Sherratt, born in 1978 in Gloucester to an English father and a Welsh mother, will become the first ever English coach of Wales when he takes on the interim role on Monday.
His appointment follows the departure of Warren Gatland after a series of challenging results for the Welsh side.
Early life and education
Sherratt grew up near Gloucester Rugby’s Kingsholm Stadium. He was associated with Gloucester Rugby during his youth. While he never played at the top level, he did feature at fly-half for decent clubs in the Gloucestershire area, including Cinderford. Initially, he pursued a career in primary education before transitioning into rugby coaching.
Coaching career
Sherratt’s coaching journey began in 2005 when he joined the Rugby Football Union as a development coach. He then served as an academy coach for Worcester Warriors from 2006 to 2011. Following this, he became the backs coach for Bristol Bears until 2016.
In 2016, Sherratt joined Cardiff Blues (now Cardiff Rugby) as a backs and attack coach, contributing to their European Challenge Cup victory in 2018.
He briefly served as an assistant coach for Wales during their 2017 summer tour with Tests against Samoa and Tonga. He then moved to the Ospreys as backs coach and took on the role of interim head coach during the 2019–2020 Pro14 season.
In 2020, he returned to Worcester Warriors as backs coach before rejoining Cardiff Rugby as head coach for the 2023/24 season. Cardiff currently sit fifth in the United Rugby Championship, having finished 12th at the end of his first year in charge.
Appointment as Wales interim Head Coach
In February 2025, following Warren Gatland’s departure after 14 consecutive Test defeats, Sherratt was appointed interim head coach of Wales.
Sherratt will take charge of a struggling Welsh side with only the Home Nations games to go in the 2025 Guinness Men’s Six Nations Championship after losses to France and Italy.
First up will be back-to-back reigning champions Ireland, as Wales head home to the iconic Principality Stadium for the first time this campaign. Wales will then travel to Scotland on 8th March before closing out the Championship back at home against old rivals England on ‘Super Saturday’.
Sherratt has expressed a desire to implement a more dynamic and entertaining style of play, aiming to rejuvenate the team’s performances and re-engage supporters.
To that end, he immediately set about making changes to the Welsh squad, calling in two specialist fly-halves in Harlequins’ Jarrod Evans along with Gloucester’s Gareth Anscombe. Sherratt has also called up Gloucester centre Max Llewellyn, one of the form players this season in the Gallagher Premiership, with the second-most in the league (seven). Crucially, Sherratt has coach all three of these players.
Coaching philosophy
Known for his detailed focus on attacking play and fostering a positive team environment, Sherratt emphasises the importance of making rugby enjoyable for both players and spectators.
“If we can get a mindset shift and have real excitement in playing international rugby for Wales, it won’t matter what technical and tactical stuff you put on the pitch.”
Despite the challenges ahead, he is committed to instilling a braver and more expansive approach in a Welsh team that has struggled to fire a meaningful shot this campaign.
At the press conference to announce his secondment, he summed up Wales’ new approach as follows: “[It’s about] mindset first and making sure the players are really excited to take the field in 12 days’ time.”
However, Sherratt has indicated that he does not intend to seek the head coach role on a permanent basis – indeed, he has put pen to paper on a new contract with the Blue & Blacks - with the Welsh Rugby Union expected to appoint a long-term successor before the summer tour to Japan.
