WALES number eight Aaron Wainwright says “we are all in this together” as speculation rages about head coach Warren Gatland’s future following a record 11 successive Test match defeats.
Wainwright admitted he understood the reaction of many fans who made an early Principality Stadium exit as Wales lost 52-20 against Autumn Nations Series opponents Australia on Sunday.
Gatland could still be in charge for Saturday’s daunting appointment with world champions South Africa, but whether he remains there for a Six Nations campaign that begins against France in Paris 10 weeks later appears increasingly uncertain.
Speaking after the Wallabies’ biggest win against Wales for 28 years, Gatland said he had already had conversations with Welsh Rugby Union executive director of rugby Nigel Walker and chair Richard Collier-Keywood and was comfortable with “whatever the best decision for Welsh rugby is.”
There had been an air of finality that pervaded his post-match press conference, mixed with an occasional defiant note.
He has overseen just six wins from 23 Tests during his second stint as head coach, while Wales have dropped outside the world’s top 10-ranked countries and last tasted Test match success during the 2023 World Cup.
More than 20 players have been capped by Gatland in his attempt to mould a new squad, but results-wise Wales are at the lowest point in their 143-year international rugby history.
“We are all in this together,” Wainwright said. “The players are out there on the pitch, so we have to step up and do our thing.
“It is a collective effort. All of us need to reflect on how we performed in our own roles and see what we can improve on.”
The latter stages of Australia’s second-half stroll were played out before hundreds of empty seats, and Wainwright added: “If I put myself in that position and I was a fan and my team had been on a losing streak, I would be a little bit disappointed and upset.
“We’ve got ourselves into this, so we are the ones that are going to have to get ourselves out of it, and I think when we do that we will reap the rewards and hopefully the fans will still be there cheering us on.”
