Four-time Six Nations winner Warren Gatland has come out swinging in defence of his team picks during his second stint in charge of Wales. Discussing his departure from his role last month, the Kiwi coach emphasised staying true to his vision for guiding the Welsh squad towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup. He also confessed to being at odds with what he saw as an unsupportive Welsh media and a "woke" coaching culture he encountered upon his return. Gatland highlighted that there's a hefty amount of work ahead for Welsh rugby, urging more support for academies and pathways, as well as calling for increased cohesion between the regions and national board. Despite this, after witnessing Wales' uptick under Matt Sherratt's charge, he endorsed his own strategies and remained firm on his choice of squad. Team selection "It was quite funny because I finished, and I looked at the team they picked against Ireland," he said on the Stick to Rugby podcast (via Wales Online). "For me, my whole thought process wasn't about now, and Matt's got that luxury. He's just thinking about now, and he's brought players in. "My whole thing is, 'How do we get back into a cycle again when we're thinking about the World Cup?' So if I looked at the team, if I was involved in selection, I would have started Dan Edwards at 10, stayed with Eddie James at 12, probably Joe Roberts would have been at 13 and it would have been probably the same back three." On Sherratt bringing back the likes of Max Llewellyn and Jarrod Evans - who were controversially left out of Gatland's selection - he added: "Matt's got a relationship with those players and he thinks that they can make a big difference. That's completely his prerogative to do that. He's on a different mindset in terms of what he's trying to do. "Like I said, our whole thought process was, 'I've got to go into the job thinking honestly, what is the best decision long-term for Welsh rugby? How do we get to 2027 where we've got some experience, we've got some depth in certain positions, knowing that you get three or four months together in a World Cup cycle where you can do the training, the depth, the detail that's needed.' "I'd look at it as you've got a World Cup squad and you're thinking 70-80 per cent of them can hopefully be there for the next cycle. After the World Cup, a few players drop off and the transition becomes easy coming in, then you lose some players on the way and so the transition is easier. "But after France [2023 Rugby World Cup hosts], when you lose 18 players within your squad, it's going to take a little bit of time to replace that strength in depth. That was my whole thought process on where we were." Staying true to vision Gatland left out certain experienced stars like Llewellyn, Evans and Gareth Anscombe to leae many fans and pundits scratching their heads. However, he has insisted it all had a purpose as he had one eye on the future at all times. "I had to be true to myself and think, 'Warren, this is not about you or what you're trying to do - if you honestly believe [you're] building this team to get them in the best possible shape for the World Cup, then you've got to stick by your principles,'" he added. "That's exactly what I was doing. I've done okay in rugby and I'm not in there thinking I've got to protect my job or I've got to worry about my family and all those sorts of things - I can make these different decisions." Gatland - who said he "loved" his tenure with Wales - maintains his enthusiasm for their future games, adding he'll be "cheering like mad" from the sidelines. Nevertheless, he revealed that upon his December 2022 return, he was surprised by the downturn in Welsh rugby's infrastructure. "Having come back I was taken aback by all the systems and structures that had been put in place and how they had basically pretty much gone, fallen away, the planning and preparation that had gone during those different cycles," he said. "A lot of people, players are not probably aware of those discussions that you're having and the planning that you're doing behind the scenes and what your thought process [is] around different campaigns and things. "There's a lot of work to be done in terms of the pathways, the U20s programme. We got rid of the National Academy in 2015, which I think was a mistake. Wales U20s won a Grand Slam in 2016, and since 2017, they haven't finished above fourth. Those are the players that are coming through to the senior squad. "We were saying for a long time, we're just plugging the dam here with the success that we're having, we're papering over the cracks - and when the dam bursts, it's going to take a while to [recover]. It's going to take time to develop some strength in depth, to put the resources into the academies and the pathways and the U20s programme and get good people involved, experienced coaches." Tierney warning Reflecting on a discussion with Welsh Rugby Union CEO Tierney last year, Gatland said: "You need planning and stuff and you need the regions and the union working close together. There is still a deal that hasn't been done. "I can remember going out for lunch with Abi Tierney, the new CEO, and she said 'The deal's been done, I've spoken to all the regions individually and it's really, really close'. This was six or seven months ago. "I went, 'Abi, I'm telling you now, from my experience, you think that deal is going to be done [but] when it comes to the day it's to be signed, there will be something that will stop it from being done'. It's still not done." Rugby going 'woke' It was during Gatland's ill-fated second spell in charge that Wales suffered a record 14 consecutive Test match losses. And he confessed to finding certain aspects of coaching more difficult this time around, citing a perceived lack of support from both media and former players. With a younger squad, Gatland felt compelled to alter his coaching style. But he's now faced with the question as to whether that was actually beneficial. "I think there was a period where we became so woke and we were so afraid of what we said and stuff," he said on the topic. "But sport - not just rugby - is hard and it's tough and it's not always enjoyable and you've got to be mentally tough, you've got to have resilience. "It almost became like it wasn't the right thing to talk about, needing mental toughness and resilience. But I think that balance is starting to come back a little - people are realising, actually, we went too far one way." Explaining his agreement to terminate his contract in February, Gatland said: "I thought there's so much negativity around the game directed towards the team, to me personally and directed to the union. The best decision was [thinking] can I step away from that to take a little bit of pressure off the players and the union for a period? "Then that focus can be on me and it gives them a chance to have a little bit of a reset and see what they can do. It was probably the first time that I've gone into games with a bit of trepidation. You always get nervous before games, but it was the first time I was going 'Am I enjoying this?' That's probably why I ended up making the decision."