Gatland to leave Wales head coach role

After registering 14 Test defeats in a row, Warren Gatland will step down as head coach of Wales.

Gatland, 61, is contracted until the 2027 World Cup but was already in line to depart at the end of the Six Nations.

With three games left, he is now set to leave for Wales, where they are looking for an interim boss.

Wales travel to Scotland on 8 March, meet with Ireland on 22 February, and then wrap up the tournament at home against England on 15 March.

In their 144-year international rugby history, Gatland led the team to their 14th straight defeat, 22-15 defeat to Italy in Rome last weekend, making them the statistically worst team in the country.

Prior to joining Wales as coach for a successful 12-year spell that included three Grand Slam victories, two World Cup semi-finals, and a record-setting run of victories that saw Wales briefly top the world rankings.

Gatland left after the 2019 Rugby World Cup before taking over in the form of Wayne Pivac in December 2022.

With a win ratio of just 23%, Gatland has won six out of the last 26 Tests while conceding 20 losses. Wales placed 12th in the world rankings, which is also its lowest position.

Gatland did manage just one victory in the 2023 Six Nations, but the former British and Irish Lions coach did inspire the Wales squad to reach the 2023 World Cup quarter-finals.

Wales have won their worst test match since beating Georgia in the pool stages of the competition, with their defeat to Argentina in the final eight defeat launching a miserable run.

For the first time in a calendar year since 1937, Wales did not manage an international victory in a year and finished bottom of the Six Nations in 2024. They also lost 11 games overall.

In response to a wider discussion about the organizational foundations of the national team, Gatland had been facing more scrutiny and pressure.

Former Wales captain Gwyn Jones claimed he thought Gatland had already “checked out” following Australia’s record-breaking home defeat in November 2024.

Gatland said he was happy to leave if Welsh rugby was in the best interests, but he claimed he had not made an offer in November.

Following a Six Nations home defeat to Italy in March 2024, which resulted in the first Wooden Spoon for the Six Nations in 21 years, WRU CEO Abi Tierney turned down a resignation offer.

WRU chair Richard Collier-Keywood announced Tierney would conduct a review into performances following the winless autumn 2024 series, which saw defeats against Fiji, Australia, and South Africa.