisions she makes and she has now saved Gatland's position on two separate occasions. If Wales show no progress during the Six Nations and end up with another Wooden Spoon the buck won't stop entirely with Gatland but also with Tierney herself.
This is the decision she has made and if Gatland goes at the end of the Championship then there is a strong argument she should also leave. Of course, Tierney made some legitimate points surrounding the inexperience and the lack of cohesive partnerships in a young Wales squad in comparison to some of their rivals. Her reliance on data is fine but the only statistic which really counts is how many games Wales have won and lost.
Nobody is saying this is solely Gatland's fault because it is multi-faceted. Gatland has been a world class coach and deserves huge credit for the unparalleled success during his first stint in charge of Wales. He also has to deal with the lowly state of the regional game and the fact there is currently a real lack of experience or size in Welsh rugby.
Whoever coaches Wales is going to lose more than they win with the current playing group but that doesn't mean Gatland's position shouldn't be heavily scrutinised. But the real question is does it really have to be this bad? I'd suggest not. This squad is not capable of winning grand slams but it is not unreasonable to expect Wales to beat Italy and Fiji at home.
Over the past 18 months Welsh rugby has normalised failure. Some will say we are where we are but the mentality has got to change. Since Tierney and chair Richard Collier-Keywood have been at the helm of the WRU very few difficult decisions have been made. The optics aren't good. Currently there are no consequences for failure.