1
Eddie Jones has a message for critics of under-pressure Wayne Pivac
By Liam Heagney
England boss Eddie Jones has a message for the Welsh Rugby Union ahead of Saturday’s Autumn Nations Cup match in Llanelli – don’t give up too soon on Wayne Pivac despite his difficult settling-in spell in charge of Wales.
ADVERTISEMENT
Having opened his tenure with a February win over Italy, Wales then embarked on their worst losing streak since 2012, losing six matches in succession before the winless streak was broken by last Saturday’s dour 18-0 success against Georgia.
With Wales having been Grand Slam champions and World Cup semi-finalists in 2019 under Warren Gatland, their 2020 results have heaped pressure on Pivac and some supporters are already convinced he is the wrong man to take the team inherited from Gatland on to even more great things.
Video Player is loading.
Few if any Wales people expect them to pull off a shock and defeat England in their final Group A match in the Nations Cup. Regardless of the outcome, though, Jones believes Pivac much be given longer in the job before any decisions are taken.
“I know Wayne – I met him way back in 2007 in Suva,” said Jones when asked if he had any previous dealings with his opposite number on Saturday. “He was coaching Fiji and I was working for World Rugby.
"Every team has got its big explosive ball carriers that grab the limelight, but who’s resourcing rucks, who’s doing that nitty gritty, the boring stuff?"#AutumnNationsCup #WALvENG 🏴https://t.co/pJiq6LBGTe
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 26, 2020
“We spent a little bit of time together and I followed his career since. You tend to do that when you meet people. He had a great run with the Scarlets and deserves the opportunity to coach Wales, but now is a tough time for him. Particularly the media is going at him.
“It’s a tough time for him but he needs to be given time. At this time you just need a bit of time as a coach. He has taken over from a successful coach in Warren Gatland who did a great job with Wales.
ADVERTISEMENT
“He wants to play a slightly different way, which will always come with criticism. I can remember Warren being criticised for the way he played. He [Pivac] is a good, young man and he deserves some time to be a good coach for Wales and he will be.
“But at the moment, when he sees a board member, they turn the other way and it becomes difficult. You start looking at shadows in the corners and start seeing meetings between people. It’s a tough time. Hopefully, he gets some time.”
"If he is not recovering, he is preparing. If he is not preparing, he is training… everything is set for him to be the best and the fastest he can be"
– An ode to the wonder that is Jonny May#AutumnNationsCup #WALvENG 🏴https://t.co/wy2xCCfqIV
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 26, 2020
