Simon Easterby, a highly successful Irish rugby coach, is being tipped as a potential successor to Warren Gatland as the head coach of the Welsh national team. His experience and track record with Ireland, coupled with his Welsh roots, make him a compelling candidate. However, would Easterby be willing to leave his current position with Ireland to take on the challenge of rebuilding Welsh rugby?
All things being equal, if the Welsh rugby union had an abundance of resources and the freedom to choose any coach, speculation would inevitably arise that the WRU would be interested in Easterby as Gatland's long-term successor.
While Easterby might not enjoy being the center of media attention next week and will likely deflect any questions about the matter, the WRU has confirmed that Gatland's interim replacement for the remainder of the Six Nations, Cardiff's Matt Sherratt, will return to the region after the Championship. The WRU added their intention is to have a permanent appointment in place before this summer's two-Test tour to Japan, keeping all options open. This means Easterby is already being considered among a shortlist that also includes Glasgow's Franco Smith and Leicester's Michael Cheika, but the former Ireland flanker appears to be the frontrunner. One reason for this is the success of the Irish rugby system, particularly their international team, which has consistently performed above expectations over the past few years, staying near the top of the world rankings. Easterby has been a crucial part of this golden era for the Irish team as an assistant coach for the last 11 seasons. He spent seven seasons as forwards coach before transitioning to defense coach for the past four and has also seamlessly stepped into the head coach role while Ireland’s head coach, Andy Farrell, has been unavailable. During that time, Ireland has won four Six Nations titles, including two Grand Slams, achieved notable victories both at home and away against all four Rugby Championship teams, and reached the number one spot in the world rankings. Easterby has also served as head coach on two Emerging Ireland tours to South Africa and is widely respected as an intelligent, likable, and outstanding coach. Born in Yorkshire to an Irish mother and English father, Easterby has a long-standing connection with Welsh rugby. He joined Llanelli from Leeds Tykes in 1999 and remained with the Scarlets, captaining them for five seasons, until retiring in 2010. He quickly became the Scarlets' defense coach for two seasons and then succeeded Nigel Davies as head coach for another two seasons before being appointed as Ireland’s forwards coach in place of John Plumtree in July 2014. Easterby still resides in Wales with his wife, TV presenter Sarra Elgan Rees, and their two children, Soffia and Fredi. Elgan Rees is a fluent Welsh speaker and the daughter of former rugby player Elgan Rees, who played for Neath, Wales, and the British & Irish Lions, while the former Scarlets and Wales fullback Matt Cardey was best man at their wedding. Easterby is currently experiencing his first Six Nations as a head coach, and most assistant coaches aspire to progress to a full-time head coaching role. On several levels, if Easterby ever had the opportunity to step into a full-time head coaching position, the Welsh job would hold significant emotional appeal. From the WRU's perspective, Easterby is deeply rooted in Wales and Welsh rugby. They must view Ireland's success with envy. What better way to leverage this knowledge than by hiring someone who has worked under Joe Schmidt and Farrell for the past decade? However, even if the WRU identifies Easterby as their preferred candidate, there are obstacles that could prevent this from happening. Primarily, would Easterby be willing to leave a successful Irish set-up that he enjoys and thrives in? While Gatland may be facing the consequences of the current 14-defeat streak, after a golden era led by the Kiwi, encompassing three Grand Slams, three World Cup quarter-finals, and a semi-final, the Welsh talent pool has dwindled. This is a result of years of mismanagement at the regional level, and the future doesn't look particularly promising. Their Under-20s team won against Italy 20-18 in Treviso last weekend, but this was only Wales' fourth victory in their last 17 Six Nations matches in the age group. The week prior, their 63-19 defeat to France was more representative of recent times. Easterby is currently working with a well-cultivated, well-managed international squad that are the reigning, back-to-back Six Nations champions. Currently ranked second in the world, this Ireland team is also halfway through a World Cup cycle in which they will be one of the contenders to win the competition
SIMON EASTERBY WARREN GATLAND WALES RUGBY IRELAND RUGBY SIX NATIONS HEAD COACH RUGBY UNION COACHING
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