Rugby Union: Gatland Shows His Softer Side As No 9 Move Puts Wru Policy in a Bad Light

Summary

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Warren Gatland has been hailed as the hard taskmaster Wales required to turn them into a top-five rugby nation....but he showed his softer side yesterday. The Wales coach was given a perfect opportunity to stamp his authority on the game here, but he did an extraordinary U-turn to rival anything Martyn Williams has done this week.

Just 24 hours after claiming Dwayne Peel (pictured below) would be making it difficult for himself if he quit the Scarlets and joined a club in another country, Gatland backed down when it seemed the Lions scrum-half had decided to walk off into the international sunset.

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Rugby Union: Gatland Shows His Softer Side As No 9 Move Puts Wru Policy in a Bad Light

Having heard Gatland's tough stance the previous day on his possible defection - "why is it going to be make it difficult for me? I've got Mike Phillips and Gareth Cooper, haven't I?" - Peel promptly called the WRU's bluff.

But Gatland si...

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