Warren Gatland's one-word response to big question as truth about clause emerges

Wales coach Warren Gatland emphatically outlined his desire to stay on as head coach, as he offered up clarity on a potential break clause in his contract after the 2025 Six Nations.

Gatland is under immense pressure after losing the last 11 Tests in a row with Wales, their worst-ever run in international rugby. Speaking after the latest defeat, a 52-20 loss to Australia, Gatland admitted on Sunday he was questioning his own future as Wales coach.

However, after naming his team to face South Africa in the final autumn fixture, when asked if he had a strong desire to continue in the job, Gatland responded: "Absolutely."

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He also added he hadn't received any indication this week that he wouldn't be in charge after the clash with the back-to-back world champions in Cardiff on Saturday.

"It’s not something I’ve thought about," he said. "I’m just focused solely on preparing the team for this week to do the best job we can.

"If you start thinking about other things, it’s a distraction you don’t need. You’ve just got to focus on preparing the team the best we can.

"We’ve spoken this morning as a group of forwards in terms of what we can do to improve the performance. The backs have been pretty honest too. When you start thinking about other things, it becomes a real distraction."

He added: "I think we’ve 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’ve been pretty honest in terms that I understand the pressures of international rugby with performances and results. We can only work as hard as we have done.

"I’m 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’ll have to wait and see."

There had been reports this week that there was a break clause in Gatland's contract that could be exercised after next year's Six Nations. While the previous break clause in his contract after last year's World Cup was widely known, with executive director of rugby Nigel Walker saying last year he could not "see any circumstances whereby we would invoke that clause", any clause next year was shrouded in mystery - with no one at the Welsh Rugby Union confirming or denying its existence.

However, Gatland himself now claims there is no such clause, saying: "For me, there's no break clause in my contract after the Six Nations. I don't know where that came from."

He did add that he would resign from his role if he thought it would improve Welsh rugby, stating: "If I thought it was in the best interest, absolutely."