Warren Gatland set to immediately quit Wales job

Wales head coach Warren Gatland is set to leave his role immediately, it has been widely reported.

The Welsh Rugby Union are set to make the announcement on Tuesday afternoon that the four-time Six Nations winner will leave his post midway through this year’s Championship following a 22-15 defeat to Italy on Saturday.

The result in Rome was the team’s 14th consecutive loss and the 20th out of 26 matches since Gatland took over again from Wayne Pivac in December 2022.

Gatland’s paltry 23 per cent win rate is significantly worse than the record he enjoyed in his first spell in charge between 2008 and 2019 when he won 70 of his 125 Tests (56%).

The defeat also saw Wales drop to their lowest-ever ranking of 12th, just six years after they were ranked number one.

Wales’ challenges this Championship do not get any easier with a visit from title favourites Ireland in round three.

Glasgow Warriors boss Franco Smith, departing Leicester Tigers coach Michael Cheika and current Ireland interim head coach Simon Easterby have all emerged as contenders to replace Gatland.

Speaking after the defeat in Italy, Gatland was realistic about the situation he was in, saying rugby is “about winning”.

He said: “There is no doubt it’s challenging. You do question yourself in terms of that.

“The players are frustrated, the staff and coaches are frustrated as well. We are bitterly disappointed. We created some opportunities that we didn’t finish off.

“It is not the easiest position to be in but you have to be strong in terms of that. There is no-one more disappointed than we are.

“We have to focus definitely on the next three games, they are important. We knew today was pretty vital for us and we are pretty disappointed and frustrated with aspects of our performance.

“I have clearly said before, I understand about professional sport. Rugby is about performance and it’s about winning.”