Wales Coach Warren Gatland to Evaluate Future After Record Loss, Citing “Challenging” Period

Warren Gatland has served as head coach for the British and Irish Lions on three occasions. Autumn Nations Series: Wales v South AfricaVenue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff Date: Saturday, 23 November Kick off: 17:40 GMTCoverage: Live on S4C, BBC Radio Wales, Radio Cymru, live text and commentary on the BBC Sport website and app Wales’ head coach, Warren Gatland, intends to evaluate his position after a discussion with Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) officials in the Principality Stadium changing room, following a historic defeat against Australia. The 61-year-old indicated his acceptance of “whatever the best decision is for Welsh rugby” when questioned about his continuation in the role. His team endured a record 11th consecutive Test match loss as the Wallabies comprehensively defeated them 52-20 in Cardiff, intensifying the pressure on Gatland. This defeat marked an all-time low in results for Wales due to the successive losses. Gatland confirmed he spoke with WRU chair Richard Collier-Keywood and executive director of rugby Nigel Walker subsequent to the match. “Whatever the best decision is for Welsh rugby is, I’m more than comfortable with that,” he revealed. “If that’s about me going and that’s the best decision, then make the decision. We’ll talk about that and make that together.” Just over a year after securing a 40-6 victory against Australia in the World Cup, Wales now face the reality of having conceded 50 points to them at home for the first time, which is also the highest score the Wallabies have ever achieved against Wales in Cardiff. Gatland has now overseen 17 defeats in 23 Tests during his second tenure, having taken over from Wayne Pivac in December 2022. Wales has not secured an international win for over 13 months and has dropped to its lowest world ranking position of 11th. “There’s so much negativity around the game in terms of what’s been happening on and off the field,” said Gatland. “What I care about massively is Welsh rugby and the future of the game.” Gatland questioned whether a personnel change would positively influence the declining performance of Welsh rugby. “If you’re going to change me, who are you going to get to come in and how are they going to make a change?” he added. “Maybe making a change will help mitigate some of the negativity because it will deflect things and the focus will be on something else.” “But will it improve the game? Are you going to find the right person to do something else?” “Or are we better off sticking our head down, ploughing on and hopefully putting some things in place that can hopefully make some improvements at regional level and in the pathway, which can benefit us.” Gatland had faced considerable criticism from former players leading up to the Australia match. He acknowledged questioning the necessity of the stress and stated his intention to discuss his role with his family, yet maintained his ambition to persist. “It’s challenging at the moment, the most challenging it has been,” admitted Gatland. “It’s probably taking in a little bit of today and reflecting on some stuff.” “I’ll have a chat with a few people about what happens from here, with my wife – we have made lots of sacrifices as a family.” “I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t ask myself some questions, but I do it because I love being involved in the game. I have so many good memories of my time in Wales and the people and the friends I’ve made.” “I am incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved in the past, particularly in terms of World Cups.” During his initial 12-year period in charge