Axed Wales coach Wayne Pivac has revealed he knew his time was up after the shock defeat to Georgia more than two weeks before he was officially sacked.
In his first interview since leaving his role, Pivac told The Platform podcast in New Zealand he could tell from the body language among senior Welsh Rugby Union figures that the writing was on the wall. He admitted Wales "should never lose to Georgia", describing the 13-12 defeat in November as "catastrophic".
He stayed in charge of the men's national side for the final autumn fixture against Australia a week later, watching his side surrender a 21-point lead in the final 20 minutes to lose 39-34 in a match which perhaps summed up his inconsistent reign. An internal WRU review followed, before his exit and Warren Gatland's return were announced 10 days later.
SIGN UP: Get the latest rugby headlines sent straight to your inbox for free with our daily newsletter
Pivac returned to New Zealand in the immediate aftermath of his sacking, but is now back in the UK and looking for his next opportunity. He has had no contact with Gatland since the changeover.
He said: "I'm very disappointed. It's fine margins but ultimately the buck stopped with me. Probably after the Georgia game, to be honest [I knew it was over]. It's a game Wales should never lose. After the game it was the body language - you can tell. For me, the writing was on the wall and we had one more game left against Australia."
Pivac did not plead his case when the news was finally delivered, adding: "You go through a review process. There was no real discussion at the end of it. Results are what counts and we didn't get the results we needed. I'm the guy at the forefront of it and I accept the responsibility of those results. It's a pretty cutthroat business at this level of the game."
Asked if he would do anything differently if he had his time again, Pivac said: "Hindsight is a great thing, isn't it? There might be the odd selection here and there but ultimately it comes down to the style of game you want to play. I think we did that well at times and other times we didn't. We needed to be more consistent and ultimately I control that. There were some highlights I'm really proud of, like winning the Six Nations and winning in South Africa for the first time."
He added: "I didn't see the Georgia performance coming and some of the other performances in the autumn so I am responsible for that. There's a lot of things when you review games, you don't just look at the 80 minutes, you look at the preparation. If we had our time again there are things we would probably do differently.
"It's a result that in my view should never have happened. We have to live with that result. It's not one anyone is proud of. Georgia are improving and had a lot to play for but so did we. It shows at this level of the game if the mindset is not quite there or the preparation is not quite right it can lead to catastrophic results and that's what happened. It's certainly one I want to forget.
"Preparation is not about one person. Ultimately there's a lot of pieces to the puzzle."
Who will win the Six Nations? Cast your vote now
He continued: "My gut feeling is that after Georgia we were staring down the barrel. At 34-13 [against Australia] we were pretty happy in the grandstand but like the season that we had, it finished up the way it did and it was very, very disappointing."
Pivac is now looking for his next job in rugby and is excited to see what comes next. The Kiwi has previously coached the Scarlets, Auckland, North Harbour and the Fiji national team.
"I will be a better coach for it. I don't dwell on things too long and I am now looking for the next opportunity to challenge myself again. It's that time where clubs in the UK start looking at what they want to do for next season. The World Cup is around the corner and there will be changes made. I'd be keen to do international or club rugby, whether that be in the northern or southern hemisphere. We're an open book and I'm just looking to see what may be around the corner."
READ NEXT:
Dan Biggar won't sulk if Gatland names another Wales captain
Ospreys become a force again with help of the 'ridiculous' man in the blue hat and a crucial signing
