Kiwi Gatland after dramatic Wales return: 'This was a big decision'

Warren Gatland returns for his second stint as Wales head coach just three years after walking away from the job having overseen a golden era of Welsh rugby.

Gatland has hastily replaced fellow New Zealander Wayne Pivac, under whom Wales lifted the 2021 Six Nations but won just 13 of 34 Tests, suffering sobering defeats this year to Georgia and Italy.

Hamilton-born Gatland, 59, coached the Welsh from 2008 until 2019 and is now tasked with getting them back on track for the 2023 Six Nations and next year's Rugby World Cup.

He has spent the last three years as head coach and then director of rugby for the Chiefs Super Rugby franchise.

"I want to thank the Chiefs. This was a big decision and leaving a team like this was always going to be hard," Gatland said in a statement.

"However, I am looking forward to taking on this new challenge."

It's a similar situation to Gatland's first coaching stint with Wales when he took over a demoralised team that crashed out of the 2007 World Cup following a shock defeat to Fiji.

Gatland turned the team around quickly, winning the Six Nations in 2008, 2012, 2013 and 2019.

In three of those years - 2008, 2012 and 2019 - Wales completed the rare "Grand Slam" by winning every game in the Six Nations.

Under Gatland, who also coached the British & Irish Lions on three tours, Welsh success was forged on a robust defence that opponents often struggled to crack.

Alongside hard-nosed defence coach Shaun Edwards, who has since joined France, Gatland gave Wales a tough edge with a conservative, possession-based style of rugby critics dubbed "Warrenball".

'One of the very best'

It bore fruit as Wales repeatedly challenged for the Six Nations title and ended a miserable run against southern hemisphere teams