Sam Warburton insists the future is ‘bright’ for Wales after Warren Gatland commits his future until 2027

Sam Warburton has insisted the young players Warren Gatland has at his disposal will have a bright future for Wales after their head coach committed to taking the team to the 2027 World Cup.

Wales were knocked out of this year’s tournament at the quarter-finals, losing to Argentina in what former captain Warburton described as a ‘missed opportunity’.

On Wednesday, Gatland confirmed he will remain in charge for the next four years – a move Warburton believes is great for the Welsh game.

“Argentina was certainly a missed opportunity,” said the two-time British & Irish Lions captain.

“But if you look at the bigger picture, a quarter-final probably reflects where Wales are now. A semi-final would have been very good.

Sam Warburton has insisted the future is ‘bright’ for the Wales national team

Warren Gatland has signed his future as Wales coach until the 2027 World Cup

‘Since Warren came back and guided Wales through the storm of the Six Nations, the gap between the world’s top four and the rest has closed definitively. It’s still there and it’s still significant, but I think it was huge last year. Warren deserves a lot of credit.”

“Wales has brought it back a bit. They undoubtedly fell outside the top 10 in the world last year in terms of their performances and results. Wales are again a quarter-final team.

“Argentina was a match they should have won and they will be upset about that, but Warren will see it as a great learning experience. He will think that it is more about 2027 than about 2023. Then he will aim for a minimum in the semi-finals. Anything less will be a huge disappointment.”

During the World Cup campaign in Wales, young players Jac Morgan, Tommy Reffell and Louis Rees-Zammit excelled.

Morgan was fantastic as co-captain in France alongside Dewi Lake. Morgan was today appointed captain of a Wales side that would take on the Barbarians in Cardiff on November 4.

“Two or three years ago when I was coaching at Wales, I won’t lie. I looked at the player pool and thought it was going to be a quiet few years,” Warburton said.

“But now you see the next generation emerging and after watching the last six months I feel so much more confident about the future. A group of young players have come through who could potentially be 40 to 60 cap players at the next World Cup.

‘I think Wales will be in a much better position in four years’ time. I don’t expect them to close the gap with the best in the next two years. Fans will have to understand that.

‘We have to be patient as Wales fans and hopefully we can get back on track to be a semi-final team. I think we can get there with the playing group we have.”

Welsh number 10 Dan Biggar decided to retire from international rugby following Wales’ departure

Wales’ next meeting is against the Barbarians in an uncapped game aimed at saying goodbye to former lock Alun Wyn Jones – the most capped player in the world – before he retires.

Jones will play for the Barbarians against his native country at the Principality Stadium. Gatland cannot call on his players who play for English, French or Japanese clubs for the match.

Josh Adams and Gareth Davies are out due to injury. His squad for the Barbarians consists of just 23 players, 16 of whom went to the World Cup.

“For this match we have a good mix of players who were part of the World Cup squad and some other players we have worked with before,” Gatland said.

‘We decided to go with a smaller squad than normal to prepare for the match, because we wanted to help the regions as much as possible by not taking too many of their players.

“Our next World Cup cycle starts now. We can’t be more excited about what we can achieve over the next four years and I look forward to working with these players and seeing them develop.”

Wales have lost number 10 Dan Biggar, who retired from Test rugby after bowing out of the World Cup. Warburton added: “Whenever anyone asks me what’s great about Warren, I say that when he says something, you believe it.

‘The young players would have known how good his past is, but after this World Cup they will now really believe in it. I think the win in Australia would have been a real turning point.

‘I think that belief will now snowball. I have heard many young students use the word ‘togetherness’ and you can see that. They look like a team.

Liam Williams will be challenged by Argentina’s Mateo Carreras during their quarter-final

“The results have changed and so has the environment, which Warren is so good at. I think the momentum and belief will snowball now.

‘A year ago Wales had no identity. You didn’t know which team they were. Were they expansive or physical? When you look at Wales now you know they are a Gatland team and they have an identity back.”

Sam Warburton spoke on behalf of Sage, official supporter of the 2023 Rugby World Cup

Wales squad vs Barbarians:

Forwards: Corey Domachowski, Nicky Smith, Elliot Dee, Dewi Lake, Keiron Assiratti, Leon Brown, Adam Beard, Ben Carter, Teddy Williams, Dan Lydiate, Jac Morgan (captain), Taine Plumtree, Aaron Wainwright

Backs: Kieran Hardy, Tomos Williams, Sam Costelow, Cai Evans, Mason Grady, George North, Johnny Williams, Rio Dyer, Leigh Halfpenny, Tom Rogers