Warren Gatland's shock new job confirmed in overnight announcement as club reveal how it happened

Wales Online

6 days ago

Warren Gatland's shock new job confirmed in overnight announcement as club reveal how it happened
The former Wales head coach has landed a new role three months after he stepped down during the Six Nations
Gatland has a new job after leaving his role as Wales head coach in February
(Image: Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans Agency )
Warren Gatland's shock new job after leaving his role as Wales head coach has been confirmed in an overnight announcement.
The 61-year-old stepped down from his position with Wales during this year's Six Nations, following a miserable second stint in charge of the national team that saw them fall to 14 successive Test match defeats. However, despite his exit, he admitted that he was "not done with coaching" and has now taken on a shock new role in South America, serving as an advisor to the coaches at Uruguayan club side Peñarol.
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The club have confirmed that Gatland will advise head coach Ivo Dugonjic and his team ahead of the 2025 Super Rugby Americas (SRA) final next month. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
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Peñarol are currently top of the SRA table, with their final match of the regular season this weekend set to determine their route through the play-offs to the final.
While the club has not confirmed exactly how long Gatland - who will be part of Sky Sports' coverage of the British & Irish Lions tour later this summer - will spend with them, it has been reported that he will work in the role over the next three weeks.
In a statement, Peñarol said the appointment was made with the hope that the New Zealander can "contribute his knowledge in pursuit of another continental title" for the club.
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"Peñarol has signed long-time New Zealand coach Warren Gatland, who joins the Carbonero team ahead of the 2025 Super Rugby Americas final," the statement read.
"Gatland will serve as an advisor to head coach Ivo Dugonjic and the entire technical staff, with the aim of ensuring that all players involved in the high performance program can interact with him and benefit from his vast experience at the highest level of world rugby."
Explaining how the move came about, Peñarol president Gustavo Guerra added that Gatland's appointment was initially proposed by the Uruguayan Rugby Union and it is hoped that his arrival in the country can be "productive for all of Uruguayan rugby".
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Guerra added that the former Wales boss will also be involved in "exchange opportunities" with other club rugby coaches in order to pass on his wealth of experience from across the club and international game.
"It was an idea that came from the Uruguayan Rugby Union, who thought big, and Peñarol Rugby immediately said yes," he said.
"We jumped on the bandwagon of including Warren Gatland with a view to the Super Rugby Americas finals, and it's something we're proud of.
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"We'll also try to make his arrival productive for all of Uruguayan rugby, and that's why we're going to organise exchange opportunities with club rugby coaches, so they can benefit from the arrival of a coach of this calibre."
The shock appointment comes after Gatland admitted that, while he was "not sure" what his next move would be after leaving the Wales job in February, he would be looking at opportunities in the summer having "already been contacted by a number of people".
"No, I am not done with coaching and not sure what my next step will be," he said during a live Q&A with the Telegraph. "I am going to have a break and have just been enjoying watching the rugby, and looking forward to the Lions series and doing some work with Sky Sports.
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"I don't know what will be next but I have never had a plan in looking too far forward. What will be will be and something will come along. I have already been contacted by a number of people about possible options so I will maybe look at something after the summer.
"One thing that would potentially interest me is working with a team going into the next World Cup," he added. "I have been proud of what we have done in Wales and I think the experience I have had could be valuable to a team even if in a consultancy role."