Wales’ players are fully behind boss Wayne Pivac despite falling to a sixth successive defeat on Friday, according to centre Jonathan Davies.
The 2019 Grand Slam champions are winless since the opening round of this year’s Guinness Six Nations tournament, and fell 32-9 to Andy Farrell’s Ireland in their Autumn Nations Cup Group A opener.
New Zealander Pivac has endured a tricky start to his tenure in charge having taking the reins from fellow countryman Warren Gatland after last year’s Rugby World Cup, but Davies insists the players have faith in his methods.
The Scarlets star – who played under Pivac for the Llanelli-based side – was part of the Wales squad that suffered eight losses on the spin before going on to win the 2013 Guinness Six Nations title.
And while Covid-19 halted their progress earlier in the year, he believes the national team are gradually recapturing their best form behind the scenes, and that success is close at hand.
“We enjoy preparing the plan he wants in the week, it’s just at the moment we need to make sure we’re delivering on a game day,” the 32-year-old said. “Our frustration levels are high because we are not doing that.
“We are not there yet with the product as a whole and the focus has to stay on working together to make sure we deliver higher standards.
“After the long break we had over Covid, we’ve been slow out of the blocks. We were late coming back to regional rugby and the international game as well.
“But traditionally, the longer we spend together, the better we get and we are seeing improvements in certain areas.”
Despite a strong second half performance, Wales could only muster nine points through the boot of Leigh Halfpenny as Quinn Roux and James Lowe tries steered Ireland to victory in the first-ever Autumn Nations Cup match.
Davies hobbled off after an hour at the Aviva Stadium with a knee injury and could miss Wales’ Round 2 clash at home to Georgia on November 21.
With a further Group A clash to come against England, before a placing match to determine their final position, Davies is confident his team can address the weaknesses of their latest performance next time out, and earn what he believes would be a significant win.
He added: “We were bitterly disappointed with the result against Ireland. There was an improvement, but nowhere near where we want or where we can be. There are a lot of mixed emotions and frustration that comes with that.
“Indiscipline has been a major factor in the last three games we’ve lost. It’s cost us a huge amount of points and we don’t accept that at all. Our indiscipline needs to be addressed immediately.
“But this period at the moment is character-building and come the next opportunity we get, it’s important we get a win. When we get a win and a run of form, it will all be forgotten.”
