Former Wales boss Warren Gatland is set for a return to full-time club coaching in Japan.
According to rugbyjp.com, the 61-year-old will take charge of League One outfit Urayasu D-Rocks, who narrowly avoided relegation last season.
The Chiba-based side, owned by NTT Communications, lost 15 of their 18 regular-season matches before beating Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi in the promotion-relegation playoffs.
Gatland stepped down from his second stint with Wales in February after a Six Nations defeat to Italy – their 14th successive Test loss – before finishing the season on a high as an advisor to Uruguay’s Peñarol, who won the Super Rugby Americas title in June.
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The D-Rocks have had a turbulent few years.
South African Johan Ackermann secured promotion in 2024 before being replaced by player-coach Greig Laidlaw, who became League One’s youngest head coach at 38.
Laidlaw, a former Scotland captain, joined the club in 2020 when they were still known as the Shining Arcs and oversaw their rebrand in 2022.
He guided them to notable wins over Honda Heat – featuring Pablo Matera and Franco Mostert – and Kurt-Lee Arendse’s Mitsubishi Dynaboars last season.
Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
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