DUBLIN - Wales coach Wayne Pivac said he is still the right man to take the team forward after they crashed to a sixth straight defeat in a 32-9 loss to Ireland in the Autumn Nations Cup opener on Friday.
Pivac took over from Warren Gatland after last year's World Cup in Japan, where Wales were semi-finalists, and began the Six Nations with a 42-0 win over Italy on February 1, only to then lose to Ireland, France and England.
Wales were then beaten by France in a friendly international as action resumed following the Covid-19 hiatus before slumping to another Six Nations defeat by Scotland last month.
Asked at a news conference if he remains confident he is the person to turn their fortunes around, Pivac said: "Yes. From a head coach's point of view in these situations it's about the vibe in the changing room and among the players.
"I think if you were in the changing room, you'd see a very disappointed team but a team that has put in a hell of a shift. We had asked for that after the Scottish performance and the positives were the work that we put in without the ball."
𝐅![CDATA[]]>𝐔![CDATA[]]>𝐋![CDATA[]]>𝐋 𝐓![CDATA[]]>𝐈![CDATA[]]>𝐌![CDATA[]]>𝐄: IRE 32-9 WAL⠀
— Welsh Rugby Union 🏉 (@WelshRugbyUnion) November 13, 2020
⠀@IrishRugby claim the win on opening night of the #AutumnNationsCup with a resolute performance in Dublin.
⠀
Y Gwyddelod fydd yn dathlu heno, ond diolch i bawb am eich cefnogaeth.⠀
⠀
Next up 🇬![CDATA[]]>🇪 @GeorgianRugby pic.twitter.com/ZNGDXccy9O
Pivac, whose side face Georgia on November 21, said their poor form this year was a bitter pill to swallow, but his players will look to respond.
"... Obviously we're concerned about any performance where we don't get the result we're after. And we've had a few on the bounce," Pivac said.
"It's taking a bit of time for us to click and make sure we eliminate the errors that are hampering us. We're looking to change what's been done for over 10 years and change mindsets and it doesn't happen overnight."
Reuters