His tenure kicks off on 1 December and will see him lead the charge for the Six Nations fight in 2025. We have no doubt backing him every step of the way will be his wife Sarra but who is the blond bombshell?
Who is Sarra Elgan?
Sarra hails from Neath in Wales where she was born in 1979 making her presently 44 years of age and from the outset rugby has been in her blood.
Her mother is Kathryn Rees and her father, former Wales, and British Lions rugby union player Elgan Rees.
After finishing school, a career in acting beckoned and she studied theatre, media and music at Trinity College in Carmarthen before landing a role in the Welsh soap opera Pobol y Cwm but later confessed that while she made plenty of friends, she wasn't the best actress.
She then turned her hand to presenting and her first hosting role was on the children's show Planed Planet before heading over to work at CBBC.
Proving that she is a woman of many talents she also sang in a Welsh-language group called Cic.
In 2007, she found her calling in punditry and has since worked on numerous shows in the UK, as well as ESPN in America and more recently for Sky Sports covering the Lions tour to South Africa in 2021.
In the wake of recent criticism from some corners about women covering men's sports when they've not played the game Sarra is unapologetically herself.
She told Wales Online that she hasn't faced the kind of prejudice some of her contemporaries have but balances her lack of playing time by working harder to learn the stats and figures of the game.
Sarra also has no intention of being anything other than herself on air and told the site: 'Yes I'm blonde, yes I love fake tan, Yes I love make-up. But it doesn't take away from the fact that I love rugby and I know rugby.'
'Everyone has to be themselves, you shouldn't have to change the way you are to conform. That's always been really important to me because I don't think I can present the way I want to present if I don't present myself the way I want to present myself because you are trying to be someone you're not then.'
She told the publication 'I 100 per cent take advice but I love big hair. I love make-up, I am girly-girl in that sense but I also love sport and in this day and age you should be able to do both.'
A Love Story
It's not known when Sarra and Simon first crossed paths but they tied the knot in 2013 with guests including Ronan O'Gara before Honeymooning in Greece.
Despite both working in the industry Simon and Sarra have rarely been thrown together apart from one encounter where she had to interview him that still makes her cringe.
'I turned to Simon and it was always like I never met him in my life, it was awful. I've interviewed him since and it's been a little bit less awkward but that was interesting. I think it is different now years down the line but I'd only started doing it and it was really funny, very awkward.'
Sarra and Simon share two children. Their daughter Soffia came along in 2007 while their son Ffredi was born in 2009 who is following in his dad's footsteps while Soffia is a talented hockey player.
A Divided Loyalty
Like his predecessor in the top job, there are sometimes some divided loyalties at home when Ireland and Wales square off.
He told the Irish Independent back in 2017: 'It can be hard for them because they're very much Welsh children! Their grandfather (Elgan Rees) played for Wales too.
'It can be difficult for Sarra as well as to where the allegiance lies, but they have an understanding of what's at stake. They know I'm passionate about rugby generally.'
