Is hope waning for Pivac?
The betting pool on the next coach of Wales is up and running.
Scott Robertson of Super Rugby’s Crusaders leads at odds of 2-1, followed by ex-Wales boss Warren Gatland at 5-1, La Rochelle’s suspended Ronan O’Gara at 7-1, and current assistant Jonathan Humphreys at 8-1. Wayne Pivac still being the coach when the Six Nations rolls around in February is hedged at 5-4.
The fallout from Wales’ eighth and worst loss of the year last weekend – a first ever to Georgia – is still unravelling. ‘‘I can’t get sidetracked by those sort of things. At the end of the day, it is the professional environment we are in,’’ Pivac says.
Beating a depleted Australia in Cardiff tomorrow should save Pivac. But even if Wales lose, Sam Warburton, the former Wales captain and an assistant to Pivac for a year, doubts that anything will happen to the coach.
That’s because the decision would have to come from a Wales Rugby Union board that has been equally slammed by Wales luminaries this week for its poor decision-making and dysfunctional relationship with the four regions.
Warburton says the governance is ‘‘stuck in the Stone Age’’. He says eight of the 12 directors are community members out of their depth, and amateur clubs have too much influence. He wants ‘‘seismic change’’ from the top down but, again, doubts anything will change because the same call has been made for decades.
Wales shouldn’t lose to Georgia but it’s no surprise. Wales have a long history of year-end dark days, including home losses to Romania in 1988, Canada in 1993 and Samoa in 2012.
November has always been about trying new things. Rio Dyer was given a debut against New Zealand, Louis ReesZammit was tried at fullback against Argentina, and the biggest changes were saved for Georgia. A front row that started with 145 caps was replaced by a front row with 30, and one-cap first-five Sam Costelow given another go.
Georgia took full advantage, especially in the scrum. The great Alun Wyn Jones was rested to give a debut to lock Dafydd Jenkins, but there was still plenty of leadership on the field in the last quarter. However, captain Justin Tipuric, Taulupe Faletau, Adam Beard, George North or Leigh Halfpenny failed to provide any heart-thumping inspiration.
All are back in the starting lineup this weekend, including Jones.
‘‘We don’t want to keep fronting up because of a poor display or a poor result. You want to be building some momentum,’’ assistant coach Neil Jenkins says. ‘‘We’ve got no option. We need to front up.’’
Pivac is contracted to the end of the World Cup in France, less than 10 months away. Wales have not changed coaches this close to a World Cup since Alan Davies was forced out two months before the 1995 World Cup. That outcome was Wales failing to get out of their pool.
Australia have had nine losses in 13 tests this year. But the Wallabies have mainly played well, often let down by their own indiscipline, and losing heartbreakers. They have lost their last three tests by three points or fewer.
For Wales, the Wallabies have virtually picked the last men standing at the end of a gruelling five-test tour of Europe. Seven injuries came from their 13-10 loss to Ireland in Dublin.