Dan Biggar has revealed his mixed emotions at Wales' decision to get rid of Wayne Pivac but admits Warren Gatland will bring "a bit of belief" back into the dressing room.
Pivac made Biggar his Wales captain, the biggest honour in the game, but was axed from his job after a woeful run of results which included home defeats to Italy and Georgia.
Wales have fresh hope under Gatland heading into 2023, with the new coach targeting immediate success in the Six Nations and expecting the team to really make their mark at the World Cup.
READ MORE: Pivac's outcasts look to put down markers to Gatland and Wales hit by Six Nations hammer blow
Asked if he was surprised to see Pivac sacked just months out from the World Cup, Biggar told the Mail: "It’s difficult, isn’t it? I know results haven’t been great, but we actually had some really good highs with Wayne.
"We beat South Africa in South Africa and I get angry when people say we were playing a second team, because it’s something we’ve never done before. People can stick that wherever they want.
"The autumn was obviously disappointing. We’ve been spoilt in Wales for so many years, when you look at the size and populations of countries like France and South Africa. We probably overachieved between 2012 and 2022 and got used to winning big games.
"That set the expectations when Wayne came in. Under Wayne we just had too many ups and downs. Under Gats we would have the odd low point, but we were pretty consistent.
"Did it feel like change was needed? I don’t know, is the honest answer. I phoned up Wayne and said 'thanks for everything'. It wasn’t the easiest conversation I’ve had, but he made me captain and it only felt right to speak to him man to man."
Biggar will expect to be Gatland's No. 10, having played that role for the Lions in 2021, as he looks ahead to one last World Cup in 2023.
"I’m glad I haven’t done any controversial interviews and slagged him off!" he smiled. "I don’t think anyone thought he’d be coming back, but it makes for a great story. A lot of us know what he likes and how he works. We probably need a bit of belief in the group again."
Biggar believes moving to Toulon will help improve him as a player in World Cup year, pointing out: "I’ve got to prove myself again here. Even if I wanted a retirement gig, which this 100 per cent isn’t, I would never just cruise through things. You just have to come here on matchday and look at the standards this club has set in the past to realise this isn’t the place to do that."
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