Wayne Pivac accepts scrutiny as Wales look to put shock Italy loss behind them

Wayne Pivac accepts that he has a job “where everybody is watching your every move” as he looks for his Wales players to bounce back from a demoralising home defeat against Italy.

The Wales head coach’s next assignment could hardly be tougher – a three-Test series away from home against world champions South Africa in July.

Pivac has named a 33-man squad for the tour, including uncapped Leicester flanker Tommy Reffell and Cardiff number eight James Ratti, with the Springboks looming barely three months after Wales’ Six Nations campaign ended in disarray.

Italy’s 22-21 victory – their first in Cardiff – saw Wales fall from Six Nations champions last year to a fifth-place finish.

“We’ve had some robust discussions as a coaching group,” Pivac said.

“We let the dust settle a bit because emotions were running pretty high right throughout the country, and rightly so, because that is a result that nobody is proud of.

“The big thing is we had those robust discussions, we will learn as much as we can from the experience, and hopefully it makes us a better side moving forward.

When you take these positions on you know there is a responsibility that goes with it- Wales head coach Wayne Pivac

“Certainly, that is the attitude we are taking. What we want to do is turn that frustration, that emotion if you like, into the hard work that is required going to a place like South Africa.”

Asked if the criticism post-Italy personally hurt him, Pivac added: “No, personal criticism doesn’t hurt because it is a job you know where everybody is watching your every move.

“When you take these positions on you know there is a responsibility that goes with it. Certainly, a loss to Italy was something that wasn’t in my thought process, to be honest,