Wayne Pivac gone from coaching role as Wales star follows him out the door
Wayne Pivac gone from coaching role as Wales star follows him out the door
Wayne Pivac and Rhys Patchell are on the move after missing out on promotion
Former Wales coach Wayne Pivac has left Japanese club NEC Green Rockets
(Image: PA )
Former Wales coach Wayne Pivac and outside-half Rhys Patchell have left Japanese club NEC Green Rockets.
Pivac has been at the Green Rockets for the past couple of seasons but according to reports he has been deemed surplus to requirements, along with forwards coach Paul Feeney, after a difficult run of results.
Former Wales outside-half Patchell is also set to leave the club after being named among 16 departures, but it is unclear where his next destination will be.
Pivac did a sterling job with the Scarlets, winning the old PRO12 in 2017 and leading the Welsh club to a Champions Cup semi-final the following season.
After succeeding Warren Gatland as Wales boss, Pivac won the Six Nations title and Triple Crown in 2021 but was sacked in 2022 after a series of bad defeats which included a home loss to Georgia. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
The 62-year-old is out of work again and it is unclear where his coaching career will lead him to next.
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Patchell, who has won 22 caps for Wales, enjoyed a stint at New Zealand Super Rugby outfit the Highlanders before his move to Japan. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here.
The Fformer Cardiff and Scarlets playmaker still has plenty to offer the game and would be a stellar pick-up for one of Wales' professional clubs.
Patchell is a triple-threat player with a tremendous passing and kicking game, while he is also a danger with ball in hand. Join WalesOnline Rugby's WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free
Speaking about his move to Japan on an episode of 'Jonathan' on S4C in March, Patchell spoke about his life in the Far East and admitted he missed Wales at times.
"This might sound really deep now," he said.
"But I didn't think 'hiraeth' was a real thing.
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"I thought it was just this really wishy-washy thing that people spoke about which wasn't real.
"When you reach the longest stint I've done out there, 10 or 12 weeks, by then I was ready to come home.
"I wanted my fix of Wales."
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