The final rites, if indeed they are, seem destined to continue for a while longer. On Wednesday, Warren Gatland reiterated his stance that he would step down as head coach if it were deemed “in the best interests of Welsh rugby,” while also making it abundantly clear that he does not believe this to be the case. Gatland revealed that he had discussions with his family and employers following Wales' 52-20 loss to Australia on Sunday, their 11th consecutive defeat. Whatever was discussed, it has left him “fully focused on preparing the team for this week.” This sets the stage for a daunting match against South Africa, the reigning back-to-back world champions. The only benefit Wales would gain by making a change now would be a poor start for whoever takes over. Whether Gatland will still be at the helm for the first game of the Six Nations, away to France at the end of January, remains uncertain. He declined to comment on this, stating, “If you start thinking about other things, it’s a distraction you don’t need.” However, he did confirm that there is no break clause in his contract, meaning the WRU would need to buy him out if they wish to remove him.

“I care deeply about Welsh rugby, and that’s why I’ve said that if people feel the best decision is for me to go, then that’s OK, I’ll move on and look for something else,” Gatland said. “I honestly believe that if you make that decision now, what are you going to achieve? Is someone else going to come in and start again, how long is that process going to take? What players are available to us at the moment that are potentially going to affect results?” Gatland insists that this team is as good as it can be, given the dire state of the regional game in Wales. He is correct in stating that firing him won’t address the broader issues. “I know for a number of years that we felt like the success we had with the national team was papering over the cracks that were underneath,” he said. “I mentioned in the past that when the dam burst, it was going to take a while to plug it up again.

That’s probably where we are at the moment. We need to look at the future, the pathways and the structures. I’ve encouraged the union on a number of occasions to be bold about making changes in the best interests of Welsh rugby.” Gatland mentioned receiving numerous private messages of support over the past few days, “by phone, email, and through my family,” but there are few who seem willing to publicly back him. “I try to stay away from it,” Gatland said regarding how he handles the criticism. “You’re not human if you don’t ask yourself some questions about why you’re doing it and whether you enjoy it. But those things are understandable. It’s part of the job, isn’t it?”

Gatland has made five changes to the lineup. Blair Murray moves to full-back, Rio Dyer is on the wing, Sam Costelow starts at fly-half, and Christ Tshiunza and Taine Plumtree join the pack. None of the players in the XV have 50 caps, and only two have more than 25. It was two years ago that Wales beat South Africa 13-12 in Bloemfontein, but things have deteriorated so rapidly that Gatland’s pre-match talk has become an exercise in managing expectations. “Hopefully we go out and give a better performance than we did last week.” This suggests that the situation may be beyond his control. Perhaps the New Zealander is too smart to promise things he cannot guarantee. Asked what the Welsh public should expect from the side on Saturday, he said: “The public want to see some passion and desire and for the players to go out there and show what it means to put the red shirt on. If they see that, I think they’ll be happy.” Winning, or even coming close, was not mentioned.

“We’ve been pretty clear in terms of the plan we’ve had,” Gatland said. “We’ve got a group of young players that need a bit of time. I’m aware of the pressure and that decisions could be made that are outside my control. We’ve just asked for a little bit of time. Whether we get that time, we’ll have to wait and see.” He has at least four days to prepare.

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