EXCLUSIVE - Warren Gatland lands head coach role in Japan
- Mark Pickering
- Aug 8
- 4 min read
Former Wales head coach Warren Gatland is set to be unveiled as the new head coach at Japanese division one side Urayasu D-Rocks, RugbyJP.com can exclusively reveal.
Gatland, 61, called time on his second reign in charge of Wales during the Six Nations after their loss to Italy in February, a record 14th straight Test defeat.
The Hamilton native finished the season on a positive note as an advisor to Uruguayan side Penarol who beat Doges XV to win the Super Rugby Americas in June.
The Chiba-based D-Rocks were unable to make their mark on their return to the top-flight last season as the basement outfit lost 15 of their 18 regular season games before narrowly defeating Freddie Burns’ division two side Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi in the relegation/promotion play-off to preserve their top-flight status.
South African Johan Ackermann led the cash-rich club, who are owned and operated by powerhouse telecommunications company NTT Communications, to promotion in 2024 before being replaced by then player-coach and former Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw who become the league’s youngest head coach at 38.
Former British and Irish Lions tourist Laidlaw, who joined the club in 2020 and saw them rebrand from the Shining Arcs to Urayasu D-Rocks for the birth of the Top League’s fully professional successor, League One, in 2022, guided them to wins over Pablo Matera and Franco Mostert’s Honda Heat - both home and away - as well as Kurt-Lee Arendse’s Mitsubishi Dynaboars as they negotiated the huge step up in quality from Japan’s second tier.
Laidlaw is now set be replaced by Gatland, his head coach on the 2017 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, who will return to club rugby in a full-time capacity for the first time since his ill-fated spell in charge of the Chiefs in 2021 which saw him moved upstairs into a Director of Rugby role in 2022 before he returned to coach Wales for a second time.
RugbyJP understands that the Urayasu hierarchy decided to make the change this summer ahead of the fifth League One season and in doing so will become the only top flight-club to change their head coach two years in a row.
Gatland was picked from a host of international candidates including a former South Africa international.
The club announced changes to their management team in July with former Director Hideki Takahashi stepping up into the Club President role to ‘drive the team's next stage of growth’ in place of Masahiro Shimooki who will now act as a Director.
A club statement issued at the time said: “This management overhaul marks an important step toward our mid- to long-term goal of becoming a club competing for the championship in 2028 and further deepening our philosophy as a development-oriented club.”
Urayasu, whose talent-laden ranks includes Springboks number eight Jasper Wiese, Australian centre Samu Kerevi and cross-code stalwart Israel Folau, has already overhauled their squad this summer.
The club, who still lists Laidlaw as their head coach on their website and are yet to comment on his future, announced five new signings on 14 July including two from New Zealand.
Lock Manaaki Selby-Rickit has made the move to Chiba from the Chiefs while countryman and fellow second row Quinten Strange has arrived from Super Rugby Pacific winners the Crusaders.
Former Suntory Sungoliath number eight Tamati Ioane, ex-Toyota Verblitz prop Motoki Sudo and long-time Kobe Steelers playmaker Ryohei Yamanaka have added further depth to their squad as they aim for a top-six play-off finish (in the 12-team division) next season.
Pre-season has already started for Japan-based players with international players due to return in the coming weeks.
Gatland’s new side will start their 18-game League One campaign at home (ZA Oripri Stadium) against Glenn Delaney’s Dynaboars on Saturday 13 December.
In round two they face a daunting trip to inaugural League One champions and last season’s semi-finalists Saitama Wild Knights whose team boats Springboks stars Damian de Allende and Lood de Jager as well as Japanese ace Dylan Riley.
Urayasu will stay on the round in round three to face Kwagga Smith, Charles Piutau and Semi Radradra’s Shizuoka Blue Revs before hosting Faf de Klerk and Jessie Kriel’s Yokohama Canon Eagles in round four.
Gatland will come up against his son Bryn Gatland’s Kobe Steelers in round 10 with Dave Rennie’s high-flying outfit, who finished third last season, boosted by the return of All Blacks superstar Ardie Savea and the arrival of his compatriot Anton Lienert-Brown.
The former Ireland and London Wasps head coach, who led Wales to four Six Nations titles including three Grand Slams as well as the 2011 and 2019 World Cup semi-finals, will miss out on the chance to immediately asses his younger squad players in a match environment as Urayasu have opted not to take part in the newly-established 20-team League One Rising development tournament in September.
The club is expected to announce their pre-season schedule in the coming weeks.
Stay tuned to RugbyJP.com for more build-up to the 2025-2026 League One season.
Comments