Tonight's rugby news as renowned coach demands respect for Gatland amid 'psychological torture'
These are your evening rugby headlines on Thursday, November 21.
Gatland 'deserves dignified exit'
Former South Africa coach Jake White has reached out to Warren Gatland and says the Wales coach "deserves a dignified exit and respect" amid speculation over his future.
A woeful record of 11 successive Test match defeats - a run that could extend to 12 against the Springboks this weekend - has seen supporters and pundits question whether Gatland is the right man to Wales forward, with some predicting that Saturday's clash could be his last game in charge.
READ MORE: Rob Howley: Warren Gatland is the best coach in the world and won't leave Wales
The man himself has cut a defiant figure this week and insisted he wants to stay in the role, but White says that whether he stays or go, he hopes he will leave through 'Gatland's Gate' rather than the the back door. While he admitted Wales had "lost their mojo", the Bulls boss said he had "no doubt... they will be back" and that the current coach "deserves respect" for what he has achieved.
"I did send Gats a message a few days ago, because I went through the same," he wrote in his column for RugbyPass. "All coaches do. In 2006, I lost five Tests in a row, in a country where there are high expectations, like Wales. It’s psychological torture.
"He isn’t getting the luck. The first time he goes with a 6-2 split, it blows up in his face and they’re exposed. Then he loses one of his genuine world-class talents in Tomos Williams. Against Australia, he loses his lineout leader, Adam Beard. Anything that could go wrong, is going wrong."
"If he chooses to depart – and it sounds like he’s going to tough it out – they have a huge set of gates in his honour," White continued. "I would like to think he could leave through them rather than the back door. He deserves a dignified exit and respect for what he has achieved.
"Rugby prides itself on doing the right thing and behaving in the correct manner but everyone can see this can’t go on forever. As a nation, they are rugby mad and they are hurting. It’s front-page news because they care. Other countries are looking on and thinking, how on earth did they get themselves in that situation with the passion they have for the game.
"Wales will be back, I have no doubt about that, but no one knows how long it will take to turn the ship around. They need to rediscover their mojo for the good of the game."
Howley: Wales youngsters have big future
Rob Howley is confident Wales' current crop of players will develop into top end internationals.
Arguably the main reason for Wales' run of 11 straight defeats has been a lack of experience after many players moved on after the Rugby World Cup. This Saturday Wales matchday squad will have 334 caps between them with only 61 in the back line while the Springboks are at 946 caps.
To put that into context, the Springboks will have more caps on their bench (431) than the entire Wales matchday squad. But Howley is confident the likes of Cameron Winnett, Sam Costelow, Ellis Bevan, Eddie James and Archie Griffin, among others, have big futures ahead of them.
“I can remember when Dan Lydiate was making his debut for Wales, and Jonathan Davies making his debut, all of those players that have played a huge part in Wales over a period of time," he said.
“Back right at the beginning, the pitches were moving very quickly for them and they became, I suppose automated in an international game where those pitches slowed down and they were able to make decisions. That’s the current challenge for our young players.
“I think the more often you put them in those environments and create pressure, that’s their learning. We’ve got young talented players that will grow and get better with experience.
“When you look at the number of caps in the backs, it’s not that many, you’re talking 60-odd caps, but with the young players you get mistakes and it’s how we react to those mistakes and actually try to become automated in that decision making process or skill set and mastering that skill."
Due to the struggles of Wales' four professional sides - Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets - it has been difficult to get the players up to international standard. And Howley insists the role of the Wales coaches in developing players is more important than ever.
“I think our role as coaches becomes more significant," he said. "Ultimately you want to create the best environment for a player to develop and then all of a sudden make the player better.
“As long as we continue to do that as coaches and the experience we feel we’ve got in the coaching team, led by Warren Gatland, I believe from what we’re seeing, the players are improving.
“But it’s those moments and the consequences of actions in games which at the moment is not going our way. We need to improve, there’s no doubt about that. That’s our challenge on Saturday, ultimately to make sure that I do my role and execute it as best as I can and give the players confidence to go out and play."
Jones: Scotland must beat Wallabies 'to be taken seriously'
By Anthony Brown, PA
Huw Jones admitted Scotland's Autumn Nations campaign will effectively be defined by whether or not they defeat resurgent Australia at Murrayfield on Sunday.
The Scots have enjoyed comfortable victories over a second-string Fiji team and Portugal either side of a 32-15 loss at the hands of world champions South Africa in which they were heartened with their display.
