The Cheltenham Festival may have ended on Friday afternoon, but Saturday is the day when “Jockey” takes his final ride.
Matt Sherratt – the interim head coach with the equestrian nickname – closes out his three-furlong spell in charge of Wales with the biggest match of the rugby calendar if you happen to be a fan.
England are the visitors to Cardiff in the final round of the Six Nations and there are a whole host of additional reasons – as well as wanting a triumphant farewell – for Sherratt and his players to be desperate to beat the oldest enemy.
But even if Wales do win – and Sherratt ends his caretaker spell on a high – he insists no amount of persuasion would be sufficient for him to consider extending his temporary spell in charge into something more permanent.
Since stepping in for Warren Gatland, Sherratt has made an immediate impression, injecting energy and innovation into a struggling squad.
Should Wales win – and prevent a Six Nations Wooden Spoon and whitewash - there will undoubtedly be calls for the Welsh Rugby Union to hand him the reins for the longer term.
However, the Gloucester-born coach, whose roots are split between an English father and a Welsh mother from Tredegar, remains focused on returning to his primary role with Cardiff.
“I am going to go back to Cardiff as head coach on Monday. If we beat England, I will probably be in on Friday,” says Sherratt.
“I have not changed on that. It is a big job, and for three games it has been a massively enjoyable campaign.
“My instinct is that it needs someone fresh to come in. And probably where I am as a coach – I have been a head coach for 18 months.
“I have always been pretty self-aware in terms of where I am in my development, and I feel I need a bit more time in the saddle as a head coach at club level.”
A natural communicator and a steadying presence, Sherratt has instilled ambition and creativity within Wales.
His influence was evident when his side pushed tournament frontrunners Ireland to their limits before ultimately succumbing to a 27-18 defeat at the Principality Stadium.
Defeat followed against Scotland at Murrayfield, but despite Wales extending their winless streak to 16 Tests, Sherratt had injected a renewed sense of optimism.
“I said to the group after Ireland, I think we’ve just got to be in the hunt at the end (of games),” he added.
“I’ve said to the players not to worry about the end result. If we can be in the fight at 70-75 minutes, at some stage we will get over the line.”
If this is to be his final game at the helm, it will see Wales battling to avoid finishing bottom of the Six Nations for the second consecutive year, while England aim for championship glory.
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Steve Borthwick’s men require a bonus-point victory—alongside France suffering a home defeat to Scotland—if they are to claim their first Six Nations title since 2020.
England have been patchy in all their games so far, but they found a way to beat France, Scotland and Italy after losing in round one to Ireland.
They are far from the strongest or most experienced England team to have come to Cardiff, but they are becoming more savvy at doing enough to win, whereas Wales only seem capable of doing enough to lose.
Sherratt has a boyhood connection to this fixture, shaped by a childhood spent divided between two rugby nations.
“I used to have to sit between my mum and dad to split them up! And then I would switch sides, depending on who won.
“In the 70s I was probably wearing red a little bit more and then come the 90s and early 2000s my dad’s voice probably took over the house a little bit more.
“He is going to the game on Saturday, and I’ve managed to change him I think (from England to Wales). I don’t know how long for, but definitely for this weekend.
“I have worked in Wales for so long, and I have got so much familiarity with a lot of the Welsh players – probably three-quarters of the squad I have coached before and have personal relationships with – so I am more interested in that than what country I was born in.”
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The 47-year-old has vivid memories of Wales-England clashes from his youth—some more enjoyable than others.
“The one at Wembley [in 1999] was huge, wasn’t it? When Scott Gibbs scored. I probably went through the generations, really.”
Despite Wales’ struggles, Sherratt has brought a sense of vibrancy to the squad, with an emphasis on enjoyment and self-expression.
Even in their final training sessions, players were seen flinging medicine balls and engaging in impromptu games of cricket with tennis rackets, a sign of the relaxed yet focused environment he has cultivated.
“Everything I've tried to bring in has been about what's best for the team and what's best for Wales,” he explains.
“I'd love the players to get some reward for a lot of the work they've put in over the last few weeks.
“If we're in the fight at the end of the game at some point, I've been through it at club, your luck turns, you get a decision, you get a moment, and then you're away.”
But if they get away to a winning end to the tournament, he is adamant he will not be hanging around to try and extend it.
“I’ve been a head coach for 18 months. I wasn’t forced into it but the circumstances. It fitted really well at Cardiff.
“But I’ve always been pretty self-aware in terms of where I am in my development, and I feel I need a bit more time in the saddle as a head coach at club level.”
Sherratt hasn’t needed to fire up his players—this fixture speaks for itself.
“It's more about excitement than pushing their buttons. Traditionally, it’s what you grow up watching. It’s what a lot of your rugby memories are about.
“On Monday we put a slide up with the stadium, the date and time of the game – everything has been leading up to Saturday. It won’t need an emotional build-up.
“Probably the balance to strike will be about how much detail you give them. It’s the end of a seven-week camp and I’ve only been here for three weeks. It’s about not overloading them mentally as that will take away some of their energy.
“Then it’s how much time we actually need on the pitch. Emotionally they’ll be there, but it’s important physically as well that they’ve got bags of energy in their legs. That’s been the balance.”
