Sean O'Brien regrets what he said about Lions coach Warren Gatland according to the Kiwi coach.
In an interview on RTE’s Ryan Tubridy Show, Gatland said he met up with and had a conversation with the Ireland and Lions flanker a few weeks ago.
O’Brien had publicly aired views on how Gatland coached the touring team to New Zealand last summer.
The Tullow backrow questioned Gatland's preparation leading into the first Test in particular and also criticised the ability of the Lions attack coach, Rob Howley. O'Brien said that he also believed the 2017 Lions should have beaten the world champions, 3-0.
“I thought it was the wrong forum,” said Gatland before explaining that he and O’Brien had a meeting to clear the air.
“I met Sean a few weeks ago just to get his view. It was fine,” said Gatland. “He probably regrets some of the things that he said. Look I’ve experienced that in the past where you said things where you wished you had not said things. I understand that.
“There was (sic) no issues. He felt that people had reported on the negative things he said and not the positive. That’s the way things happen.”
However despite his consolatory words Gatland remained perplexed and somewhat hurt at how the Irish player could complain that the series was drawn and not won 3-0 as he said it should have been.
“I think there’s an opportunity for all of us to experience things and learn and for him to come out and say we should have won the series 3-0 comfortably, well there must be some valuable information there,” said Gatland.
“I would like to know how we would do that. As a group of coaches we obviously did something wrong because if he could share that information with a lot of people, of how we could have won beating the All Blacks in New Zealand 3-0, he’d get a lot of money for that information.”
