CONCERNED BY the war of words which he admits he helped to instigate before the Welsh-Irish finale last season, and which has been revisited this week, Warren Gatland has moved to ensure things “don’t get out of hand” by apologising for those infamous remarks a year ago.

A back page headline in yesterday’s Western Mail read “A Menopausal Warthog” in relation to a description of Gatland in an article in an Irish newspaper earlier this week, the general gist of which rather incurred the wrath of the Welsh newspaper which was moved to defend Gatland, Cardiff as a Six Nations venue and generally all things Welsh.

“The personal attacks on myself I can handle,” said Gatland last night. “That’s not an issue for me. But I think it’s different when you start criticising the fans and the team and Cardiff as a venue and stuff. It’s always been regarded as one of the best venues in the world. I just got a little bit concerned about that, and thought: ‘this could get a little bit out of hand’.”

Prior to last season’s last-day meeting in the Millennium Stadium, Gatland spoke of how the Wales players disliked the Ireland players the most, prompting a fair old media storm.

“The comments that I made last year, on reflection, I knew they would cause a bit of concern, but what surprised me was how much it caused. If I offended or upset anyone I genuinely want to apologise for that,” he said.

“I’ve had a great association with Ireland, going back to 1989 with Galwegians, and I have a lot of friends in Ireland. I’ve had a huge amount of support and had a daughter born there as well. There’s nothing negative in my mind about Ireland; 99 per cent of my experiences were incredibly positive.

“People talk about what happened in 2001,” he added, referring to his controversial removal as Ireland head coach to be replaced by his then assistant Eddie O’Sullivan. “At the time I was bitterly disappointed with what happened but that’s nine years ago, and when I look back on that I think ‘jeeze, what a fantastic opportunity the IRFU gave me at 34 years of age to coach an international team for four years’. That experience in 2001 opened up other doors for me. I had the chances to go to Wasps and go back to New Zealand with Waikato in the Super 14 and now I’m back here in Wales. My coaching career took a different path.

“But from a Welsh management and player point of view,” he continued, “we have nothing but a huge amount of respect for the Irish coaches and players, particularly for what they’ve achieved with Ireland, but also for what Munster and Leinster have achieved as well. But that respect doesn’t mean we don’t want to desperately beat them, or that our players don’t desperately want to win.”

And, while he wasn’t speaking directly about Declan Kidney at the time, his ensuing remarks about henceforth only speaking in clichés the day before last season’s game were interpreted as a sleight on the Ireland coach. At the Six Nations launch, Gatland points out he congratulated Kidney on winning the IRB coach-of-the-year award.

“It was a fantastic achievement. I have a huge amount of respect for Declan in terms of what he’s achieved as a coach, not just with Munster and Ireland, but Dolphin, the Irish schools, the under-age team, the Irish As. He has a fantastic track record and I admire what he’s done in the sport.”

When pointing out he criticised Scotland for insisting the Millennium Stadium roof stayed open for their round two game with Wales and that Wales played all the rugby against France, he retorted: “I think they’re two fairly mild criticisms, aren’t they?”

Nor does Gatland want any war of words to detract from the occasion of Brian O’Driscoll’s 100th cap for Ireland. “I just want the rugby to do the talking. I haven’t said anything negative about Ireland and nor will I. Brian’s achievement has been absolutely fantastic. Personally it’s brilliant for himself and his family and for Ireland, and I also want to acknowledge what John Hayes achieved a couple of weeks ago. He was still playing occasionally in the secondrow for Shannon at the time when we brought him to South Africa in 1998.

“We saw what talent Brian had as a youngster but his form in the last couple of years is what’s really impressed me. It’s hard to stay on top of your game season after season after season, and I think Brian admits himself a few seasons ago he wasn’t playing that well, but he got himself in shape, he’s been fit and sharp in the last couple of seasons, he’s got a fantastic rugby brain, he understands the game and I think for a number of years if you were picking a world XV he would certainly have been in it. And that’s not easy to do from one of the Celtic nations.”

Not that any of this will detract one iota from Gatland’s and Wales’ desire to atone for two partially self-inflicted defeats in there games so far. “For us we want to continue playing some good rugby but we need to be a little smarter and a bit more clinical. We’ve had too many turnovers in our game but you’re going to concede the most turnovers if you do play the most rugby, so one does come with the other. But the impressive thing about this Irish team – which is what surprised me about the French game – is that they are clinical. They don’t always have a huge number of opportunities but when they do have them they convert them. We saw that in the autumn against Australia and against England.

“We’ve had a good look at last year’s game in Cardiff. It was a really physical game and Ireland had two chances within a couple of minutes and took them, and we had to claw our way back into a game that, at the time, we felt reasonably comfortable in. It should be a good game and I’m looking forward to it. I just hope the weather is good and we get a great occasion.”

“I think it’s different when you start criticising the fans and the team and Cardiff as a venue and stuff. It’s always been regarded as one of the best venues in the world. I just got a little bit concerned about that, and thought: ‘this could get a little bit out of hand’

“People talk about what happened in 2001. At the time I was bitterly disappointed with what happened but that’s nine years ago, and when I look back on that I think ‘jeeze, what a fantastic opportunity the IRFU gave me at 34 years of age to coach an international team for four years’

“I have a huge amount of respect for Declan in terms of what he’s achieved as a coach, not just with Munster and Ireland, but Dolphin, the Irish schools, the under-age team, the Irish As. He has a fantastic track record and I admire what he’s done in the sport