A DEFIANT Warren Gatland says he “absolutely” has the desire to continue in his role as Wales head coach.

Speculation continues to rage about Gatland’s future after a record run of 11 successive Test match defeats.

World champions South Africa are next up for Wales on Saturday, with the Springboks overwhelming favourites to emphatically extend that losing sequence.

A South Africa victory would mean Wales going the entire calendar year without winning a Test, which has not happened since 1937.

“If you start thinking about other things, it is a distraction you don’t need,” said Gatland, after naming a team showing four changes from the one beaten 52-20 by Australia.

“I think we have been pretty clear in terms of the plan we’ve had. We’ve got a group of young players that need a bit of time.

“I am aware of the pressure and that decisions could be made outside of my control. We’ve just asked for a little bit of time. Whether we get that time, we will have to wait and see.”