Warren Gatland is reportedly on his way out as Wales’ head coach following their recent loss to Italy in the Six Nations.
The Dragons suffered a 22-15 defeat at the Stadio Olimpico last weekend, marking their first loss in Rome in 18 years.
It’s also the first time in Wales’ history that Italy has beaten them in back-to-back matches.
With two consecutive losses, Wales find themselves at the bottom of the table after being thrashed 43-0 by France in their opening game.
Their disastrous start raises the real threat of finishing with the wooden spoon for the second consecutive year, having lost all five matches in the 2024 championship.
According to the Daily Mail, Gatland is set to part ways with Wales, with an official announcement expected on Tuesday.
Since returning to the helm in 2022, the 61-year-old has endured a nightmare second spell, overseeing 14 straight international defeats—the worst losing streak in Wales’ history. His side has also lost their last eight Six Nations matches.
Wales’ last international victory came in October 2023 when they defeated Georgia 43-19. However, Gatland has won just six of his 30 matches during this second stint, translating to a disappointing win percentage of 20%. Out of their last 26 Test matches, Wales have suffered 20 losses, dropping to 12th in the World Rugby rankings—their lowest-ever position.
This stands in stark contrast to Gatland’s first tenure from 2007 to 2019, during which he won 72 out of 130 matches. That era saw him secure four Six Nations titles and lead Wales to two World Cup semi-final appearances in 2011 and 2019.
His imminent departure hasn’t come as a shock to former Wales international Alex Cuthbert, who expressed his thoughts on talkSPORT.
“I don’t think it’s a surprise, really,” Cuthbert said. “I reckon they told him after the autumn that the result that he needed was against Italy, and it didn’t happen. The union will have come in and said something has to change because this run, like you said, is going to be looking like nearly 17 losses with three games to go.”
When asked if such a departure during the Six Nations was unusual, Cuthbert added, “This is absolutely unheard of. I don’t think this has ever, ever happened before.
“The thing for me that underlines this is they backed him after the autumn, but nothing has changed. Not even the style of play, the way they’ve gone about the week, and obviously the performances as well.
“It’s a shame really because Warren has obviously got such great history in Wales. He is probably one of our greatest Wales coaches in all the success that he’s had, but I think the union have let him down as well, not just obviously himself.”
