Abi Tierney: Wales head coach role is attractive, says WRU boss

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.”