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Tom Hamilton
Just over 24 hours after Warren Gatland tendered his resignation as Wales head coach, the Welsh Rugby Union chief execitive Abi Tierney faced the press at the team’s base and said the post remained one of the most attractive in world rugby.
“My phone hasn’t stopped from this morning with people reaching out who are interested,” Tierney said.
It was quite a statement, given Gatland’s departure had only just been announced.
Cardiff’s Matt Sherratt will take on the role for their final three matches of the Six Nations, but no longer than that. Tierney said any new head coach needs to be a solid “cultural fit” as well as having the “experience” required to manage the biggest job in Welsh rugby. She said there is money available to go for the best.
But with the team on a 14-match losing run, and the entire system in Wales needing a shake-up, it is a tough task.
Some names have already been mentioned as possible successors to Gatland, but here ESPN looks at the top contenders.
Franco Smith
Current job: Glasgow Warriors head coach
Bio: Smith has extensive coaching experience. His CV includes coaching spells with Treviso, Cheetahs, a two-year spell with Italy as head coach, and then he took on the Glasgow Warriors job in 2022. There he has steered them to the summit: Winning the United Rugby Championship last season.
Why Wales could be interested: He is a proven winner and has international experience with Italy — first as head coach from 2019 to 2021, and then as head of high performance for 2021-22. He is among the frontrunners.
Simon Easterby
Current job: Interim Ireland head coach
Bio: Easterby has taken temporary charge of Ireland during the Six Nations, with Andy Farrell on British & Irish Lions duty. He has long been suggested as a possible Wales head coach, and has deep-set connections to Wales — his family is based in the Vale of Glamorgan. He also spent 15 years at the Scarlets.
Why Wales could be interested: He knows the system and has impressive experience at international level, having been part of the Ireland backroom setup since 2014. He has impressed so far as top dog for Ireland, but it is unclear whether he has overall aspirations to be a head coach.
Michael Cheika
Current job: Leicester Tigers head coach
Bio: He is vastly experienced and has coached Leinster, Stade Francais, Waratahs, Australia, Argentina and is currently at Leicester Tigers. It has already been announced this will be his sole season in charge of the Gallagher Premiership side.
Why Wales could be interested: He took Australia to the final of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and Argentina to the semifinals of the 2023 edition. He has a reputation as one of the games great coaches in the past couple of decades and would be a sizeable coup for the WRU. But he has had a nomadic existence in the past few years and would need convincing to see this as a long-term project.
Stuart Lancaster
Current job: Unemployed
Bio: He was handed the England job in 2012 and coached them through to the 2015 World Cup, where they failed to get out of the pool stages. From there he joined Leinster where he helped them to great success and was appointed Racing 92 coach in 2023. That did not work out, and he was sacked earlier this year.
Why Wales could be interested: He is brilliant at building pathways, and he embraces the need to build a cohesive organisation, all steered towards the national team. But he would need the license to do that. Lancaster could be an inspired appointment and would be a long-term hire.
Brad Mooar
Current job: Crusaders assistant coach
Bio: He had a brief spell in Wales when he was Scarlets head coach for the 2019-20 campaign. This was meant to be a long-term appointment, but it was cut short when Ian Foster and the All Blacks came calling in 2020. He is currently at the Crusaders and has had extensive international experience as part of the backroom staff at Scotland, Argentina and New Zealand.
Why Wales could be interested: If he wants a top international job, then Wales would be a good fit. The WRU does like a Kiwi, having previously employed Graham Henry, Steve Hansen and, of course, Gatland.
Other contenders:
The incumbent Sherratt has already ruled himself out, but if he magics a couple of wins from their next three matches, then maybe he could be persuaded.
Shaun Edwards would be an incredible appointment, and he knows the system so well after serving as defence coach from 2008 to 2019 under Gatland, but he is contracted to France through to 2027.
Graham Rowntree is another who is available after leaving Munster in October. Other contenders could include Steve Tandy, the Scotland defence coach, or Wales forwards coach Jonathan Humphreys. But in all likelihood, the next coach will be one of the five identified above.
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