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Wales have fallen to their sixth loss in a row after their 32-9 loss to Ireland in Dublin.
Head coach Wayne Pivac insisted he was still the man to turn things around in the face of mounting pressure from the Welsh rugby crowd.
Question: What was your assessment of that, Wayne?
Wayne Pivac: I’m obviously very disappointed in the first half in terms of our set pieces. We couldn’t generate any pressure.
There was a malfunction in the lineout and there were infractions in the scrum, where we were on the receiving end.
We couldn’t really build anything, which was very similar to the first half in the Scottish game. That was frustrating.
The difference, from a positive point of view, was that throughout the entire territory and possession the Irish had [in the first half], only one try was scored.
The defensive effort, the energy that we were looking for was there. Unfortunately, when you have to hit that many tackles, it’s going to take its toll at some point in the game.
At halftime, we were entering looking to eliminate errors in the second half and control our discipline because we had conceded 10 at halftime.
It is very difficult to build momentum when that is the case. That was the discussion after half time and I felt like after half time we were reasonably positive and we started to play some rugby once we got the ball and created some pressure.
In the latter part of the second half, a greater part of the first half slipped with individual error and unforced error.
It is something that we must analyze and address very quickly.
Q: You took off Rhys Carre just before halftime. Was it ruthless but necessary?
WP: It’s not about individuals, it’s about doing what we think is best for the team at the time.
The set piece was under pressure, it was a scrum on our line and we didn’t want to concede before half time.
We made the change and we did not grant.
Q: It’s six losses in a row now, are you sure you are the man who can change things?
WP: Yes. From a head coach’s point of view, these situations are all about the vibe in the locker room and between the players.
I think if you were in the dressing room, you would see a very disappointed team, but a team that has made a big change.
We had asked for it after the Scottish performance and the positive thing was the work we did without the ball.
I’m not sure what the stats were, but it was a great defensive effort. That says a lot about the group.
(Image: Huw Evans Photography Agency)
Q: Do you get the best out of this group of players?
WP: We have a lot of players who have come back from some serious injuries that are probably not in their prime right now.
They know it and we know it.
It is very frustrating that the changes we wanted to make have taken time. Under pressure, we make some mistakes that are not characteristic of some players.
We will go and take a look at this game, as we do with all games, but we have some games to look at now for patterns that come up in terms of individuals making mistakes.
We will see that with the selections in the future.
Q: Do you need patience from the Welsh rugby crowd?
WP: It is the fall series and we are not changing our plan.
There will be many changes for next week, which were planned in advance. That’s to give the team a run at the end of the Georgia game and that’s what we’ll do.
We will continue to build depth and continue to work hard.
But for the moment, they’re bitter pills that everyone has to swallow because it’s not like we’ve been regularly beaten by teams that are much better.
I think we are helping the opposition and giving them too many easy tickets.
We are hurting ourselves and will work very hard to rectify it as quickly as possible.
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Q: Are you worried about how things are going?
WP: Obviously, we are concerned about any performance where we do not get the result we are looking for and we have had some on the rebound, as you well point out.
From my point of view, it’s not about me, it’s about the team and making sure we give them the best preparation and the best opportunity to act.
The preparation has been good and we are working very hard as a group.
It’s taking us a bit of time to click through and remove the bugs that are getting in the way right now.
These are things that are under our control and we have to make sure we control them much better.
(Image: Huw Evans Photography Agency)
Q: This is not a bad group of players, but looking from the outside, the results are getting worse every week. What goes wrong?
WP: We seek to change what we have done for 10 years and we are trying to change the mindset. In my experience, it doesn’t happen overnight.
It is something we will continue to work on because we believe in it.
The players are working very hard and from our point of view it is about rolling up our sleeves on Monday.
We are not going to compromise on this. This is not the World Cup, we are working for the World Cup and this is going to take time.
Q: The penalty count was very high again. Do the referees treat you unfairly?
WP: It’s a way of thinking, right? Players adopt a mindset, coaches adopt a mindset, and referees adopt a mindset.
We would not agree with every single decision, let’s say that.
Q: This team is unrecognizable from last year, how long until we see them become a Wayne Pivac team?
WP: Before closing, you saw where we were headed, after closing, you haven’t seen.
It has been full of errors. It is something we are not comfortable with. We are working very hard to rectify it and will continue to do so.
I’d like to think that we notice an improvement every week and this week we saw some improvement without the ball. Certainly the intention was there.
That is the first place, normally, where things start to go wrong, if you are not preparing well and you are not doing what you have to do.
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