Welsh men’s rugby Head Coach Warren Gatland has left his role with the team mid-way through the Six Nations tournament, following the latest defeat against Italy on 8 February.
Gatland’s second spell in charge has not been easy viewing for Wales fans, with a string of dismal performances seeing Wales tumble down the world rankings and tasting defeat in all of their last 14 consecutive Test matches. The team has lost both its Six Nations games so far, with a record 43-0 defeat in their first game against France followed by a 22-15 loss to Italy in Rome.
Having overseen the worst sustained performance in the nation’s 144-year history of international rugby, Gatland’s days in charge were always numbered going into this tournament. The New Zealander was widely expected to step down at the end of this Six Nations campaign, but Wales’ dire form has prompted the WRU to accelerate their succession planning.
Cardiff Rugby head coach Matt Sherratt has been appointed on an interim basis to oversee the remaining three games of the Six Nations but has ruled himself out of the running for the job on a permanent basis. With the Rags currently lying fourth in their EPCR Challenge Cup group, Sherratt’s priority is a swift return to his responsibilities at Cardiff.
That Gatland has fallen on his sword is not surprising, given the mess that Welsh rugby is currently enmired in. As head coach, Gatland is certainly not without his share of blame for the side’s poor performances, but in many ways, he is a symptom rather than the cause of Wales’ decline. After 14 defeats on the trot, new thinking is certainly needed, and Gatland has drawn criticism, not least during this tournament, for his sometimes baffling team selections (such as playing Ben Thomas at fly half in place of the experience offered by Gareth Anscombe), and his coaching system and style of play which at times looks stale and jaded.
But in other ways, Gatland is just the fall-guy, helping to mask the many wider failings in the Welsh professional set-up which were all-too evident during his second stint. The WRU has faced a raft of challenges, from the threat of Six Nations strikes and allegations of a toxic culture at the WRU, to the impact of Covid and the game’s ongoing financial issues, to the extent that Welsh Rugby seems to be forever bogged down in a perpetual state of crisis.
Alongside the lack of financial stability, the professional set up in Wales seems to be unfit to develop enough players fit for international competition. A decline in trust between the WRU and the regions has yielded a fragmented and inconsistent player development model, leading to a decline in Welsh competitiveness at the highest levels of the game. Deep-seated and significant issues with talent procurement and player retention represent potentially existential threats to the future competitivity and viability of the Welsh game which are not easily or swiftly rectified.
Gatland may not exactly have been set up to fail, but nor was he set up to succeed, and he has not covered himself in glory with his decision making either. Ironically, he becomes both Wales’ most decorated head coach, and the head coach responsible for presiding over a record-breaking period of poor performance.
At such times, a change of the person at the top is almost mandatory, and Gatland’s removal may prove beneficial to a squad that does have some promise, helping to bring fresh ideas and hopefully some confidence to the squad. The search for Wales’ next permanent head coach is on, but whether the WRU can entice a figure of sufficient pedigree to turn around Wales’ fortunes to take the job on a full-time basis remains to be seen. Afterall, if a coach of Gatland’s credentials can fail then others may also be put off. Franco Smith, Michael Cheika and Simon Easterby are all potentially under consideration, but an announcement is unlikely until the end of the Six Nations.
Wales take on Ireland at home on 22 February, welcoming the back-to-back reigning champions for the Dragons’ first game of the tournament at the iconic Principality Stadium. They will then travel to Scotland on 8th March before closing out the Championship back at home against old rivals England on ‘Super Saturday’.
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The above is accurate as at 18 February 2025. The information above may be subject to change.
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