Pivac likened to David Moyes by former Scotland international turned pundit

Former Scotland scumhalf Andy Nicol has likened under pressure Wales head coach Wayne Pivac to infamous Manchester United coach David Moyes.

Wales have now lost five games on the bounce under Pivac and fans are losing patience in the new coach given it that the men in red were riding high as semi-finalists at the Rugby World Cup in Japan just one calendar year previously.

The BBC pundit said the pressure on Pivac to perform following Wayne Gatland’s reign was not unlike that experienced by Moyes, who took over from legendary Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.

“I think Wayne Pivac’s got a hell of a job. Following on from Warren Gatland – more so than Andy Farrell taking over from Joe Schmidt – this is David Moyes taking over from Alex Ferguson,” said Nicol.

Moyes signed a six-year contract with Manchester United in 2013 but was turfed out of the job less than a year after taking over after he was deemed to have underperformed. Nicol wasn’t the only one that saw the similarities between the pair.

The next 20mins could possibly define the Welsh coaching career of Wayne Pivac!!!
Is he the David Moyes of the rugby world? #WALvsSCO

— Ijan Davies Emrus (@IjanEmrus) October 31, 2020

https://twitter.com/mvthomas1971/status/1320115503038418946

Exactly. I think Pivac has made mistakes, but he has walked into an almost unprecedented situation in rugby of replacing probably 1 of the best 3 coaches in the professional era who had been in charge for 12 years. It’s more akin to Moyes replacing Ferguson at United.

— Colin McBride (@colin_a_mcbride) February 23, 2020

Scotland spoiled Alun Wyn Jones’ world record-breaking day as they claimed a 14-10 Six Nations victory over Wales in Llanelli.

The Scots’ triumph at a windswept Parc y Scarlets on Saturday was their first away win against Wales for 18 years.

Wales had wanted to mark Jones’ 149th Test appearance in a manner that befitted their captain, who was surpassing Richie McCaw’s world Test match appearance record.

But he could have few complaints as they suffered a fifth successive defeat.

It is their worst run of results since 2016, and they were also consigned to just one victory in the entire Six Nations campaign, which Wales have not experienced for 13 years, to increase pressure on head coach Wayne Pivac.

Replacement hooker Stuart McInally’s 61st-minute try proved the difference in a poor game littered with errors and precious little memorable attacking rugby.

Finn Russell, whose return to Scotland’s starting line-up lasted just 33 minutes before he suffered a suspected groin injury, kicked a penalty, as did his replacement Adam Hastings, before captain Stuart Hogg’s 80th-minute strike finished Wales off.

Wales plundered a try for prop Rhys Carre, with Dan Biggar and Leigh Halfpenny each kicking a penalty, but Scotland deserved to take the spoils.

Wales had suffered a late blow when flanker Justin Tipuric was ruled out due to due to tonsillitis, with Scarlets forward James Davies replacing him and Aaron Wainwright taking over from Davies among the substitutes.

– additional reporting AAP