Rob Howley insists Warren Gatland is still 'best coach in the world' despite record Wales losing run

Speculation continues to rage astir Wales brag Gatland's aboriginal pursuing a grounds tally of 11 successive Test lucifer defeats.

Life is not astir to get immoderate easier, with satellite champions South Africa arriving astatine the Principality Stadium connected Saturday for Wales' Autumn Nations Series finale.

Another nonaccomplishment would spot Wales spell done a full calendar twelvemonth without winning a Test, which has not happened since 1937.

During Gatland's archetypal stint successful complaint from 2008 to 2019, Wales were World Cup semi-finalists, Six Nations champions and Grand Slam winners.

This clip around, amid acold much challenging circumstances and attempting to mould a caller squad, Wales person won conscionable six retired of his 23 Tests astatine the helm.

It is uncertain whether Gatland volition stay successful complaint for the Six Nations, which Wales footwear disconnected against France successful Paris connected January 31.

But Howley, who has worked with the New Zealander for much than 20 years arsenic a subordinate and past coaching colleague, has nary uncertainty Wales person the close man.

"We've got the champion manager successful the satellite who has had a bequest of implicit 13 years," Howley said.

"He has won Grand Slams, and determination is nary amended manager to person successful your campy than Warren Gatland. He gives players the assurance and self-belief they request to spell retired and play.

"He is simply a hugely respected manager and has coached implicit a fig of years. His bequest with antithetic teams is simply a winning legacy.

"I deliberation that astatine the infinitesimal we are successful this spell wherever we are losing and losing. We, astatine immoderate point, cognize we volition win, and I anticipation it volition beryllium connected Saturday.

"I conscionable consciousness astatine the infinitesimal we've got the champion manager who has got years of experience.

"He understands rugby, and I judge that Wales person got the champion manager successful the satellite to get america retired of this."

Asked would helium beryllium prepared to instrumentality an interim relation arsenic caput manager if Gatland leaves, Howley replied: "Warren Gatland won't leave."

South Africa person won six of the past 7 Tests against Wales and are ranked arsenic the world's fig 1 team.

Howley added: "The large happening astir being progressive successful elite show athletics is the accidental that you person the pursuing week.

"Of course, we person a young group, which you tin spot from the fig of caps they've got, truthful it is important we are learning - and learning each day.

"They person been superb to enactment with, and it is not from a deficiency of trying.

"They proceed to strive to beryllium the champion they tin be, and the situation successful our crippled astatine the infinitesimal is to recognize that each infinitesimal matters. We person to ore for each 1 of the 80 minutes.

"Unfortunately, astatine the highest level successful the vigor of the moment, those moments and decisions spell against america and past we request resilience and perseverance. That continues to beryllium our challenge."