Warren Gatland is set to leave his role as head coach of Wales’ rugby team amid their disastrous Six Nations campaign.
The BBC reported the news on Tuesday, with confirmation set to follow after Wales lost 43-0 to France and 22-15 to Italy in their first two matches.
Wales have slumped to a record 14 successive Test match defeats under Gatland, in what is statistically the worst team in their 144-year history.
Gatland was already set to leave Wales at the end of the Six Nations, despite being contracted until the Rugby World Cup in 2027, but will now depart less than halfway through the tournament.
The 61-year-old returned for his second spell as Wales head coach in December 2022 having previously been in charge from 2007 to 2019.
Gatland’s first stint in charge of Wales was hugely successful, with the New Zealander leading them to three Grand Slams in the Six Nations and a record run of 14 victories which took them to the top of the world rankings.
But his second spell has been the polar opposite with Wales winning just six of their 26 Test matches and falling down to 12th in the world.
According to the BBC, there are three possible successors to replace Gatland, which includes Ireland’s current interim boss Simon Easterby.
Glasgow Warriors’ South African head coach Franco Smith is thought to be another option along with former Australia head coach Michael Cheika.
Wales still have three fixtures remaining in this year’s Six Nations with matches coming up against Ireland, Scotland and England across February and March.
Gatland’s departure comes after the former British and Irish Lions head coach came under increasing pressure and scrutiny over Wales’ poor run.
The nation have failed to win a Test match since defeating Georgia in the pool stages of the 2023 World Cup. They didn’t record a single victory across 2024, the first time that’d happened in a calendar year since 1937.
In last year’s Six Nations, Wales finished bottom for the first time in 21 years.
Wales suffered a record 20-52 home defeat to Australia in November 2024, with former captain Gwyn Jones claiming that Gatland had ‘checked out’.
‘I believe Warren Gatland has checked out,’ Jones said. ‘He is no longer invested in this job, in my opinion. I’m not sure he ever was second time around.’
