Warren Gatland has broken his silence on his Wales exit

Warren Gatland has broken his silence following his exit last week as Wales boss. The New Zealander decided to walk away from his Welsh job following his team’s record 14th Test defeat in a row, resulting in the appointment of Matt Sherratt on an interim basis for the remainder of the 2025 Guinness Six Nations, starting with this Saturday’s visit of champions Ireland to Cardiff.

It was February 11, three days after Wales lost to Italy in Rome in round two of the championship, when the WRU confirmed that Gatland had departed and he has now spoken for the first time about his mid-tournament decision to leave.

Speaking to The Telegraph eight days after it was officially announced that he had stepped down, Gatland said: “I have had a lot of questions over the last week asking how I am doing. I haven’t been able to keep up with all the messages people have sent me. I had my wife Trudi typing for me at one stage. She did six hours solid on the laptop and she still couldn’t keep up. I’m doing good.

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“The negativity will go away, it will go. Am I hurting a little bit? Yes, of course I am hurting. But I will get over that quickly. I will be able to take the negativity to one side and then look back on some really fond memories and some great days at the Principality Stadium.

“Some great memories with some amazing people and with some brilliant players. Yes, I’ve made lots of sacrifices. But when I look back on it, I have loved my time in Wales. I have made some great friends and some unbelievable fans. That is what has made it special.”

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Reflecting on the Italian loss which was the final straw for Gatland, he added: “It was always a must-win game. We had a good week’s preparation in Nice and, you know, I understood there were a lot of people saying how important the game is. I was well aware of that.

“The Friday or the Saturday before the game, I made sort of a decision without thinking too much about it. If we didn’t win that game, then I’d have to seriously consider my position. It would be the best time and the best thing for everyone to walk away.”

'Those things don't bother me'

Gatland talks Wales legacy in an exclusive interview with the Telegraph Rugby Podcast#TelegraphRugby

— Telegraph Rugby (@TelegraphRugby) February 19, 2025