Former Wales boss Warren Gatland has opened the door to a coaching comeback after revealing he turned down a major job offer in the Gallagher PREM.
The 63-year-old has been out of a full-time coaching role since leaving Wales in February 2025.
But don't expect him to put his feet up for good.
Gatland has revealed that a return to club rugby could be his next move.
And one English club has already tried to bring him back.
Gatland reveals Harlequins offer
Speaking in an interview with BOYLE Sports, Gatland confirmed he held talks with Harlequins earlier this year.
The London club even made him an offer.
“I did speak to Harlequins during the year. They made me an offer, but the timing wasn’t quite right.”
Gatland admitted the job appealed to him, mainly due to the club's young talent.
He said Harlequins had a strong pool of young players to develop.
“That would have been potentially exciting, but just the timing wasn’t quite right for me.”
It's a decision that looks rather interesting now.
Harlequins have made a nightmare start to the PREM season.
They sit bottom of the table after losing their opening three matches.
Gatland reveals his next coaching ambition
Despite rejecting Quins, Gatland has not ruled out another job.
And after years in international rugby, a club role could be his next challenge.
“Maybe a club role [would appeal] or something like that.”
The former British and Irish Lions boss also explained why club rugby appeals to him.
“International rugby is really tough because I don’t think people appreciate the limited preparation time.”
Gatland feels club coaches have more time to work with players.
They can try new ideas, make mistakes and learn from them.
That freedom is much harder to find at Test level.
“The good thing about club stuff is that you’ve almost got an opportunity to experiment and fail to succeed.”
So, while another international job is not off the table, club rugby seems to have caught his eye.
Gatland addresses Fiji rumours
Gatland also spoke about his links with Fiji ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
The former Wales boss had been tipped to take charge of the Pacific Islanders.
However, he has now confirmed he never formally applied.
He held talks with Fiji before deciding not to take things further.
Former Springboks boss Jake White has since landed the job.
Gatland believes the 2007 World Cup winner will do well.
The latest comments also shed new light on RUCK's earlier report linking Gatland with the Fiji job.
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