Warren Gatland welcomed the prospect of Qatari investment into rugby on Tuesday, insisting a fresh financial boost from the Middle East ‘is what the game needs’.
On Saturday, Wales head coach Gatland will take his team to Twickenham for a clash with double world champions South Africa with the Qatar Airways Cup on the line.
Both Wales and the Springboks are understood to be benefiting financially from the match via Qatar Airways’ sponsorship agreement. Qatar Airways is owned by the Qatari government.
Qatar is also set to play host to the first Nations Championship tournament from 2026, with organisers planning to host a ‘Superbowl of rugby’ in the country.
Playing the Nations Championship in Middle Eastern country is set to earn the 12 national teams competing a mammoth £800million over an eight-year period.
While there can be no doubt such a huge sum of money would be well received in rugby after its recent monetary woes, some have concerns the sport will lose its identity by playing in Qatar.
Warren Gatland (pictured) has welcomed a potential investment from Qatar in rugby union
Wales will play South Africa on Saturday for the Qatar Airways Cup, which South Africa won last year after defeating New Zealand at Twickenham
The game is being sponsored by Qatar Airways, which is owned by the Qatari government
‘Take the money and run – that’s my approach,’ Gatland joked when asked by MailSport for his view on rugby working with Qatar.
Gatland went on to clarify: ‘I think it is what the game needs. I do care where the money comes from.
‘If there is a chance to look at external investment, I don’t see any reason why rugby should not be looking at different opportunities. It has been done in golf as well.
‘There has been a huge amount of strain, not just in Wales, but everywhere within the game of rugby in the last few years post-Covid and the impact that has had.
‘I definitely think there has been a reset but having that investment externally could be a positive in terms of maybe growing the game globally as well.’
Qatar hosted the 2022 football World Cup while many other sports including golf, boxing and snooker have held events both there and in nearby Saudi Arabia despite concerns over human rights issues in the two countries.
Gatland stated that there has been a huge amount of strain in rugby following the COVID-19 pandemic
Gatland stated that he believes the investment from Qatar could be what the game needs
Wales flanker Jac Morgan (centre) will miss their game against South Africa and their three-match tour of Australia
The teams set to compete in the Nations Championship are those in the Six Nations, the four Rugby Championship sides, plus Fiji and Japan.
All 12 major unions are understood to have signed non-disclosure agreements with Qatar which don’t allow them to discuss the deal for now.
While other union leaders have refused to talk about one of rugby’s big current issues as a result, Gatland refused to duck the question and deserves credit for doing so.
He became rugby’s first high-profile figure to have his say on the topic as a result.
‘As long as we are smart in terms of how we approach that, there is an opportunity to grow the game, invest, and put money back into the game,’ Gatland said.
On Tuesday, Gatland named a rookie team to face South Africa and confirmed flanker Jac Morgan will miss the game and their two-match tour of Australia with a hamstring injury.
Morgan co-captained Wales at last year’s World Cup but missed the Six Nations a knee problem.
His latest fitness issue is a big blow for Gatland as Morgan would likely have captained Wales in the two Tests with the Wallabies. Dewi Lake will do so against South Africa in his absence.
Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks will return to action this weekend for the first time since making it back-to-back World Cup titles last year and, by contrast to Wales, have named a fearsome side.
The difference in experience is summed up by the fact South Africa lock Eben Etzebeth has 119 international caps. Wales’ starting pack for Saturday’s game at Twickenham has just 118 combined.
Hooker Dewi Lake (right) is set to captain the side in Morgan’s absence against South Africa
Gatland has named a young side to take on the Springboks this Saturday at Twickenham
‘He’s pretty gutted,’ Gatland said of Morgan. ‘He had a tight hamstring when he played against Munster. Unfortunately, he felt it again.
‘We got it scanned and he’s been ruled out. He’s very disappointed.’
