A dialectologist will correctly point that the suggestion that Matt Sherratt was trading in Estuary English this week would be somewhat misplaced, the Wales interim coach straddling the Severn rather than treading the Thames as he bridged two proud two rugby cultures. It is the story of the life of an understated figure suddenly at the centre of Welsh rugby having developed his coaching career on either side of the river.
Born to an English father and Welsh mother, the 47-year-old could recall many memories of this fixture from his youth – and not all totally positive. “I used to have to sit between my mum and dad to split them up,” the man they call Jockey chuckles. “And then I’d switch sides depending on who won.
“The one at Wembley [in 1999] was huge, wasn’t it? When Scott Gibbs scored. I probably went through the generations really. 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’s going to the game and I’ve managed to change him [from England to Wales], I think. I don’t know how long for, but definitely for this weekend.”
There is a refreshing nature to Sherratt, few airs and graces to a man delighted to have got this unexpected opportunity. A win may still prove elusive for this struggling Welsh team but the interim boss has put the pep back in the step of a squad increasingly stumbling over themselves in the last days of Warren Gatland. Even at their captain’s run on match eve, the players were tossing medicine balls about and improvising games of cricket with tennis rackets.
“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.”
“I've just said to the players, don't worry about the end result, if we can be in the fight at 70, 75 minutes, at some stage we'll get over the line. I think whether that's this weekend or in Japan [this summer], that's going to be the case really. We've just got to try and get as much of our game on the field as we can. 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.”
The next question comes naturally. Sherratt has been clear that he does not covet the top job on a full-time basis but while Gatland’s role remains unfilled, there will be those in Wales who see the positive impact the Cardiff coach has brought and wonder what that might look like in the longer-term. A caring caretaker could quickly become a continuity candidate. So, Matt, if the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) did ask you to be involved in the hiring process, would you be willing?
“Not as a head coach,” he replies, a potentially revealing answer. “As everyone knows, it’s a big job and for three games it’s been a massively enjoyable campaign. My instinct is that it needs someone fresh to come in.
“I’ve been a head coach for 18 months. I wasn’t forced into it but the circumstances...it fitted really well at Cardiff. 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.
“I’m going to go back to Cardiff as head coach on Monday. If I can, I might try and dodge Monday. If we beat England, I’ll probably be in on Friday…”
Much of the wider Cardiff workforce might feel similarly were the 16-match losing run to end against England. If ever there were a day which felt set up for a success to shatter the streak then this might be it, with a home crowd that rediscovered itself during the encounter with Ireland lifting the decibel levels again for a visit of their fiercest foe.
No Welsh player needs reminding what this fixture means, which has made Sherratt’s task easier this week. “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.” How Wales would love to finally clear the hurdle in Jockey’s last ride.
