'It came out of the blue' - Byron Hayward on his Wales sacking and the dark time that followed

Byron Hayward is the first to admit he went through some pretty dark times after losing his job as Wales defence coach.

So much so that he found himself unable to watch last year’s Six Nations, as Wayne Pivac’s team went on to win the Championship title.

It was Pivac who had decided to remove Hayward from his post in November 2020 following five defeats on the bounce.

The Kiwi head coach admitted it was tough and difficult conversation to have with a man who he’d worked with for a number of years at the Scarlets and become good friends with.

As for Hayward, it was a huge shock to the system.

Some 14 months on, a lot of water has now flown under the bridge and he is back working for the WRU as Wales U20s head coach.

It’s a role he is thoroughly enjoying as he prepares for Friday night’s Six Nations opener against Ireland at Cork’s Musgrave Park.

But, speaking in depth about his axing as Wales defence coach, he acknowledges it was a tough period in his life.

“It was a dark time for me, if I am honest,” he said.

“It obviously happened very quickly out of the blue. I wasn’t expecting it.

“You lose your job and all of a sudden you are in a lockdown as well and that certainly made things a whole lot worse.

“This time 12 months ago, I was just basically sat in my house looking at the walls every day.

“I didn’t watch any of the Six Nations last year. I didn’t want to have an opinion good or bad about how the Welsh team were doing.

“It was just important for me to get myself straight and know where I wanted to go next with my life.

“My faith is massive to me and it helped me massively during that time.

“I guess we all go through difficult times in life, whatever that is, in terms of adversity.

“It’s what defines you really at the