Warren Gatland has denied applying for the Fiji head coach role, despite reports in the country suggesting he was close to getting the job. The former Wales and Lions boss said he only held talks with Fiji's governing body, and the timing was not right to pursue the position.
Fiji speculation and Jake White appointment
Reports in Fiji claimed Gatland was one of the favoured candidates, alongside former Springbok boss Jake White, who eventually got the job. Sources close to the appointment process said Gatland was believed to have applied, and speculation grew so intense that Fijian players had reportedly been informed he was getting the job.
However, White was appointed just a day after those reports. Gatland has now distanced himself from the official application process.
"I did speak to them and then I just said, look, I'm not going to follow through with applying for the job," Gatland told Boyle Sports, who offer rugby odds.
"I mean look, they're an exciting team. I think Jake White will do a good job with them. You feel like with a team like that there's a lot of things you can do to improve on, but yeah, it's just the timing wasn't quite right."
Family news and Harlequins offer
Gatland also shared that he recently became a grandfather for the third time, which influenced his decision. "I had a grandson born a couple of weeks ago now, a third grandchild, and we had just settled. If something else came along and I felt it was the right thing, I would look at something," he said.
Earlier this year, Gatland was linked with Gallagher Premiership club Harlequins as a director of rugby at the Stoop. That move did not materialise amid reports he was not keen to take on the bulk of the coaching.
"I did speak to Harlequins during the year," added Gatland. "They made me an offer, but the timing wasn't quite right.
"It's a club that I've always had a bit of time for - they've got a pool of players to develop from in terms of youngsters. That would have been potentially exciting, but just the timing wasn't quite right for me."
International vs club rugby
Gatland reflected on the challenges of international coaching, noting the limited preparation time. "Maybe a club role [would appeal] or something like that. International rugby is really tough because I don't think people appreciate the limited preparation time.
"You've got basically five or six training sessions, you're playing an international, and people expect you to win.
"The good thing about club stuff is that you've almost got an opportunity to experiment and fail to succeed. You can try things and it doesn't quite work out. You don't have that luxury in international rugby."
Gatland has not held a permanent role since leaving the Wales coaching job for the second time midway through the 2025 Six Nations, after overseeing 14 consecutive defeats - eventually being replaced by Steve Tandy.
