Wainwright Affirms Wales Squad’s Unity Behind Coach Gatland

Aaron Wainwright, one of only two players in the Wales matchday squad against Australia with 50 caps, has asserted that the Welsh national rugby team remains fully supportive of head coach Warren Gatland, despite their ongoing record losing streak. The team is preparing for their Autumn Nations Series match against South Africa at Principality Stadium, Cardiff, on Saturday, 23 November, with kick-off at 17:40 GMT. Coverage will be live on S4C, BBC Radio Wales, Radio Cymru, and via live text and commentary on the BBC Sport website and app. The back-row forward, who scored a try against Australia, has been identified as one of the few standout performers for Wales during their winless 2024 campaign so far. Wales faces a final opportunity to end their sequence of 11 consecutive defeats when they play South Africa on Saturday, aiming to avoid their first calendar year without a victory since 1937. While expectations for Warren Gatland’s squad against the double world champions are low, Wainwright views the upcoming fixture as an ideal chance to demonstrate the cohesion within the Wales camp. “We’re 100% all still together. It’s the players who are out there on the pitch, so we have to step up,” Wainwright stated. He continued, “As players, we need to really put our mark down going into next week. “We’ve got ourselves into this, so we are the ones that are going to have to get ourselves out of it.”” The Dragons player further commented: “We have senior figures in the group that keep relaying the message that we need to keep believing in ourselves because, on our day, we can beat any team.” Wainwright added: “We’re in a tough period but what a great chance [against South Africa] to finish the campaign on a high.”That’s the motivation for all the boys, to get back to winning ways and give the fans something to cheer about.”” Following the final whistle on Sunday, some Wales supporters who had remained at the Principality Stadium expressed their dissatisfaction with boos. The 52-20 scoreline against Australia, a record defeat, marked the latest low point in what has been a challenging year for Wales and Gatland. “I understand the crowd reaction,” Wainwright acknowledged. He elaborated: “If I put myself in that position and I was a fan and my team had been on a losing streak, I would be disappointed and upset.”We want to win, perform and give the fans something to get excited about, to get Welsh rugby back in a positive light and get out of this hole we are in.”” Wainwright is expected to be the most experienced player in the Wales team for Saturday’s match, following Adam Beard’s withdrawal due to a leg injury.