Wales out to avenge historic defeat that opened the door for Gatland return

07 October 2023 , 07:30

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Georgia secured a shock win over Wales in Cardiff (Image: PA)

November 19, 2022 will go down as one of Wales' darkest days as they were undone in Cardiff by Georgia.

Less than a year ago the European nation, who have long pushed to be involved in the Six Nations, came to the Welsh capital and recorded a statement victory. Luka Matkava struck a 78th minute penalty to put them ahead and they saw the game out as emotions peaked at full-time at the Principality.

Euphoria was combined with a cacophony of boos and jeers as Wales' dire results continued, but rarely in the professional era had they been beaten by a nation ranked so low. Wayne Pivac, appointed as Warren Gatland's successor, had seen his team suffer a shock loss at home to Italy just months later.

The New Zealander was immediately forced to field questions regarding his future and less than three weeks later he was out of a job. Pivac lost 20 of his 34 matches in charge, the last of which came against Australia, a week after the loss to Georgia.

Speaking after his final defeat he said: “There’s a little bit of luck in this game. When we won the Six Nations [last year], a lot went our way. It just feels at the moment, in tight situations, it hasn’t. We’ve just got to keep believing."

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Gatland was in the stadium for Pivac's final loss, taking on some media duties, and confirmed that none of his former bosses had been in touch regarding a return. Less than a month later though and the Kiwi left his role in his homeland with the Chiefs and returned to Cardiff.

Warren Gatland returned as boss late last year

He remains the country's most successful coach, leading them to three Grand Slams in 11 years, and was tasked with picking up the broken pieces. By that point Wales already knew they'd been drawn in a World Cup group with Georgia, whose confidence skyrocketed after their win at the Principality.

And so to Saturday, where Wales have already assured themselves of a spot in the last eight in France despite being in a challenging group. They've already seen off Fiji and hammered Australia with a statement performance, now to Georgia.

The Europeans already know that any result won't be good enough to land a spot in the knockouts with pride firmly at stake. Wales meanwhile will want to top their pool, avoiding England in the process, and Gatland can also put to bed the nightmares of last autumn with a resounding success.

Wales assistant Jonathan Humphreys has said: "There are no wrongs to right. They (Georgia) deserved it and were excellent on the day. It was difficult to watch at the end. This is a totally different thing. It’s not about revenge or anything like that. It’s about making sure we’re at our best to win the game and top our group."

Samuel Meade