Former Wales captain Gwyn Jones has added his voice to the chorus of criticism descending on Wayne Pivac after the national team’s Georgian humiliation.
Pivac will prepare the side for Saturday’s autumn finale against Australia with his position as head coach under more scrutiny than ever before. Another ex-Wales skipper, Jamie Roberts, suggested after the calamitous 13-12 setback at the hands of the eastern Europeans that ‘serious questions should be asked about the coaching side’, an argument plenty of others have endorsed on social media and in rugby clubs around Wales.
Jones has also waded into the debate with trenchant comments on the man who’s running the show in the national set-up, damningly suggesting Pivac to be “out of his depth” at Test level.
WIN: Free tickets to watch Wales v Australia in the final autumn international
“He came to change Wales’ game, to play with a tempo and to score tries and we’re unable to score tries against almost anyone,” said Jones on S4C’s Wales v Georgia highlights programme.
“We’ve had one good championship where we had red cards going for us, but apart from that there’s not much to write home about. We lost against Italy, which was disappointing, and we won out in South Africa, but we’re back to exactly where we were.
“A national coach needs to know who his best players are and how he wants to play, and those are two things he hasn’t got right. There’s no plan and I don’t see it changing.
“I hear the same thing after we lose games, but nothing changes. You don’t see any development coming through. I think he’s out of depth at this level and I don’t see Wales developing. He’s been in charge for three years, and we’re not a better team now than when he started.”
Read more: World Rugby's official best XV named and people think it's 'a joke'
There were murmurings about Pivac’s position after the 55-23 thrashing against New Zealand on the first weekend of the autumn Tests. But he stilled the speculation by overseeing a solid victory over Argentina.
Georgia’s first-ever win over Wales has put the New Zealander under renewed pressure, however.
The defeat follows Italy’s maiden success in Cardiff in March and leaves Pivac’s team with just three victories to show from 11 outings in 2022.
The question is whether the Welsh Rugby Union feel Pivac has reached the point of no return. Ending his tenure early could involve a not insignificant payout, particularly if one or more of his assistants depart as well, while an interim head coach would involve extra expense again, all at a time when the professional game in Wales isn't exactly awash with cash.
What can be safely said is that it wouldn't be the worst idea for the former Scarlets team boss to oversee a big Wales performance against Australia on Saturday, assuming his fate isn't already sealed.
When asked where the 80 minutes against Georgia ranked in all his time watching rugby at the Principality Stadium, Jones replied: “Up there with the worst I can remember.
“It was disappointing and unacceptably poor to lose at home to Georgia. That kind of game, that kind of defeat, has been coming if you look at the way Wales have been playing for the last year.
“We beat Scotland in a game of low quality, we lost against Italy, which was as disappointing as the [Georgia] result.
“The players looked so flat, lacking in energy, lacking in spirit. Where is the heart? For me, the players are good enough to beat Georgia but if they don’t know what the plan is on the field then they’re going to look like they have no direction and that’s what the biggest problem was.
“I don’t think the team knows how they are meant to try and attack, what their plan is, how they score tries.
“I think, if the philosophy isn’t there you can look flat and without direction, and that was the problem.
“If you’re not quite sure what the guy by your side is trying to do then you don’t know whether to pass or not to pass. You think you’re doing the right thing but the guy next to you isn’t on the same wavelength as you. You’re trying hard but because other players aren’t working with you, mistakes are going to happen and it looks like you’re not working together.
“It looks like that, but the problem is the players don’t know what they’re supposed to do.”
Post your message for for the team on our interactive below.
READ MORE:
Nigel Owens banned from facebook after sharing homophobic abuse he received
Bryan Habana calls for Alun Wyn Jones to rescue Wales and show them 'what to do'
Wales dressing room details emerge after Georgia shocker
New World Rugby rankings see Wales plummet after Georgia humiliation
