the last time Wales went into the he plainly sides with ruddock, but he is fair have wanted to write – just without his name
six nations on the back of a Grand to all arguments as you would expect from on it?
slam, they imploded within two someone who has made his name in analysis.
games – despite winning one of “it did not take mike and clive long to agree
them. so how does an analyst get to write a book? with this book so suddenly the opportunity to
carter is represented by sports agents at tell some of mike’s story opened up,” agreed
the last time wales went into the six nations Darwin Gray law firm in Cardiff which provides nick bishop, the co-author of seeing red.
on the back of a grand slam, they imploded the answer on the mechanics of getting a deal,
within two games – despite winning one of however his observer’s role in ruddock-gate “mike’s story had not been told because he had
them. is the key. chosen to maintain a dignified silence, so this
gave the opportunity to re-balance the account
but one of the men at the centre of what Seeing Red has a five star rating on Amazon, a little bit.
became known as ruddock-gate believes the it has a strong recommendation on all the
lessons have been learned and there is no websites as a must-read book if you are “but alun had been there for so long and to be
danger of welsh rugby going down that same interested in welsh rugby. cricket’s recent on the inside from kevin bowring to gareth
dark road. shenanigans show there could be a wider Jenkins was a blessing from a book point of
interest too in the core coach/captain view because there was a huge welter of
alun carter was the analyst for wales and the relationship. stories.
lions, at the core of the wales management
team for 12 years from 1995. he knows exactly ”...the Mike ruddock story is “even the mike ruddock story is only the tip of
why the apparently unthinkable happened with the iceberg, there is so much we had to leave
ruddock’s departure in 2006 and is happy only the tip of the iceberg...” out.”
there will be no repeat in the foreseeable
future. although carter played for pontypool, and what is still in is pretty damning – worth
newport and wales, this is not a star player reading the book in full rather than trying to
“lessons have been learned already,” he said. autobiography - but that is its strength. summarise it here. as carter said, it takes 60
“when warren gatland came in he was given odd pages to set the scene and explain rather
a free rein to pick his coaching staff, which he “there are a couple of reasons for the book,” than two or three.
has done, he was given a long term contract explained carter in one of the function rooms
straightaway, so there is no problem there. at Worcester’s Sixways Stadium. “The first one however the emotions are easy to sum up.
is pontypool, the ray prosser education is such
“he can go forward in the knowledge that chief a rich vein in my life with the forward values “it was totally unfair, the atmosphere was not
executive roger lewis is supporting him totally and the characters. a good atmosphere, not very pleasant at all,”
and absolutely, so i think there have been remembers carter.
strong lessons learned there. “it was also an opportunity to tell mike’s story
and also to go back over graham henry’s “we were working in an environment that,
“in terms of the so-called player power, that years. I had a chance once I had finished with although we had been successful, there was
was addressed straightway under gatland, the union to look back on a special time and still a dark cloud over the place for one reason
from what i have been told, and again put it on paper. and another.
supported by senior management.”
“i think there is an incredible interest in how “i kept thinking it could not be going on. we
the departure of mike ruddock following mike went and i think the book explains that. had just won a grand slam, you could not
the 2005 grand slam, an autumn win over there are some things that cannot be covered meet a nicer bloke than mike, so there was
australia, then defeat in england and victory in two pages of a newspaper and the story is something not quite right about this.
home to scotland in the 2006 six nations, more complex than contractual deals.
remains one of the biggest talking points in “knowing what a good person mike is with
welsh rugby clubs. “we wanted to provide an insight – i’m not a people and his man-management skills, it was
shane williams or a gareth thomas, so it was surprising those things were not even being
there is a huge appetite among the rugby an opportunity to give an insider view to what entertained because there were other agendas.
public to find out the full, warts and all story, happened during these years and link it back to
of how a welshman who had coached his my past at pontypool. “when the welsh players came back from
country to their first Grand Slam for 27 years the lions tour in 2005 and we went into that
could be treated in such a way. “i spoke to mike and i think he was happy i november campaign in 2006, things were just
was doing it. the bond between us was close, not right.
eventually everyone has gone on to new roles, especially towards the end with wales and i
including ruddock to worcester where carter think it was important that i was telling the “mike knew that and tried to sort it out.
is now his team manager, but the mystery has story having been right in the thick of it.” he tried to have a few meetings with the
a life of its own. management group, the coaching group, to
it all begs the question that with ruddock and address the issues but unfortunately that total
perhaps the closest we will get to fully his assistant at wales, the dragons and now support gatland has got from above and locally
understanding what went on is in carter’s Worcester, Clive Griffiths, keeping quiet, is within the group was not there.”
book, seeing red: twelve tumultuous Years in this the book the former wales coach would
welsh rugby.
sportingwales
issue5twothousand&nine
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