Having ultimately fallen short against the Springboks, however, centre Jones acknowledges Scotland - ranked sixth in the world - must signal their intent heading towards 2025 by overcoming an Australia team who have re-emerged as a force with impressive back-to-back wins over England and Wales this month.
"Looking at the games coming in, we knew obviously the South Africa and Australia games would be the big challenges," he said. "We obviously have aspirations to be successful as a team, as a squad and we have to be winning the games against the top seven, eight teams in the world.
"Those are games that we have to start winning now if we really want to be taken seriously. It's all well and good beating Fiji and Portugal and winning our games on the summer tour, but we want to take strides. The South Africa game was disappointing, but we've got to nail it this weekend against Australia."
Jones is expecting an open game against the Wallabies, who are ranked eighth in the world and appear to be getting back on upward curve under Joe Schmidt.
"They've been really good," Jones said of Australia's form this month. "They've scored a lot of tries, they've got threats everywhere. You see the way their forwards are carrying, you see what their backs are doing.
"I think it's an exciting challenge. Hopefully, weather dependent, it'll be an open game. When we've played against Australia in the past, it's been a pretty fun one to be involved in, free-flowing, so we'd hope for that again.
Scotland have won three of their last four meetings with Australia, although they lost by a single point in the last encounter at Murrayfield two years ago. Jones missed the last two Tests between the sides so Sunday will be his first outing against the Wallabies since he scored in a 53-24 win in Edinburgh in November 2017.
"The last time I played them was a while ago, where we beat them by quite a lot!" he said. "But the games more recently I haven't been involved in, but they have been tight. They're always exciting games and it's Australia's last game of the season so they'll be throwing everything at it. We're at home in front of our fans so we want to put our best game out there.
"I think the good thing about these Autumn Tests is that we're able to build through it. The South Africa game, there were a lot of positives from it and it was a decent performance in parts, but this is where we want to have that great performance, but ultimately come out on the right side of the score."
Ireland duo handed debuts
By Ed Elliot, PA, Dublin
Uncapped duo Gus McCarthy and Cormac Izuchukwu have been named in Ireland's starting XV for Saturday's Autumn Nations Series match against Fiji in Dublin.
Leinster hooker McCarthy, 21, and Ulster back-rower Izuchukwu, 24, are selected as part of seven personnel changes to the team which began last Friday's 22-19 win over Argentina.
Fly-half Sam Prendergast has been handed his maiden international start after winning his first cap as a second-half replacement against Los Pumas. Full-back Jamie Osborne, centre Bundee Aki, wing Jacob Stockdale and scrum-half Craig Casey have been recalled by head coach Andy Farrell.
Debutant McCarthy last year captained Ireland Under-20s to Six Nations Grand Slam glory and the final of the World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa. Izuchukwu, who was born in London but raised in Offaly, was a non-playing member of Ireland's summer series against the Springboks.
His inclusion at blindside flanker, alongside captain Caelan Doris and Josh van der Flier, sees Tadhg Beirne move into the second row to partner Joe McCarthy, while fellow rookie Gus McCarthy will pack down between Andrew Porter and Finlay Bealham. In the backs, Robbie Henshaw shifts to outside centre to accommodate the returning Aki, while Mack Hansen has been retained on the right wing.
Regular starters James Ryan, Jamison Gibson-Park, Jack Crowley, Garry Ringrose, James Lowe and Hugo Keenan and former captain Peter O'Mahony have been given the weekend off. Veteran prop Cian Healy has also been left out of the matchday squad, meaning he will have to wait to move ahead of Brian O'Driscoll as Ireland's outright most-capped player following his 133rd Test appearance last week.
Hooker Ronan Kelleher drops to the bench to provide backup for newcomer Gus McCarthy. He is joined among the replacements by Tom O'Toole, Thomas Clarkson, Iain Henderson, Cian Prendergast, Conor Murray, Ciaran Frawley and Stuart McCloskey.
Ireland boss Farrell, whose side began the autumn with a 23-13 loss to New Zealand, said: "There were signs of improvement last weekend and this week has been about building and embracing the challenge of a talented Flying Fijian side who will be coming over to Dublin full of confidence after their recent displays.
"On Saturday we welcome two new more debutants and I'm delighted for Cormac and Gus who have impressed with their work-rate and application over recent weeks and months. They have both performed strongly for their provinces, brought that good form into the recent Emerging Ireland tour and are now being rewarded for their efforts. We wish them well as they take this exciting next steps in their careers."
