Wales head coach role is attractive - Tierney

Abi Tierney officially took up her role as Welsh Rugby Union chief executive in January 2024

Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) chief executive Abi Tierney says she has already had interest from people who want to replace Warren Gatland as Wales head coach.

Gatland left his role by mutual agreement on Tuesday, just 72 hours after a debilitating Six Nations loss to Italy.

The Rome reverse continued a record run of 14 successive Test match defeats which stretches back to October 2023, with Wales firmly on course for a second successive Six Nations wooden spoon.

Cardiff head coach Matt Sherratt will take charge of Wales' remaining three Six Nations games, against title favourites Ireland, Scotland and England, though he has said he is not interested in the job long term.

Tierney says she believes the job is attractive despite the current plight of Welsh rugby.

"My phone hasn't stopped from this morning with people reaching out who are interested," said Tierney.

"I am not underestimating where we are, but for a lot of ambitious coaches, the idea of coming into this position and making a difference and turning something around is clearly attractive.

"I was being approached before this and I am confident we can get a top candidate to come in."

The potential long-term successors to Gatland could include proven international coaches like Michael Cheika, who guided Australia to a World Cup final in 2015 and Argentina to a semi-final of the same competition eight years later.

Glasgow boss Franco Smith and Ireland interim head coach Simon Easterby have also been mentioned as contenders for the Wales job, with Tierney saying various factors will play a part in deciding who the WRU turns to next.

"You look at all of them," said Tierney.

"It'll be a number of different criteria and it'll be about cultural fit as much as it is about experience in all of those as well.

"We're not ruling anybody out at this stage. We'll go through a rigorous process to choose the right person."

The WRU is also attempting to attract a director of professional rugby following Nigel Walker's departure, with Tierney saying she is flexible on which vacancy will be filled first.

Tierney also said the WRU had reached no financial settlement with Gatland and there was money available to attract a new coach.

'Mutual agreement'

Gatland's departure has been described as being by mutual consent, a point Tierney emphasised, although she revealed Gatland made first contact in the wake of the Italy defeat.

"We caught up after the Italy game and he phoned me and said 'can we have a conversation?', " said Tierney.

"We had a conversation and we reached a mutual agreement [that] this was the best time and [in the] best interest of Welsh rugby for him to finish his role."

Tierney said it is not ideal that a change of head coach is taking place during the tournament.

"It was always going to be difficult to reach the decision," she added.

"There was a mounting sense it wasn't working and something had to be different. Up until now Warren has always felt that he was the right person to make that change and take the team forward.

"He no longer felt that and said it was in the best interests of Welsh rugby for him to go. He's always put Welsh rugby first and that was his main driving factor.

"When that happens, we've got to look for a new solution and it was important for the team, the management team and the Welsh public we make that change, even though we didn't want to make it in the middle of the tournament."

'Gatland put Welsh rugby first'

Following an independent review, Gatland was given a vote of confidence going into this Six Nations despite overseeing a calendar year where Wales suffered 11 straight defeats.

Tierney denied the suggestion that the fact Gatland has departed only two games into the tournament indicated there had been "muddled thinking".

"It was a very thorough review," said Tierney.

"There's lots of multi-faceted reasons why we decided not to make changes then (in December), including Warren wanting to take the game forward, the timing we had leading up to the tournament, the availabilities and alternatives. You look at all of that.

"You also look at the data that suggested that Warren was the best person to lead the team and not bringing in somebody new wasn't going to make a huge difference, and continuity was required. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. These decisions are never easy."

When asked whether Gatland would have departed this week had he been keen to remain in his job, Tierney said the question was "hypothetical".

"We have a board meeting tomorrow where we were going to do an interim review so I can't say now what the outcome of that would have been," said Tierney.

"It had become inevitable this was going to happen, but it would have been a board decision."

Tierney added that she had no regrets about not accepting Gatland's resignation in March 2024, after Wales had picked up a first Six Nations Wooden Spoon for 21 years.

Tierney was in no doubts about what Welsh rugby owed Gatland after his first 12-year stint where he led Wales to three Grand Slams and two World Cup semi-finals.

"We owe him a huge amount," said Tierney.

"I said to him in our conversation, one of the main reasons I took this job was to work with him.

"He's an inspirational coach and one of the best in the world. As a winner of Grand Slams and Championships, I hope that's what his legacy is and what he's remembered for."

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'Tougher job than I thought'

Wales are 12th in the world rankings, the lowest they have ever been.

"It's at a really low ebb and we've got to turn it around," said Tierney.

"It's the same systemic problems that have been around for a long time. What is clear is we need systemic change that is going to make a difference and [make us] sustainable for the long term.

"It's hard to do that quickly. I realise people are impatient and they want to see quick change but that is difficult when it's a result of many years of systemic problems."

Tierney has been in post for 13 months, with her position also under scrutiny.

She said the role is harder than she anticipated.

"It's a really tough job," said Tierney.

"The complexities involved are harder and some of the things I'm facing are much more deep-rooted than it's possible to see from the outside."