South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus has come out in defence of Wales counterpart Warren Gatland ahead of their clash in Cardiff on Saturday.
Gatland is under fire having overseen a run of 11 straight defeats. A loss against the Springboks would see them lose all their Tests in a calendar year for the first time since 1937.
A shock defeat to Fiji to open their autumn campaign and a 52-20 thrashing at the hands of Australia last week has heaped pressure on Gatland, but Erasmus has thrown his support behind his opposite number.
“Warren can’t all of a sudden become a bad coach with his track record,” Erasmus said. “The players that they have, if you look at them individually, there are some world-class players in there.
“I know the record of losing 11 on the trot is not great. I just know Warren is a great coach and I know they’ve got great players.
“It’s not quite clicking, but he is a guy who has fixed things before. Coaching can become lonely, It’s cut-throat. Whenever someone is under the pump, you don’t wish anything bad on that person.
“I wouldn’t say I’d love him to beat us, but I’d love him to be successful. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and hope he gets the respect from everyone he deserves.”
Gatland, who won four Six Nations titles with Wales between 2007-2019 including the Grand Slam 2008, 2012 and 2019, conceded after the defeat to Australia he wasn’t sure what the future held for him.
“It’s challenging at the moment, the most challenging it has been. It’s probably taking in a little bit of today and reflecting on some stuff,” Gatland said.
“I’ll have a chat with a few people about what happens from here, with my wife — we have made lots of sacrifices as a family.”
Read more:
– Tom Hamilton on England-South Africa: England errors strike again
– James Regan on France-New Zealand France fire Six Nations warning
– Sam Bruce on Wales-Australia: These Wallabies have character and class
– British & Irish Lions tour of Australia: Who’s trending in for selection?
– Rugby faces shake up with F1-style breakaway league – sources
– International rugby fixtures: Latest matches, key dates, venues