Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones believes under-pressure coach Wayne Pivac’s decision to blood new talent this autumn could yet prove to be a “watershed moment”.
Pivac has overseen just two wins from nine starts this year heading into Wales’ final match of 2020, an Autumn Nations Cup fifth-place play-off against Italy in Llanelli on Saturday.
It’s all a far cry from 2019 when Wales, with Warren Gatland as their coach, won a Six Nations Grand Slam and reached a World Cup semi-final before Pivac’s fellow New Zealander stood down following the global showpiece in Japan.
Pivac is contracted to take Wales through to the 2023 World Cup but there is a break clause in the deal that can kick in after two years.
And Wales’ recent run of results has led some observers to wonder if that might be activated if the team don’t return to consistent winning ways anytime soon.