Within the wake of Wales’ sobering loss to Georgia on Saturday in Cardiff, there may be little shock some individuals are calling for Wayne Pivac’s head to roll.
The top coach’s report this 12 months speaks for itself: simply three wins from 11 video games.
And with the 2023 Rugby World Cup simply 10 months away, does the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) persist with him?
Or might they flip again to his predecessor Warren Gatland – the self-dubbed Messiah – as a short lived repair?
Rugby, as we all know, is a results-based enterprise, so allow us to begin by looking at Pivac’s Check report since he took over after the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
It at the moment stands at 19 losses, 13 wins and one draw.
Pivac’s first Six Nations in 2020 noticed Wales end fifth, however with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the nation had greater points to fret about.
Wales weren’t a lot better within the autumn internationals which adopted, with the one victories in 2020 coming towards Italy and Georgia – the 2 groups that may go on to beat them in 2022.
Pivac might be forgiven for utilizing his first 12 months to blood new gamers and take a look at new mixtures, and all of it appeared to come back collectively in 2021 when Wales gained the Six Nations and got here agonisingly near a Grand Slam.
However Wales couldn’t construct on their success later that 12 months, as they didn’t beat Argentina at residence, had been as soon as once more outclassed by New Zealand then edged out by world champions South Africa.
So adopted the sorry defence of their Six Nations title this 12 months. Wales once more completed fifth, their marketing campaign summed up by the house defeat by Italy.
Pivac wanted an enormous summer time on the tour of South Africa, and he obtained some respite as Wales gained a Check on South African soil for the primary time – though they misplaced the sequence.
And so to this autumn, the place Wales made extra historical past – this time undesirable – as they misplaced to Georgia, one of many darkest days in latest reminiscence for Welsh rugby.
Pivac mentioned afterwards questions on his future had been for others to reply – notably WRU chief government Steve Phillips and efficiency director Nigel Walker.
Time will inform if they’ve something to say. For the second, BBC Sport Wales has gauged the opinions of some former Wales internationals.
Andrew Coombs (talking on the Scrum V podcast)
I feel he has underperformed as a coach. Three wins out of 11 is just not ok, to lose to Georgia and Italy at residence is just not ok.
In my view he has failed in his function and Wales have to rapidly repair that and search for any individual else.
I feel it’s exhausting to select the appropriate crew when you haven’t picked the appropriate squad.
Leaving out [prop] Rhys Carre might be an enormous one, he would have been excellent for Saturday’s sport [against Georgia], together with different gamers as effectively.
Second row is a little bit of a difficulty. Adam Beard has performed loads of rugby and there may be not quite a bit to go along with him in the meanwhile.
No disrespect to Alun Wyn Jones, he has been the best participant Wales has probably ever had within the pack, however in the meanwhile it appears to me that his work-rate is to not Check stage.
Adam Jones (talking on the Scrum V podcast)
The buck stops with him [Pivac] – he’s the top coach.
What we’ve obtained is a few actually good assistant coaches: Jonathan Humphreys is aware of his stuff; Stephen Jones has finished an awesome job with the Scarlets; Neil Jenkins has been there eternally; Gethin Jenkins is fairly new to the function however he has obtained respect.
Have we gone to the darkish days when Mike Ruddock was there, when everybody was speaking about ‘has he misplaced the dressing room?’.
Has he obtained the worry issue that Gatland had? I do not know.
He’s the top coach and must be accountable for all of it.
You see it with soccer and managers get sacked, it’s sort of going that means in rugby now, the place you aren’t assured for 3 or four-year contracts.
Even when Wales finish their autumn sequence with victory over Australia on Saturday, it might be seen as papering over some very deep cracks in Welsh rugby, with the membership sport and the areas coming beneath the highlight as soon as extra.
Dafydd James (Talking on Radio Wales Breakfast)
You’ve got to keep it up. Even when a brand new coach is available in prepared for the Six Nations, they solely get two weeks actually to arrange the crew – what can a coach do in two weeks?
Pivac can solely do what he can do off the sector. The gamers should take possession and a accountability.
No-one goes on the market to carry out badly however typically you’ve got an off day – however you do not suppose that 23 individuals are going to have an off day.
It should take a number of years to get again on observe actually.
If we win towards Australia on the weekend it’s all singing and dancing once more, however there are elementary points throughout the sport.
The usual of rugby in our regional stage… there may be discuss groups going into administration and so forth, so it isn’t place to be in.
I feel it’s scary from a gamers’ and backroom employees’s standpoint as effectively, however it’s all arms to the pump and it’s in regards to the individuals on the high making the right choices and doing the appropriate factor.
Emyr Lewis (Talking on Dros Frecwast)
Choices should be made in any other case I feel we’re going to be seeing Welsh rugby happening within the rankings for quite a lot of years.
I feel this has been coming for a number of seasons and sadly, dare I say it, I’m going to place my neck out right here, I feel it’s coming residence to roost.
The basics are incorrect. Membership rugby is struggling. It’s fairly evident, some groups are actually struggling to place individuals on the sector, services – the entire thing.
There actually must be an enormous shake-up.
Now we’re all taking a look at Wales, however in the event you have a look at the foundations, there may be nothing coming by way of beneath, and with out the foundations you’re going to wrestle.
