Warren Gatland has departed his role as Wales head coach with immediate effect after a run of 14 consecutive Test defeats, the Welsh Rugby Union has confirmed.

Telegraph Sport understands that WRU staff were informed of Gatland’s departure on Tuesday morning with Cardiff head coach Matt Sherratt later announced as interim coach for the rest of the Six Nations.

The WRU confirmed that Sherratt, who was part of Gatland’s backroom team with Wales in 2017 and has previously held coaching roles with Bristol Bears, Worcester Warriors and Ospreys, will return to his job at Cardiff once the Championship has concluded.

Gatland’s contract runs until the 2027 Rugby World Cup but contained a break clause after this summer’s tour, which means the WRU will either have to put the 61-year-old New Zealander on gardening leave until then or pay him a severance payment.

WRU chief executive Abi Tierney said: “The WRU and Warren have agreed that making this change now is in the best interests of the Wales squad as it continues to compete in the 2025 Six Nations tournament.

“We are grateful to Warren for all he has done for the game in Wales. He remains our longest-serving and most-decorated head coach in terms of the silverware he has won.

“Matt Sherratt takes over at a pivotal time. It is a credit to him that he has not hesitated to answer Wales’s call and is also testament to the strong relationship that now exists throughout the Welsh professional game that Cardiff Rugby are fully supportive of the move.

“Matt will return to Cardiff Rugby after the Six Nations in order to concentrate his efforts on what is already a promising campaign for our capital club.

“Our intention is to have a permanent appointment in place before this summer’s two-Test tour to Japan, with all options open.”

It is not yet clear what will happen with Gatland’s staff. It is thought that some members have a break clause in their contracts at the end of the summer tour, while others are on rolling 12-month deals.

After collecting the wooden spoon in 2024, Wales have begun this year’s championship with a heavy loss in France – without scoring a point – and a defeat by Italy in Rome. Wales have home fixtures against Ireland and England and a trip to Scotland left in the tournament to break the worst losing run in the country’s Test history.

Rob Howley was assistant to Gatland alongside Jonathan Humphreys and Mike Forshaw. Reports on Tuesday suggested that the WRU were keen for either Simon Easterby, the Ireland head coach deputising for Lions-bound Andy Farrell, or Glasgow’s Franco Smith to take the reins long term. Graham Rowntree and Stuart Lancaster are two other coaches who are available immediately, while Michael Cheika will be a free agent at the end of the season when his Leicester contract expires.

After winning three Six Nations Grand Slams with Wales between 2007 and 2019, Gatland returned to the job when Wayne Pivac was sacked in 2022. Initially, Gatland’s contract took him through to the 2023 World Cup, where Wales were knocked out by Argentina in the quarter-finals, but it was extended to include the 2027 World Cup, albeit with a break clause in the summer.

Gatland offered to resign after the 2024 Six Nations wooden spoon – Wales’s first for 21 years – but it was rejected by Tierney with the New Zealander overseeing the tour to Australia and last season’s autumn internationals.

After the defeat in Italy, when asked if he wanted to continue in his second stint as Wales coach, Gatland replied “definitely”.

Speaking after his departure was officially announced, Gatland said: “I would like to thank the WRU board for the faith shown in me after a tough campaign throughout 2024 and affording me the time and resource to try to turn things around for this 2025 tournament.

“We have worked hard, we have a talented young squad that is developing and have been desperate to turn potential into results, but now is the right time for a change”.

“I’ve reached the end of this particular chapter, but I remain grateful to all those in Wales who have supported me, to all the players who have played for me and to all those around me, especially my management team, who have contributed to what we have achieved over the years. I wish whoever takes over all the best for the future.

“Finally, I want to say a big thank you to the Welsh fans.”

Who is Matt Sherratt: the first Wales coach from England who never played top-level rugby union

An Englishman who never played rugby union to any notable level and whose nickname is “Jockey” has taken over the reins of the Wales rugby union team.

Matt Sherratt sounds like a left-field choice for the interim post, but the 48-year-old was probably the ideal candidate because of his standing with so many members of the national squad and his employment as the head coach of Cardiff.

Sherratt has been in charge at the Arms Park – the club ground that sits in the shadows of the Principality Stadium – since 2023 and in his 18 months has impressed as the capital side have, at least, shown an upward trajectory from the depths he received them in.

The appointment was seen as ample reward for a career that he actually began as a teacher in his home county of Gloucestershire. Sherratt’s on-pitch experience did not amount to very much, but from the moment he was plucked from the school by the Rugby Football Union as a development officer, he was marked down in cone-land as one for the future.

He was involved with Twickenham for six years, before joining Worcester Warriors as head of the then Premiership outfit’s academy. Intriguingly, the head coach at Sixways during that time was Mike Ruddock, the last Wales head coach to leave midway through the Six Nations in 2006.

Sherratt, an affable and hugely popular character, moved across to Bristol as attack coach and, from his association with Danny Wilson, made his way across the Severn in a journey that has produced a seemingly fantastical destination.

Asked to describe Sherratt’s qualities, one player coached by him told Telegraph Sport: “He is brilliant. His attention to detail is outstanding but more importantly he is a top person, who gets players onside very well.”

A backs and attack coach with Cardiff and the Ospreys, Sherratt has been involved with Wales before, when being seconded as a temporary assistant in 2016-17 while Warren Gatland was away with the British and Irish Lions.

Sherratt is known for his attack-minded attitude with an innovative approach. Diminutive in stature, but offering a big presence because of his reputation, he has just walked into the job of his life – regardless of either its unlikelihood or its time frame. Wales are 200-1 for the Triple Crown this year. The challenge is immediately apparent.

Runners and riders to replace Gatland in long-term

Michael Cheika

Reports suggest that tentative talks between Cheika and the Welsh Rugby Union have already taken place, with the Australian definitely departing Leicester at the end of the season owing to his family living in Sydney. An international role would give him greater travelling freedom.

Simon Easterby

Currently Ireland’s interim head coach with Andy Farrell on Lions duty, the former back-rower is on the WRU’s shopping list according to reports. However, it is understood that the chances of them securing Easterby’s services are slim.

Franco Smith

A seemingly central cog in this season’s coaching merry-go-round, South African Smith has emerged once again as leading contender for a long-term appointment with Wales. It is understood that the former Italy head coach was also in the frame for the Leicester job, having steered Glasgow to the United Rugby Championship title last year, but where Smith ends up coaching next season remains up in the air.

Shaun Edwards

Edwards enjoyed a feted stint as defence coach under Gatland before embarking on a new challenge in France. Although he wishes to continue coaching, Edwards has never been a head coach, so he would represent a serious gamble for the WRU. Edwards also lives in the south of France.

Vern Cotter

A man who knows international rugby and who knows the Six Nations. Cotter has coached both Fiji and Scotland – as well as a successful stint with Clermont Auvergne – and now runs the Blues in Auckland. At 63, however, he might not wish to move back across the other side of the world.