Cardiff Blues are delighted to announce Matt Sherratt will return to the Arms Park as an assistant coach.
The popular backs and attack coach will return to the Welsh capital three years after the success of the 2018 European Challenge Cup, following two seasons with the Ospreys and one with Worcester Warriors.
Sherratt will link up with Cardiff following the conclusion of Worcester Warriors’ Premiership season. This follows an agreement to release Dwayne Peel, who recently indicated his desire not to honour a signed three-year contract, which was due to start in July 2021.
Cardiff Blues chief executive Richard Holland said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome a coach of Matt’s calibre back to our set-up after the success he enjoyed during his first stint here.
“We were disappointed to see Matt leave in 2018, but he departed on good terms and has maintained a strong relationship with us.
“He remains a hugely popular figure within our group, embodies our cultural values and wants to be part of Cardiff’s exciting future. He is also an excellent coach, so this brings about a perfect solution to a situation that was far from ideal.
“We look forward to welcoming Matt back in the summer and wish Worcester, whom we thank for their professionalism and integrity throughout the process, all the very best for the remainder of their season.”
In his two seasons at Cardiff Blues, Sherratt was credited with getting a young and exciting back-line firing during Danny Wilson’s tenure as head coach.
This culminated in the European success of Bilbao, with the former fly-half also instrumental in developing the likes of Tomos Williams, Jarrod Evans and Owen Lane, leaving a lasting impression in the Welsh capital.
This is the second change to the back room staff under director of rugby Dai Young, who agreed a long-term deal earlier this week, following the departure of Tom Smith in March.
Young said: “Securing the return of Matt is a great coup for Cardiff and I am excited about the impact he can have here.
“He is someone who comes highly recommended as a very good technical coach, who pays great attention to detail and is a good man, who will slot back in seamlessly.
“We have a lot of young and exciting potential across our squad, particularly in the backs, and I believe that Matt can bring the best out of them.”
Sherratt is a former teacher who began his career in rugby as a development officer for the RFU and Worcester.
He spent four seasons as backs coach with Bristol before linking up with Cardiff Blues for his initial stint, during which he was also an assistant coach for Wales during their 2017 summer tour, which saw victories over Tonga and Samoa.
Following his switch to the Liberty Stadium and then Sixways, Sherratt has continued to fine tune his coaching philosophy.
He remains committed to the Warriors for the remainder of the season but is now also relishing an Arms Park reunion and believes he is returning as a much more well-rounded coach.
Sherratt added: “I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Cardiff previously and look back on it as some of my most successful and fondest times in the sport.
“There is an enormous amount of talent in the squad, with plenty of room for further improvement, and I know the majority of players and staff very well.
“I feel like I am returning a better coach, with the benefit of the further experiences gained at the Ospreys and Worcester.
“I have enormous respect for Dai, and we have always got on well, so I am looking forward to working with him as we enter a new, exciting era. We share a similar outlook on the game and believe the current squad is capable of more.
“I would like to thank everyone at Worcester, who understood my decision and have allowed it to happen. I remain entirely committed to the Warriors for the remainder of the season and I am determined to finish the campaign in positive fashion.”