Sherratt leaves Cardiff for Wales attack coach role

Matt Sherratt will begin full-time football coaching for Wales after joining Steve Tandy’s backroom staff.

Following Warren Gatland’s departure, Sherratt became the Wales interim head coach for three games in the 2025 Six Nations.

The 47-year-old was in charge of Wales’ record-setting 18 consecutive Test defeats while on the summer tour of Japan.

Just six days before Cardiff’s start-of-season United Rugby Championship (URC) game against the Lions on Saturday, he leaves Arms Park.

He continued, “This was obviously a difficult choice because Cardiff is genuinely a club that means a lot to me and my family, and it’s also one that’s headed in the right direction.”

However, opportunities for advancement in the international game are rare, and I couldn’t refuse the chance to put myself to the test while playing a more hands-on role.

Jamie Muir, the region’s interim managing director, said: “The fact that Wales has approached Matt is a testament to our progress as a club.

“We are confident in the staff that is still in place and are fully focused on opening the new year on Saturday night in a positive way,” said the statement.

Danny Wilson has already been added to Tandy’s management team with responsibilities for the line-out and contact areas and he became Wales’ head coach on September 1.

In November, Wales will face Argentina, Japan, New Zealand, and South Africa in four international matches.

Mattt did a fantastic job, according to Tandy, in achieving that result in Japan in a short period of time. He excels as a coach. His playgroup’s philosophy and approach are very similar to ours.

Sherratt was born in Gloucester, graduated from Cheltenham University, and worked for Worcester Warriors for four years before working as an attack specialist for Bristol, Ospreys, and Cardiff.

Sherratt has since become a hugely well-known figure at Arms Park after leading the team to the URC play-offs in 2023-24 despite enormously difficult financial constraints. He previously spent a second time at Worcester before making a second comeback as backs and attack coach in 2021.