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Wayne Pivac will face Warren Gatland in first match as Wales head coach

By Online Editors
Warren Gatland will return to the capital

Wayne Pivac will take the reins in his first match in charge of Wales against the Barbarians at Principality Stadium on November 30.

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Wales’ national men’s and women’s sides will face the famous invitiational side in a double-header this autumn as they line-up against the famous invitational club in back-to-back matches .

Pivac will make his bow as national coach in the first Wales men’s side to take on the Baa-baas since 2012.

Pivac, who will take over the Welsh reins following this year’s Rugby World Cup, will oversee his side for the first time in Cardiff and will be up against his predecessor in his opening match with Warren Gatland named as head coach of the Barbarians for the fixture.

Gatland, who has been at the helm of Wales for the past 12 years will leave his role following the conclusion of this autumn’s RWC but will make an immediate return to the Welsh capital and the Principality Stadium for the clash.
For Wales Women it will be a first-ever outing against the Barbarians in what will be a showcase of Welsh rugby in Cardiff.

Commenting on his return to Principality Stadium as Barbarians head coach, Gatland said: “This is set to be a very special and hugely exciting double-header.

“It will be an honour to coach the Barbarians, they symbolize the very best of rugby tradition and are an important part of the international game and I’m hugely looking forward to being part of the Baa-baas club.

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“It goes without saying that this match has huge significance to me. Wales has been my home for the last 12 years and I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here.

“We have had some great success with Wales and we are currently in a hugely important year, culminating at the Rugby World Cup.

“To have the opportunity to return to Cardiff post RWC 2019 is fantastic and I’m really looking forward to coaching the Barbarians in what I believe is the best rugby stadium in the world and against the best fans in the world!”

The fixture will kick off Pivac’s reign as Wales coach and he added: “It is fantastic this double-header has been announced and the day will be a great showcase for Welsh rugby.

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“The Barbarians are a special side and it will be a great way to start my Wales career facing the BaaBaas and of course, Warren!

“Wales have an important five months ahead of them with the Rugby World Cup on the horizon but post that tournament, I’m looking forward to kicking off my tenure with Wales, at home in Cardiff, in what will be a really special game.
“It is an opportunity for us as coaches to get the squad together ahead of the Six Nations and it will be a great day for all the fans with two great matches on show.”

Commenting on the fixture announcement, Barbarians chairman John Spencer added: “The Barbarians have a strong ties with rugby in Wales stretching back more than a century so we’re delighted to be returning to the Principality Stadium for two matches in November.

“Warren Gatland has been a marvellous Head Coach for Wales and the British and Irish Lions, and personally he was a delight to work alongside during the 2017 tour to New Zealand. We’re honoured that he has accepted the invitation to coach the Barbarians.

“Wales players have performed with great distinction for the Barbarians for many years. That is still the case and last month Jasmine Joyce scored four tries for the Barbarians women’s team as they beat the USA.

“The Barbarians women will take on their Wales counterparts on November 30 and we believe this historic double-header will showcase the finest qualities of the sport.”

The Barbarians launched a women’s side back in 2017 and have had a heavy Welsh flavour in each team that has taken to the field since but this will be the first time Wales Women face the famous side in black and white hoops.

Alisha Butchers, Jasmine Joyce and Elinor Snowsill played in the side’s thrilling 34-33 win over USA in April, Joyce scoring four tries and Joyce and Snowsill were again in the starting XV for the 40-14 loss to England last weekend.
Former Wales Women captain Rachel Taylor will take over as Barbarians forwards coach for this match from another Welsh great in Liza Burgess.

Wales Women head coach Rowland Phillips said, “Playing the Barbarians for the first time in a double header at Principality Stadium is a huge statement of intent for women’s rugby in Wales.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase our game and shows how women’s rugby is moving forward.
“We saw the quality of the Baa-baas’ side in their recent matches against USA and England and they will no doubt bring a formidable outfit to the home of Welsh rugby in November. They have a historical tradition of playing an open, entertaining brand of rugby which will produce an exciting match to watch and be part of.

“It has been a huge honour to have three current Wales players – Elinor Snowsill, Jazz Joyce and Alisha Butchers involved in the Barbarians’ first two international games. All three made an excellent contribution to the club. It’s also great to see two Welsh coaches involved – Liza Burgess in recent matches and now Rachel Taylor. Rachel played in the Barbarians’ first match in 2017 and is cutting her teeth in coaching as Colwyn Bay head coach.”

Broadcast details and KO times for both matches will be announced in due course. Ticket prices will range from £10 to £50 for adults with £10 tickets for U16’s also available.

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Jon 4 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 6 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

30 Go to comments
A
Adrian 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

30 Go to comments
T
Trevor 11 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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