Alun Wyn: Give Wayne a break, he’s not to blame
ALUN Wyn Jones has told the critics to lay off Wales head coach Wayne Pivac and urged the senior players around him to stand up against England this Saturday.
Wales never lost three Six Nations games in a row under Pivac’s predecessor Warren Gatland, but after back-to-back defeats to Ireland and France and a trip to Twickenham up next, that is now an unwanted possibility for Jones, below, and his men.
The Ireland and France results have seen Pivac come under pressure and while Jones acknowledges Test rugby is a results business and that change is no excuse for poor results, he says it’s too simplistic to point the finger of blame at Wales’ new coaching set-up.
“It is uncharted territory and the pressure is on. It does not get any easier with England coming up at Twickenham,” Jones said. “It is Wayne’s first Six Nations whereas Warren had a dream start and 12 years to establish himself. You cannot compare from the coaches’ point of view. To compare the time in tenure is unfair. Change is always the most difficult thing whatever line of work you are in.
“It is no excuse. We all know Test rugby is about winning and we have not done that. The performances in patches have been pleasing, but only to a point.
“You can be really reactionary and throw the baby out with the bathwater or step back. As a group of players you cannot be reactionary about these things. There are a lot of senior players still here and it is about getting results rather than pointing fingers.
“That is what we are trying to avoid. It is a lot easier to do that than go through the mire and come out the other side.”
Pivac is trying to evolve Wales’ attacking game and against both Ireland and France his team haven’t quite clicked. At the same time they have also looked worryingly porous in defence. Jones insists his team aren’t a million miles away from success and has called on Welsh supporters for patience.
“You do not want to think about losing a third one so thanks for planting the seed,” he told TRP with a smile. “You can see the way we are trying to play is not robotic. We are trying to play heads up rugby and develop the style of play Wayne wants, but it is a positive and right we are scrutinised.”
Pivac hopes to have 2019 Grand Slam winners Liam Williams, Josh Navidi and George North available to face England. Williams (ankle) hasn’t played since last year’s World Cup while Navidi (hamstring) is yet to feature in the tournament. North suffered his sixth head injury against France.
“England have been building this tournament after a disappointing start. They got the bit between their teeth in the last game,” said Jones ahead of what will be his 21st game with England.
“They are putting the pieces together to be the complete team they showed they were in the World Cup. They are trying to get back to that. When you look at the English pack they have a few guys who can play six and plenty of competition. You have that added dimension with a few other guys coming up to put pressure on them. The totality of their forward unit is the impressive thing.”
Last season’s Grand Slam winners, Wales, are out of title contention, but England still have a chance of silverware with the possibility of further unpredictably due to the global spread of coronavirus.
Ireland’s clash with Italy has already been postponed due to the health emergency.
“It is dangerous to think anyone has a divine right to the Championship,” Jones said. “You have to graft and change and that can be difficult.”