Wales ‘are all in this together’ as Warren Gatland speculation continues to grow

Wales No 8 Aaron Wainwright has called for unity amid ongoing speculation about head coach Warren Gatland's future following a record 11 consecutive Test match losses. Wainwright acknowledged the disappointment of fans who left the Principality Stadium early as Wales suffered a 52-20 defeat against Australia in the Autumn Nations Series on Sunday.

Despite the uncertainty, Gatland may still lead the team in Saturday's challenging match against world champions South Africa. However, his position for the Six Nations campaign starting against France in Paris in 10 weeks is increasingly doubtful.

Following Australia's largest victory over Wales in 28 years, Gatland revealed he had discussions with Nigel Walker, Welsh Rugby Union executive director of rugby, and chair Richard Collier-Keywood, stating he was comfortable with "whatever the best decision for Welsh rugby is". His post-match press conference carried a sense of finality, interspersed with moments of defiance.

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During his second tenure as head coach, Gatland has overseen just six wins from 23 Tests, with Wales now outside the top 10-ranked countries and their last Test match victory dating back to the 2023 World Cup. Despite capping more than 20 players in an effort to shape a new squad, under Gatland's leadership, Wales are currently experiencing 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. We have got a couple of good senior figures in the group that keep relaying the message that we need to keep believing in ourselves and on our day we can go out there and beat any team."

As the latter stages of Australia’s second-half stroll unfolded before an array of empty seats, Wainwright also shared: "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. For us as players we need to really put our mark down going into next weekend.

"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.

"We want to go out there and win and perform and give the fans something to get excited about, to get Welsh rugby back in a positive light and get out of this hole we are in."

Regarding Gatland's situation, he acknowledged certain challenges including the retirement from Test rugby of key players such as Alun Wyn Jones, George North, and Dan Biggar over the past 18 months, alongside Louis Rees-Zammit's switch to the NFL, and Taulupe Faletau's extended absence due to injury.

Wales' rugby record has been under scrutiny with home losses to Italy and Fiji, and the national team conceding over 30 points in matches against Australia (twice), South Africa, France, and Ireland. The four professional Welsh regions have also struggled to make their mark, failing to qualify for this season's Champions Cup and currently sitting in two of the bottom three spots in the United Rugby Championship.

When questioned about the prospects of a comeback against South Africa – a team that has defeated Wales in six out of their last seven encounters – Gatland said: "When you are involved in professional sport, those are the challenges that define you as an individual. When you get out in that arena, you have got a lot of people looking at you. It’s how you front up to the challenge."