Sean Lynn Not Engaged with WRU Regarding Wales Women’s Coaching Vacancy

Gloucester-Hartpury head coach Sean Lynn has stated he is not currently in discussions with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) concerning the vacant head coaching position for the Wales women’s team. However, Lynn, a Welshman, indicated that he views an “international level” role as his “next step.” He has successfully guided Gloucester-Hartpury to consecutive Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) titles over the past two seasons, establishing them as a dominant force in the domestic women’s game. The club also features several Welsh internationals, including captain Hannah Jones, prop Sisilia Tuipulotu, fly-half Lleucu George, and hooker Kelsey Jones. Speaking to BBC Radio Gloucestershire, Lynn affirmed his ambition, stating, “I think the next step is on the international arena.” He added, “The international game is somewhere that I have been looking but I’m fully focused on Gloucester-Hartpury for the time being.” The vacancy for the Wales head coach role arose last week following Ioan Cunningham’s departure after three years in the position, concluding a challenging 2024. During this period, Wales secured only four victories in 11 Tests. The WRU has also acknowledged significant shortcomings in its handling of players’ contract negotiations during the summer. Lynn’s tenure at Gloucester-Hartpury began in 2019 when he was appointed head of women’s rugby. In this capacity, he oversees all aspects of the rugby program at Hartpury College and University, in addition to his role as head coach of the PWR team. He led Gloucester-Hartpury to their inaugural PWR title in 2023, a feat they repeated last season by winning 15 of their 16 regular-season matches. Lynn mentioned that some of the club’s Welsh international players have inquired about the Wales role. He also indicated that he would require clarification on several matters from the WRU before considering any discussions about the job. “A few girls have asked and said what’s going on and I just said, ‘look my full concentration is here’,” Lynn explained. He further stated, “There would be a few questions I’d need to ask the WRU straight away but that’s where it is at the moment.” Gloucester-Hartpury is set to resume league play this Saturday after a three-week break, facing Bristol Bears in a local derby at Kingsholm. This match marks the first of four consecutive fixtures leading up to Christmas. The team currently holds third place in the table, trailing leaders Exeter by 11 points with a game in hand. They are also one point and one position ahead of the Bears, whom they defeated in last season’s final. Regarding the upcoming games, Lynn commented, “We’ve got to make some fine tuning within our defence and attack plays, which we’ve been working really hard because we know this next four weeks is huge – starting this weekend against Bristol.” For the upcoming match, England number eight Sarah Beckett will be available for Gloucester-Hartpury for the first time this season. Additionally, England prop Maud Muir and back Mia Venner are expected to be included in the matchday squad following their respective injury lay-offs. Lynn expressed enthusiasm for the challenging fixtures ahead: “These are the games these girls want to be playing in – the top-four games – and the tight games and making these hard, tough decisions.” He added, “As a coaching group these are the ones we get excited about.” Concluding, he remarked, “You can’t get better than a local derby at Kingsholm – fingers crossed the results come for us and we’ll just look at us in that top two.”