Pivac threatens Wales players with the axe

Wales boss Wayne Pivac will adopt a zero-tolerance approach if any of his players breach strict Covid protocols during the autumn campaign.

Pivac’s 38-man Wales squad faces an intense period of six Tests in as many weeks, featuring a friendly against France, a rescheduled Guinness Six Nations appointment with Scotland and four Autumn Nations Cup games against opposition including England and Ireland.

The group will be in a ‘bubble’ environment at their usual training base in the Vale of Glamorgan, and Pivac has adopted a no-nonsense stance.

Asked what might happen in the event of any breach of protocols, he said: “There are examples of a couple of footballers. If that sort of thing happened in our environment, they will be released from the squad. It’s as simple as that.

“There is too much at stake, there is too much riding on this. We certainly won’t tolerate any individuals putting the team or competition at risk. We think our environment will be very tight and will certainly comply with all the areas that we have to comply with. It will be one of the best places to be, I can assure you of that," said Wales boss Pivac.

“It’s the discipline that we, as the leaders in the group, have to maintain and make sure that the education is in place. That has been in place and will continue to be in place. There are Zoom calls before the team comes into the camp, and then there will be Covid instructions throughout our time together.

“We will be very diligent in the way we operate and make sure we keep this thing at bay to ensure we’re able to fulfil our role within the tournament, and that is to front up and fulfil our fixtures.”