Wales rugby coach Warren Gatland has spoken highly of New Zealand rugby legend Stephen "Beaver" Donald, saying he would be happy to work alongside his former player again.
Gatland believes he and Donald have a lot in common with the New Zealand public, well before Donald's heroics at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, where he nailed a crucial penalty kick to give New Zealand an 8-7 win over France in the final.
"I love 'Beaver'," said Gatland in an interview with TVNZ's Seven Sharp.
Gatland coached Donald through the mid-2000s while he was at the helm for Waikato in the NPC.
Donald wasn't always a popular figure in rugby circles, especially after his performance against the Wallabies in Hong Kong in 2010, where Australia beat the All Blacks 26-24.
The former All Blacks first-five replaced Dan Carter in the 60th minute and had a shocker missing an easy penalty kick and failed to find touch in the dying minutes of the match.
"He probably sympathises with me with some of the things I experienced back home," said Gatland.
"He was on the end of some terrible stick for periods, I just think having being involved with Stephen and having coached him – I just think he is a great team man."
Gatland said he would be more than happy to work with Donald again.
Donald told Seven Sharp that he would like to manage a team for his former coach Gatland one day.
"He would do a great job as manager, I have no doubt about that," said Gatland.
"I have a huge amount of respect for him, but more importantly I really like him as a person."
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