Former Wales coach Wayne Pivac has disclosed that he was negotiating a contract extension through to the 2027 World Cup merely weeks before the Welsh Rugby Union dismissed him. Pivac was let go following the 2022 November internationals, becoming the first Welsh coach to suffer defeats to both Italy and Georgia in Cardiff. Despite also overseeing Wales' first victory over the Springboks in South Africa that same year, WRU CEO Steve Phillips opted to replace him with his predecessor, Warren Gatland.
Gatland, after a respectable performance at the 2023 World Cup, endured a record 14 consecutive Test losses before resigning during the 2025 Six Nations. Pivac, now coaching Italian club Benetton, recounted on the BBC's Scrum V podcast that he was close to extending his deal just before the 13-12 loss to Georgia.
Drawing parallels with former New Zealand coach Graham Henry, who survived a 2007 quarter-final exit to win the 2011 World Cup, Pivac expressed hope that he could apply lessons from his first World Cup cycle to a second. “He sold it to them that the learning over that four-year period, if they put someone new in, they would have to start again,” Pivac said. “He was given a second chance and won a World Cup. His assistant, Steve Hansen, won the next. They had a succession plan.”
Contract Discussions and Dismissal
Pivac revealed: “I was in discussions with the Welsh Rugby Union about extending through to 2027 after beating Argentina. Then two weeks later, it changed. We were looking to extend my contract and the coaches beneath us. That would give us the longevity to build. I was told I'd be judged by my Six Nations results and November was a free hit basically. Warren in the past had used it to get teams fit for the World Cup.”
He added: “We used that November period to try a lot of young players to build depth, because there hadn't been a lot of that done previously. We were in for the long haul and were prepared to develop. Probably the riskiest one was Italy in the Six Nations. I believed we were good enough to rotate our squad, build some depth and still beat Italy. But for a blade of grass, we would have got a five-pointer and come third. But that's the nature of the beast. I know it's a results-based business so the loss to Italy and Georgia were the final straw. As it turned out, there's about 18 lost on the bounce a little later on, so I'm not sure we took it to the depths that it ended up in.”
Regret and Reflection
Pivac expressed his desire to complete his project: “I'd have loved to have finished what I started. I would have loved to get them through to the World Cup. We had a team that was confident we could beat Argentina. That was the plan to go through, get the learnings of the first World Cup and then go on. Like most countries, it's a two World Cup cycle.” He also noted the departure of CEO Martyn Phillips and chair Gareth Davies, feeling “left holding the baby a little bit.”
Pivac felt for his assistant coaches Stephen Jones and Gethin Jenkins, who were not retained by Gatland. The Georgia defeat has been re-evaluated in light of a doping scandal. Former captain Merab Sharikadze received an 11-year ban for helping teammates cheat anti-doping tests. Hooker Giorgi Chkoidze was banned for six years, with Lasha Khmaladze, Otar Lashkhi, and Miriani Modebadze receiving three-year suspensions, and Lasha Lomidze nine months. World Rugby described it as “the most extensive anti-doping investigation ever undertaken in rugby,” though performance-enhancing drugs were not the motive.
Pivac concluded: “It's a long time ago and you do move on. At the time it was disappointing to walk away from the role and then probably equally disappointing to hear that news [of Georgia's doping bans] in recent times. I've no regrets. I enjoyed nine years in Wales and loved every minute of it.”
