The Cardiff coach has been linked with coaching Wales once again after his Six Nations secondment
Matt Sherratt said he hasn’t been approached over coaching Wales again as he outlined his strong affinity with Cardiff.
The Blue and Blacks head coach took charge of Wales for the final three matches of their Six Nations campaign, following Warren Gatland’s departure mid-tournament. Sherratt has since been linked with taking charge of the national team again on an interim basis in Japan this summer, while there are suggestions he could be appointed as attack coach on a permanent basis moving forward.
However, as he prepares to lead Cardiff into their crucial URC clash with Munster, which could have a big say in their play-off hopes, Sherratt admitted that it would take something pretty special to lure him away from the Arms Park.
“I love it here,” said Sherratt. “Genuinely, I’ve been at three other clubs and this feels the most like home.
“My family love coming here, I love matchday here, it’s like working with a group of mates which means a lot.
“That’s a big pull. It would take something significant for me to change that.”
The Welsh Rugby Union are understood to have offered the full-time head coach role to Scotland defence coach Steve Tandy, as they search for a replacement for Gatland. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
However, Tandy has yet to accept the job and would be unlikely to be available in time for their summer tour of Japan in July.
As such, Wales are likely to need to an interim coach – with the WRU’s preference understood to be Sherratt alongside former Cardiff colleague and Harlequins coach Danny Wilson.
Wales’ temporary boss in the Six Nations has yet to receive any call from the Union, though.
“There has been genuinely no formally contact and I have not been asked officially,” said Sherratt. “We had conversations during the Six Nations where I was asked if there was nobody in place would you want to do it and I said we would have to think about that when the time was right.
“It has been quite busy the past few weeks off the pitch and also preparing for two games in six days so I haven’t really thought about it.
“If I got asked now I would have to think about whether it was right now for me, my family or the club.”
Were Tandy to take the job on a full-time basis, it’s understood that Sherratt would be a serious option to join his coaching team as attack coach.
Again though, no contact has been made on that front.
“In the future, as every rugby player or coach there is always going to be international ambitions and that is no different for me,” said Sherratt.
“In this game and the last few weeks have shown this, there is no point in planning too far ahead. If the timing and staffing was right and it felt the right thing to do at some stage I would do an international job but I don’t know when that is.
“There has been no contact so all my thoughts and efforts are trying to get Cardiff in the top eight.”
