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What Grand Slam-chasing Wayne Pivac now thinks of the critics who wanted him sacked last November
Time flies. Just 18 weeks ago, Wayne Pivac was fielding allegations that he had lost the Wales dressing room. Now he is just 80 minutes away from winning the 2021 Six Nations Grand Slam. What gives? Since a 32-9 hammering by Ireland in Dublin on November 13, Wales have won six of their last seven games, their past five on the bounce.
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It’s a sequence that has transformed the tenure of Pivac, the New Zealander who has had very large footsteps to follow in the shape of Warren Gatland, his fellow Kiwi who massively revived the fortunes of the Welsh between 2008 and 2019 before signing off as World Cup semi-finalists in Japan.
Up stepped Pivac, a PRO12 title winner with Scarlets in 2017, and he endured quite a baptism of fire, going so far as to eventually sack his Wales defence coach Byron Hayward in the lead-up to that November defeat in Ireland. From the outside looking in, it appeared a chaotic situation and with it came an avalanche of unsavoury criticism.
Four months later, Pivac is now in Paris and just one more win away from a thoroughly unexpected Grand Slam title. It’s a transformative situation that has now left him in a position of real authority but he hasn’t been of a mind to gloat, refusing an invitation at a media conference in the build-up to the round five finale to fire back at the critics who wanted him sacked.
“At the end of the day it [criticism] goes with the territory,” he said. “The same thing happened at the Scarlets, it took a wee while for that machine to get rolling and ultimately we had some success.
Quite the claim after 6?? losses on the bounce, the ruthless sacking of the defence coach and the embarrassing first-half replacement of a prop #IREvWAL #AutumnNationsCuphttps://t.co/Y7ujy0CZZI
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 14, 2020
“Look, people will have their opinions and rightly so. They support the team, they put a lot of faith in what we do and if things don’t go well questions get asked. I’m not bothered by that in the slightest. When I watch other sports I am probably quite critical as well, it’s just human nature isn’t it?”
That human nature had forced Pivac on the defensive in November, the coach insisting in Dublin at the time that the atmosphere in the Wales dressing room post-game was positive despite a wounding Nations Cup loss.
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“The thing for coaches in these situations is the vibe in the changing room, the vibe in amongst the players, and if you look in the changing room you’d see a disappointed team but a team that had put in a hell of a shift,” he said at the Aviva Stadium. “We had asked for that after the Scottish performance and the work we put in without the ball, that speaks volumes.”
Having since happened on a run of more pleasing results which have silenced his critics, Pivac is now on the cusp of repeating a Grand Slam feat which his predecessor Gatland delivered in 2008, 2012 and 2019. “I’d be very, very pleased,” he said when asked how he would feel if Wales complete the job in Paris on Saturday.
“As individuals, we are competitive people. We want to win things, that is what you are in it for. For me, it’s also about helping develop rugby players and seeing them improve and become the best they can be and we are starting to see that with some of these players and we are seeing some young fellas develop.
“Like a Louis Rees-Zammit, from not playing in the Six Nations last year to where he is at now, just seeing that growth has been fantastic and it’s worth its weight in gold. Look, winning a Grand Slam would be fantastic. Winning the championship would be fantastic.
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“If we ended up coming second it’s a big improvement. I’d be very pleased for the players because ultimately they are the ones who go out and pull the jersey on and they are the ones that throw themselves into some dark places and our job is just to get them ready to go and hopefully we have done a good job.”
This has Wales nervous ahead of their big date in Paris#SixNations #FRAvWAL
https://t.co/SZ2EbESniq— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 19, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
3 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
2 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
3 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
3 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
3 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
2 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
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