Welsh Rugby fears after 'dreadful' Italy defeat as pundits slam team performance

Wales head coach Wayne Pivac has been told to prepare himself for the possibility of being sacked as the fallout continues from their shock Six Nations defeat by  Italy.

A last-minute Edoardo Padovani try and subsequent conversion from Paolo Garbisi saw the Azzurri take victory at the Principality Stadium on Saturday. That result saw the Italians end a 36-game streak of defeats in the competition, a run stretching back seven years.

It was by far the most sour note of a Six Nations campaign to forget for the Welsh, who had come in with high hopes for the tournament as defending champions. However, an anaemic display against Ireland in their first match set the tone, and their 20-17 victory over Scotland was the only joy they had over the whole campaign.

Coach Pivac will have had a lot credit in the bank with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) thanks to his team's success at the 2021 Six Nations, but that has likely evaporated now after a dismal follow-up campaign. Former Wales fly-half Jonathan Davies has even suggested that he might lose his job, as he told the BBC such an embarrassing defeat is a "sackable" offence.

Ex-skipper Sam Warburton said he believes Pivac will stick around, but warned of a need for a long, hard look at the state of rugby in Wales in light of this failure. "I think last year [Six Nations title win] will take Wayne Pivac through to 2023," he said.

"It would be easy to just look at the head coach and the players but I think Wales have been hiding behind much deeper issues. We have had a generally successful national team and poor regions, but now the national team is not doing so well."

Going into further detail on that point, another former international Tom Shanklin added: "It is a knock-on