Salvin departs Exeter after one season as head coach for full-time Test rugby role

Steve Salvin has left Exeter Chiefs after one season as head coach to take on a full-time role as Wales’ forwards coach.

In his sole season as head coach of the Devon club, Salvin took Chiefs back to knockout rugby at the first time of asking. Exeter were beaten 40-38 by eventual Premiership Women’s Rugby champions Saracens in the semi-final.

Salvin was seconded to Wales as their forwards coach on a part-time basis for the 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations. Now the former Rotherham Titans, Leeds Carnegie and Worcester Warriors coach will now help Wales prepare for their WXV Global Series fixtures in September and August.

Steve Salvin, Wales forwards coach, said: “The chance to work at Test match level during the recent W6N campaign was an opportunity that I relished and to get to do this on a full-time basis is an exciting one.

“It was my first real time coaching in Wales, and you feel the passion for rugby when you are around the players and when the team plays. I had coached against Sean in the PWR and thoroughly enjoyed working and coaching alongside him, Tyrone and Ashley Beck.

“We share the same values, work ethic and the same ambition of building a new team identity and playing philosophy. There was so much improvement over the W6N and the players desire to learn and improve was a key factor in wanting to do this job on a full-time basis.

“We all share the same goal of building real foundations for sustained success, and we have some really exciting talent coming through the pathway, age-grade sides and the Celtic Challenge.”

Before Salvin was head coach of Exeter he coached the side to back-to-back PWR Finals in 2022 and 2023 as an assistant coach under Susie Appleby.

Wales have confirmed that fixtures against the USA Women’s Eagles [Friday 18 September] and Springbok Women [Saturday 26 September] will form their WXV Global Series home fixtures.

Sean Lynn, Wales head coach, said: “Steve is a coach I knew well and respected from my time in the PWR, but I was really impressed with his technical expertise and how he relates to players in the women’s game.

“He made a real impact in a short time during the recent Six Nations, and I am delighted he will now come on board full-time with Wales.”