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The WRU will soon start interviewing candidates for the role and these are 10 who tick a lot of the boxes
The Welsh Rugby Union is set to appoint a new technical director to shape the future of the game in Wales over the next couple of months.
They want the successful candidate to work underneath the director of rugby and elite performance, Dave Reddin. It will be a key position at the governing body going forward, with the successful candidate tasked with ensuring Wales return to the top five of the world rankings in both the men’s and women’s game. You can read the job spec here.
The new technical director will have to live in Wales and have “proven leadership in elite high-performance environments”. Applications closed on Thursday and the WRU will now set about drawing up a shortlist.
Here are 10 candidates who should be considered for the role.
Gethin Watts
Watts has a tremendous track record of developing players and running elite-level academy programmes.
He was once in charge of the Ospreys academy, while he also played a key role in the WRU’s national academy during its heyday and was the union’s national performance manager. Watts joined Bristol Bears initially as senior academy manager before becoming the club’s head of recruitment.
Given the extra emphasis on developing players in Wales at the moment Watts could be a huge asset to the WRU were he to return to his homeland.
Dr Huw Wiltshire
Wiltshire was the national performance manager at the WRU between 2005-10, while he has also held the role of performance manager at the Russian Rugby Union and Rugby Canada.
He is a co-director of the FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence and is currently acting Dean of Sport & Health Sciences at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Wiltshire has a strong track record of running high performance departments.
“My experience encompasses chairing boards within a National Governing Body and in Higher Education (HE) and ensuring that groups adhere to national and governmental benchmark standards,” Whiltshire wrote on his Linkedin page.
Rob Howley
The former Wales scrum-half was Warren Gatland’s attack coach with the men’s national team and knows Welsh rugby inside out.
During Gatland’s second stint in charge of Wales Howley worked extremely closely with the pathway and was the conduit between the U20s and the senior squad. Howley enjoyed huge success as a coach with four Six Nations titles, including three Grand Slams, and three British & Irish Lions tours on his coaching CV.
He also has a track record of developing young players and understands what it takes to be successful. Whether he would want to return to rugby after walking away from the sport earlier this year is another matter.
Dai Young
The former Wales prop is currently head of performance rugby at Cardiff Metropolitan University and is in charge of producing the next generation of talent.
Young also recently worked at Cardiff & Vale College Rugby Academy as head of rugby after leaving Cardiff in 2023. He is an extremely experienced coach who has been director of rugby at Cardiff and Wasps.
The 57-year-old won the European Challenge Cup with Cardiff in 2010, leading the Welsh club and Wasps through some very difficult situations.
It is a great shame to see Young no longer involved in the professional game in Wales because he still has a huge amount to offer.
Imagine how much experience the former dual-code international could bring the WRU. He ticks a lot of the boxes required for the role, including the desire for someone with elite level playing experience.
Many who have worked with Young point to his high standards and no-nonsense approach as something which could benefit Welsh rugby.
Gruff Rees
The former Ospreys attack coach is academy manager at Cardiff Rugby and is one of Welsh rugby’s unsung heroes.
Rees has played a pivotal role in developing some of Welsh rugby’s best young talents while the Cardiff academy has continued to develop players for the professional game under his watch. He has experience across national and regional academies over the past 20 years and was involved in the old national academy set-up.
During the national academy days Rees designed the skills curriculum for what would eventually become the golden generation.
Crucially he knows how to run a successful academy.
Leigh Jones
The 66-year-old is currently rugby performance director at the Scarlets.
Previously Jones was general manager of rugby at Leicester Tigers, helping the English giants win the Gallagher Prem in 2022. He also spent six years with Hong Kong rugby, as a Head Coach, then Head of its Elite Rugby Programme.
Jones was also Eddie Jones’ assistant when Japan toppled South Africa at the 2015 Rugby World Cup and worked under Graham Henry for Wales between 2000-02 while he has also worked at the Dragons.
He clearly has the experience for the role.
James Chapron
Chapron has been rugby general manager at the Dragons for nearly seven years and was previously academy manager at the club.
He has also been defence coach of Wales U18s and a rugby development officer at the WRU.
Chapron has worked in Welsh rugby for a long time and it would be a surprise if the WRU weren’t considering him for the job.
Kingsley Jones
The former Wales backrower has coaching experience at Sale Sharks, the Dragons, Russia and Canada.
Jones is very experienced and knows the Welsh rugby landscape inside out. According to his Linkedin page Jones’ “focus has always been on building high-performance environments, fostering strong team cultures, and empowering players and staff to reach their potential.”
Jones is experienced enough to take on this role and be a success.
Trystan Bevan
Bevan is currently general manager at Gwalia United women’s football team. He has formerly been head of performance at Cardiff Rugby and Wasps while he is highly regarded within Welsh rugby circles.
Bevan has a reputation as one of the best strength & conditioning coaches in the game and given there will be a big focus on physical development over the next few years Bevan could be a good man to have on board.
Bevan as a S&C coach and head of performance helped bring through the type of athlete that Wales relied on for many years.
Jon Daniels
Daniels has been a tremendous servant to the Scarlets for years and played a pivotal role in setting up the first holistic rugby academy in Wales as a joint venture between Llanelli RFC and Coleg Sir Gar back in 2000.
The man from Llanelli is currently managing director at the Scarlets and is the chair of the Rugby Management Board.
Daniels has worked at the cutting edge of Welsh rugby and has steered the Scarlets through some extremely difficult waters and would be a potential asset to the WRU at some point in the future.
