Warren Gatland has reportedly signed a four-year deal to coach the Chiefs in Super Rugby.
Various New Zealand media outlets reported on Friday that 55-year-old Kiwi Gatland would take charge of the Chiefs from next year through to 2023.
He would be coach for three of those four seasons, skipping the 2021 campaign because of his head coaching commitments with the British and Irish Lions on their tour of South Africa.
The news comes a day after an unexpected announcement that veteran Chiefs coach Colin Cooper was standing down two years into a three-year contract.
Chiefs chief executive Michael Collins said Cooper’s departure was a mutual decision between the two parties after he had sought an early release.
The move has opened a space for Gatland, who will end his long tenure as Welsh coach after this year’s World Cup.
After being anointed Lions coach for a third tour, Gatland this month stated he would like to coach at Super Rugby level again.
He was the Chiefs technical advisor in 2006-07 before becoming Wales coach and leading them to three Six Nations crowns.
Born and raised in Hamilton, Gatland has a long association with the Chiefs’ provincial base union of Waikato, who he represented as a player for nine years and later coached for three seasons.
Linking with a Kiwi Super Rugby team would push Gatland to the forefront of future All Blacks coaching contenders.
The last two New Zealand head coaches – Graham Henry and Steve Hansen – were both Welsh national coaches before returning home to take charge of the All Blacks.