Warren Gatland stays as Nigel Walker gone in major WRU announcement: Live updates

Warren Gatland will remain as Wales' head coach for the 2025 Six Nations, with Welsh Rugby Union executive director of rugby Nigel Walker standing down from his role.

The announcement comes after the completion of a review into Wales' dismal run of form - which has seen them lose 12 consecutive Test matches in the last year.

WRU CEO Abi Tierney presented the findings of the review to the WRU board on Tuesday, with an announcement made on Friday afternoon to confirm Gatland would remain in post despite guiding Wales to their worst ever run of results and lowest position in the world rankings.

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However, the WRU did announce that there would be a further assessment of performances following the Six Nations, with Gatland having been "challenged" to lead his team to success in the tournament. A statement from the Union also claimed that wholesale changes were "seriously considered", before deciding sticking with Gatland was the best approach.

Key recommendations from the report are also set to be implemented. The first will see Walker stand down after the high-performance structure was reviewed.

The former Wales international, who has also held roles as performance director and interim CEO at the Union, leaves following a year that saw Wales' senior national teams win just four of their 21 Test matches across the men's and women's games.

Walker left his role at the English Institute of Sport in Autumn 2021 to take up the position of Performance Director at the Welsh Rugby Union. He then became the acting CEO of the WRU in January 2023 following the resignation of Steve Phillips amid allegations of a sexist