Following Warren Gatland’s resignation as national head coach last week, Wales had no choice but to move on quickly ahead of their round-three Six Nations match against Grand Slam-chasing Ireland in Cardiff on Saturday.
Matt Sherratt, the Cardiff head coach, has taken over from Gatland for the remainder of the 2025 Championship but not beyond.
The winds of change swept through Welsh rugby’s Vale of Glamorgan training base on Monday after one of the front-runners to succeed Gatland insisted that everything is still possible in the country’s national game in what appeared to be a come-and-get-me plea.
Franco Smith, the head coach of Glasgow, is one among the candidates to be Gatland’s long-term replacement. Decision-makers in Welsh rugby would undoubtedly have taken notice of what he said following his team’s victory over the Dragons in the United Rugby Championship on Sunday.
“I want to coach internationally again,” Smith said to reporters. Although there is still work to be done, there are enough good things to take away, and I don’t believe Wales is doomed.
Smith, a South African, has represented Italy and the Springboks internationally as a coach and player, respectively, and his reputation is high following Glasgow’s URC victory last season.
According to a report, he is also a candidate to take over as Scotland’s next head coach when Gregor Townsend’s contract expires in April 2026.
Smith may join Wales before the summer, though, given his obvious desire to play at the Test level once more.
The Welsh Rugby Union is also interested in Pat Lam, Simon Easterby, and Michael Cheika as coaches. Given his current job in Scotland, you would think that Smith would have answered questions about Wales during his weekend in Newport.
But he seemed eager to emphasise his past record of improving struggling teams, something which certainly makes him attractive to Welsh rugby right now.
Smith praised Wales’ struggling four domestic sides and added: ‘Italy was in the same position as Wales when I took over at the back end of the 2019 World Cup..
‘It was a big challenge for me. I’ve learned from it. The Wales job is not yet something I can talk about, but from a general point of view in my history as a coach I developed Benetton and helped them get to the Magners League as it was then.
‘I developed the Cheetahs and helped them get to the PRO14. It’s the story of my coaching career. I always see the glass as half full and not half empty.
That’s the approach Wales should follow. Wales has got so much passion for the game, so there are a lot of good ingredients in Welsh rugby to find their feet again.’
WRU chief executive Abi Tierney has begun the search for Wales’ next permanent head coach. However, in the meantime, Ireland loom dauntingly on the horizon.
On Monday, Wales confirmed interim coach Sherratt had added to his back-room team for their remaining matches with Ireland, Scotland and England by seconding T Rhys Thomas as forwards skills coach from Gallagher Premiership side Gloucester. Now Gatland and his assistant Rob Howley have departed the national set-up, Sherratt is in charge.
He has retained incumbent coaches Mike Forshaw, Jonathan Humphreys, Neil Jenkins and Adam Jones, with Thomas the newest arrival.
Howley is set to remain available to work with Wales’ Under-20 side despite leaving his senior job as his WRU remit encompasses both roles.
‘As it stands, he’s still part of the pathway going forward,’ Wales Under-20 head coach Richard Whiffin said of Howley. ‘He’s always there. I speak to him regularly about what we’re doing for little bits of advice. He’ll be in and around the environment moving forwards.’
Senior Wales defence coach Forshaw added: ‘It’s always difficult when a coach leaves. It’s not nice for anybody. Things happen and you have to move on quickly. It’s a very unique situation in this campaign.’
Sherratt has only four sessions to work with Wales ahead of facing Ireland. He is set to tell his players the matchday 23 for the weekend on Tuesday.
Gloucester backs Gareth Anscombe and Max Llewellyn are both strong contenders to come in from the cold and start at Principality Stadium.
The pair were last week immediately called up by Sherratt, as was Jarrod Evans of Harlequins, after missing Gatland’s initial cut. Ireland are set to be without captain Caelan Doris in Cardiff due to a knee injury.
No 8 Doris has appeared in Ireland’s past 42 Test matches, a run stretching back to the 2021 Six Nations, and will likely be replaced at the back of the scrum by Jack Conan.
Dan Sheehan is set to start at hooker with Ronan Kelleher perturbed by a neck issue. Back-row Peter O’Mahony is a leading contender to take the captaincy from the absent Doris.
