Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend considers backroom reshuffle

MATT Sherratt is to leave the Ospreys at the end of the season with Scotland his likeliest destination.

As reported in The Rugby Paper on Sunday, November 17, the former Cardiff Blues attack coach has told bosses at the Liberty Stadium he won’t be seeking an extension to his current contract which expires at the end of this season.

The Ospreys have won only one of their opening six PRO14 fixtures and suffered a shock loss to the Southern Kings in Swansea with players and coaches frustrated with their performances.

While Bristolian Sherratt has decided not put pen to paper on any new deal, he is attracting the attention of Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend.

Former Scotland and British & Irish Lions scrum-half Mike Blair is currently backs coach at BT Murrayfield, but Sherratt’s greater experience would potentially aid the Scots after they bombed out at the group stages of the Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Sherratt has previously had coaching experience at international level with Wales when he stepped in as interim attack chief in 2016 and 2017.

Sherratt is also very close to Scotland forwards coach Danny Wilson whom he worked under at Cardiff Blues with the pair leading Wales’ capital city region to European Challenge Cup glory in 2018 with victory over Gloucester in Bilbao.

Even though Wilson will replace Dave Rennie at Glasgow Warriors at the end of the season, his friendship with Sherratt could be a huge factor on any decision to move north.

Sherratt, 42, started his coaching career as a development officer at the RFU before taking coaching roles at Worcester and Bristol.

He is known as a very technical and attack-minded coach with a thorough appreciation of the game and is well liked by a number of Wales’ senior players.

The decision of Wales fly-half Gareth Anscombe to move from the Blues to the Ospreys for this season was in part due to his eagerness to work with Sherratt again.

STEFFAN THOMAS