Wallabies could seal Pivac fate, but issues run deeper

UP until this point I believed it wasn’t the best policy to change the Wales coach, with the Rugby World

Cup around the corner. I can’t say I’ve been a massive backer of Wayne Pivac, as such, but I was always prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt for what I felt were valid reasons.

As I pointed out in last week’s column, we’ve had a boom-bust scenario under Pivac.

Doing awfully when we’re expected to do well, like losing at home to Georgia; doing well when we’re expected to capitulate, like in South Africa during the summer, where we were competitive and gave the Springboks some real frights.

One moment we’re winning the Six Nations and on the brink of a Grand Slam; the next we’re second from bottom and losing at home to Italy for the first time.

The key for me through this, the way to stop the ups and downs, is Pivac learning lessons of what’s gone wrong, putting them right and thus making the boom days more regular.

The game against Georgia proved to me he learned very little from the Italy embarrassment during the spring, that things are getting worse, not better.

The tactics were so poor I lost my enthusiasm to give him the benefit of the doubt any more. He doesn’t deserve it.

As far as I’m concerned we’ve gone past the stage of nothing good can come from changing the coach so close to the World Cup.

It’s more a case for me of a damage limitation exercise and the WRU needing to have some sort of credibility by acting.

They had it in 2007 when, as soon as Wales lost to Fiji in the group stages, the then WRU chief executive Roger Lewis responded decisively by sacking Gareth Jenkins within hours of the defeat.

Lewis and then WRU chairman David Pickering didn’t let it drag on. Out went Jenkins, in came Warren Gatland; Wales ushered in a golden period.

Sadly, it’s my personal view the time has come for the current WRU regime need to move decisively as well.

The tipping point for me came right at the start against Georgia. Pivac, to be fair, had atoned for an error made against Italy, when he’d made far too many changes and the side sometimes looked like strangers, by at least choosing close to his strongest XV this time.

The right selection to get his own neck off the block, build on the win over Argentina, develop a game plan for the clash versus Australia.

So to the tactics. Win the possession and territory game, build the points through kicking early penalties, build the points more, Georgia heads will drop, their players start to get demoralised, then run in the tries in the closing quarter.

Just like should have happened in March against an Italian side who’d lost their previous 30-odd games.

I don’t want to sound like some old geezer harking for the good old days, but rugby basics have not changed. It still starts with your front five.

Get it right up front, build scoreboard pressure, then put the game to bed when the opposition tire and space is created.

It doesn’t matter who you are, New Zealand, the Springboks, France, Ireland, even Georgia or Italy, you have to first earn the right to go wide with the hard work going forward and building the score.

Yet what happened? We got a kickable penalty early on and instead of taking the three points we kicked to the corner and nothing comes of it.

As soon as that happened, Pivac lost the benefit of the doubt for me. I felt a little bit let down, I suppose, having been prepared to support him.

I shouted at the TV. That’s only happened twice before. Yes I know Jac Morgan scored from a lineout, that we were 12-3 up at one stage.

But it could, and should, have been so much more. Georgia are not a disciplined enough side not to give away penalties in their own 25.

We needed to put a foot on their throat, get down there, keep taking the points, until such time as the game was in effect won and we could release the backs. We had promising positions, but came away with nothing. Instead Wales let Georgia stay in the game and, given a sniff, a team like that will always keep coming at you. We paid the penalty; no pun intended. And it’s led to a situation where Pivac finds himself under enormous pressure, a situation which, for me, could so easily have been avoided by being more pragmatic against Georgia.

Under Warren Gatland Wales had a game plan. Many criticised it, but we knew what we were getting. We wouldn’t have lost to Georgia at home.

The WRU are in a pickle, but the time has come whereby I’d personally like to see them be decisive. Get Australia out of the way this weekend and then look for another option as coach.

If not, I do fear for what might be in store out in France.