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Wales tackle double world champions South Africa in Cardiff on Saturday – but the main event is all about Warren Gatland.
The Wales head coach would not want it that way, yet it is an unavoidable scenario following a record 11 successive Test-match defeats that he has presided over.
Intense speculation surrounds Gatland’s future in a job he has held for two years since returning for a second stint at the helm.
First time around between 2008 and 2019 it was a trophy-laden golden spell studded with Six Nations titles, Grand Slams, two World Cup semi-final appearances and a brief stint as the world-ranked number one team.
Now, though, Wales are a lowly 11th in the world, closer to Switzerland, Belgium and Brazil on ranking points than they are South Africa.
Gatland has overseen just six wins in 23 Tests, largely during a squad-rebuilding process after he saw star names such as Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric, George North, Dan Biggar and Leigh Halfpenny retire from international rugby, while Louis Rees-Zammit went to the NFL and Taulupe Faletau has been a long-term injury absentee.
Those losses include home defeats to Italy and Fiji, Australia registering their highest points total in Cardiff and a first Principality Stadium reversal against Scotland since 2002.
Wales’ four professional regions – Cardiff, Scarlets, Ospreys and Dragons – have also largely struggled, with none of them qualifying for this season’s blue riband Champions Cup.
The Welsh Rugby Union, meanwhile, has yet to publish its long-term strategy for the game’s future in Wales against a backdrop of financial struggles, player pathway issues and falling attendances.
Whether Gatland remains in charge for Wales’ Six Nations opener against France in Paris on January 31 is currently uncertain, but his immediate challenge is similarly daunting, trying to stop the juggernaut Springboks.
“I am fully aware international rugby is about performance and results,” Gatland said.
We spoke about, as a group, if we can all fix up one or two little things, it will make a significant difference
Warren Gatland
“Hopefully, we go out on Saturday and give a better performance than we did last week (against Australia). The disappointing thing was at times we switched off.
“We have got to go out there and give a performance. It is not just myself that’s hurting. It is the players and coaches that are disappointed.
“We spoke about, as a group, if we can all fix up one or two little things, it will make a significant difference.
“Hopefully, we can go out there and surprise a few people. There is not a lot of expectation, and sometimes that allows you to go out and play with freedom, when the shackles are off.
“We are pretty aware of what will be thrown at us from a physical point of view.
“When they (South Africa) come under pressure, they resort to their strengths, which are their scrum and maul, trying to get penalties from that dominance.
“So we have to make sure we are solid with our lineout defence and scrum, not allowing them territory. Because when they get into the 22, they are very tough to stop.”
South Africa have won six of the last seven Tests against Wales and lost just twice from 12 starts this year, while they also landed the Rugby Championship title.
Their replacements’ bench alone for Cardiff contains more caps than Wales’ entire match-day 23, and there are World Cup winners everywhere.
Ospreys hooker Dewi Lake will captain Wales against the world’s top team, and he has no doubt about Gatland’s stature.
“I think probably his presence alone is huge,” Lake said. “We are all quite a young group, and were probably massive fans growing up watching his first stint – Grand Slams and undefeated runs.
“His knowledge and passion for the game as well kind of resonates with you as a player.
“Maybe you are feeling a little bit sorry for yourself or you have had a tough day, and his ability to pick you back up and get you back on the horse ready to go again is second to none.”
