Wales coach Gatland considers future after record loss

Autumn Nations Series: Wales v South Africa

Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff Date: Saturday, 23 November Kick off: 17:40 GMT

Coverage: Live connected S4C, BBC Radio Wales, Radio Cymru, unrecorded substance and commentary connected the BBC Sport website and app

Wales caput manager Warren Gatland says helium volition deliberation astir his aboriginal aft gathering Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) bosses successful the Principality Stadium changing country pursuing a grounds decision against Australia.

Gatland says helium volition hold to immoderate is champion for Welsh rugby pursuing questions implicit whether helium volition support his job.

Wales suffered a grounds 11th successive Test lucifer decision arsenic the Wallabies demolished them 52-20 successful Cardiff to ramp up the unit connected Gatland.

That nonaccomplishment means Wales person slumped to an all-time results debased with the consecutive defeats.

Gatland says helium spoke to WRU seat Richard Collier-Keywood and enforcement manager of rugby Nigel Walker aft the game.

"Whatever the champion determination is for Welsh rugby is, I'm much than comfy with that," said Gatland.

"If that's astir maine going and that's the champion decision, past marque the decision. We'll speech astir that and marque that together."

Just implicit a twelvemonth aft beating Australia 40-6 successful the World Cup, Wales were near to bespeak connected conceding 50 points to them for a archetypal clip astatine location and the astir the Wallabies person scored against Wales successful Cardiff.

Gatland has present presided implicit 17 losses from 23 Tests during his 2nd stint astatine the helm aft replacing Wayne Pivac successful December 2022.

Wales person not won an planetary successful much than 13 months and person slipped to a lowest presumption of 11th successful the satellite rankings.

"There's truthful overmuch negativity astir the crippled successful presumption of what's been happening connected and disconnected the field," said Gatland.

"What I attraction astir massively is Welsh rugby and the aboriginal of the game."

Gatland questioned whether a alteration successful unit would impact the flagging fortunes of Welsh rugby.

"If you're going to alteration me, who are you going to get to travel successful and however are they going to marque a change?" said Gatland.

"Maybe making a alteration volition assistance mitigate immoderate of the negativity due to the fact that it volition deflect things and the absorption volition beryllium connected thing else.

"But volition it amended the game? Are you going to find the close idiosyncratic to bash thing else?

"Or are we amended disconnected sticking our caput down, ploughing connected and hopefully putting immoderate things successful spot that tin hopefully marque immoderate improvements astatine determination level and successful the pathway, which tin payment us."

Gatland had received a batch of disapproval successful the build-up to the Australia crippled from erstwhile players.

He admits helium had questioned whether helium needed the hassle and would speech astir his presumption with his family, but insisted helium inactive had the ambition to transportation on.

"It's challenging astatine the moment, the astir challenging it has been," said Gatland

"It's astir apt taking successful a small spot of contiguous and reflecting connected immoderate stuff.

"I'll person a chat with a fewer radical astir what happens from here, with my wife, we person made tons of sacrifices arsenic a family.

"I wouldn't beryllium quality if I didn't inquire myself immoderate questions, but I bash it due to the fact that I emotion being progressive successful the game. I person truthful galore bully memories of my clip successful Wales and the radical and the friends I've made.

"I americium incredibly arrogant of what we've achieved successful the past, peculiarly successful presumption of World Cups."

During his archetypal 12-year play successful charge, Gatland masterminded World Cup semi-final appearances, Six Nations titles and Grand Slams.

Gatland, who led Wales to the World Cup quarter-finals past year, was asked whether helium thought his bequest had been tarnished by returning to Wales.

"I’ve been backmost for 2 years, I would accidental 1 of the years, with what we achieved successful the World Cup, was reasonably successful," said Gatland.

"There were a batch of radical who were predicting for the World Cup we wouldn’t get retired of our group, saying we weren’t bully capable to bash that.

"We ended up winning the radical and should person made a semi-final. We were gutted.

"The past 12 months hasn’t been successful. We’ve mislaid a batch of acquisition and we cognize there’s a rebuilding signifier to spell through."

World champions South Africa get successful the Welsh superior adjacent Saturday.

Wales past look a ferociously-tough Six Nations opener against France successful Paris connected 31 January.

This suggests determination is nary contiguous extremity successful show to specified a miserable tally with Gatland saying helium was unsure whether helium expected to beryllium successful complaint for the Springboks lucifer and the consequent Six Nations campaign.

He insisted the Wales squad would beryllium determined to crook things astir adjacent weekend.

"When you're progressive successful nonrecreational sport, those are the challenges that specify you arsenic an individual," said Gatland.

"When you get retired successful that arena, you've got a batch of radical looking astatine you. It's however you beforehand up to the challenge.

"You tin hide your caput successful the sand, locomotion distant oregon you tin rotation your sleeves up and artifact up the achromatic noise. Hopefully, we volition enactment connected an improved show that shows immoderate quality against the satellite champions."

Gatland gave an impassioned connection to Wales fans pursuing the Australia defeat.

"We're truly hurting from today," said Gatland.

"The supporters person been superb with the enactment they've fixed america implicit the years.

"We astir apt fto them down a small bit. So we request to spell retired adjacent week and marque amends by putting a show successful they tin beryllium arrogant of."