Wales assistant Rob Howley described Warren Gatland as the "world's best coach" and insists the under-fire boss is going nowhere.

Wales have lost each of their last 11 Test matches, their longest ever run in men’s rugby, overtaking a 10-game stretch between November 2002 and August 2003.

Their most recent defeat came by 32 points (20-52 v Australia), their heaviest loss since a 36-point thrashing at home to South Africa in August last year (16-52).

And it is not going to get any easier with world champions South Africa the visitors to the Principality Stadium on Saturday for Wales' Autumn Nations Series finale.

South Africa have emerged victorious in six of their last seven Tests against Wales (L1) and have also won each of their last three games against Wales by margins of 16+ points.

Another triumph would see Wales going the calendar year without winning a Test, which has not happened since 1937, though Howley has no doubt that Wales are in safe hands.

"We've got the best coach in the world who has had a legacy of more than 13 years," said Howley.

"He's won Grand Slams and there is no better coach to have in your camp than Warren. He gives players the confidence and self-belief they need to go out and play."

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

This time around, amid far more challenging circumstances and attempting to mould a new squad, Wales have won just six out of his 23 Tests at the helm.

Wales have also won just one of their last 11 Test matches at the Principality Stadium, last winning in Cardiff against Argentina in November 2023. 

Howley was asked if he would take an interim head coach job if Gatland departed, but responded defiantly by saying, "Warren Gatland won't leave".

Howley insists Gatland's experiences can help turn Wales around, saying: "Warren is a hugely respected coach and has coached over a number of years.

"His legacy with different teams is a winning legacy. At the moment, we are in this spell where we are losing.

"We at some point know we will win, and I hope it will be the next game on Saturday. I think at the moment we've got the best coach who has got years of experience.

"We've been in changing rooms where we've won and lost, Lions changing rooms going into the series at 1-1 with everything on the line.

"He understands rugby, and I believe Wales have got the best coach in the world to get us out of this."

Ioan Lloyd feels he has benefited from the presence of former international half-backs Neil Jenkins and Rob Howley in adapting to life as Wales’ number 10.

Lloyd helped orchestrate Wales’ thrilling fightback from 27-0 adrift in their opening Guinness Six Nations game against Scotland, after going on as replacement for an injured Sam Costelow.

His first Wales start then came in the fly-half role at Twickenham last weekend during a 16-14 defeat against England.

The 22-year-old’s impressive versatility has also seen him feature as a full-back, wing and centre during his club and regional career with Bristol and now the Scarlets.

But he admitted that fly-half was his preferred position and he was making the most of having ex-Wales pair Jenkins and Howley, who won almost 150 caps between them, as part of the national squad coaching staff.

“Neil Jenkins has talked a lot about speed into position – and Rob Howley has as well – and also speed from catch to whatever you are going to do, whether it is pass or kick,” Lloyd said.

“We’ve talked a lot through it and obviously I have got to see exactly what he (Jenkins) is talking about over the last couple of weeks. I think that little bit of a reminder has helped me a lot.

“I think the 10 position is one of the game-drivers, one of the main game-leaders, so that sort of pressure is expected.

“It is something that I have anticipated going into the 10 jersey. I think 10s everywhere will take a lot of scrutiny and probably not as much praise as they should in other aspects.

“I am just trying to put my best foot forward and execute my role within the team. There are a lot of learnings from the first two weekends.

“I try not to think about external factors too much, I just try and go out there and play rugby.

“I see myself as a fly-half. Obviously, any opportunity to pull on the red jersey – whether it’s at prop or fly-half – I will take it.”

With Costelow now fit again following a neck problem, it remains to be seen which direction Wales head coach Warren Gatland goes in for fly-half duty against runaway Six Nations title favourites Ireland on Saturday week.

And while Wales have lost their opening two Six Nations games – albeit by a combined margin of just three points – there were also plenty of positive signs from a new-look squad.

Lloyd added: “We talk a lot about playing heads-up rugby, the pictures in front of us and not being afraid to take the opportunities when they come.

“Obviously, there is a fine balance between that and taking risks.

“I think the stuff we tried at the weekend (at Twickenham) weren’t risks. We felt they were on and that is where the space was.

“Execution comes into that then and ours wasn’t good enough at times. I think that is something we can build on.

“There is a confidence around the place. We are a young team, but that doesn’t mean these games are throwaway games. We are still going into them expecting to win and a certain standard from each other.

“The experience isn’t necessarily there from all of us, but we have still got that confidence in training and games that we can execute. When we don’t, it is very disappointing.”

Former Wales assistant coach Rob Howley was banned from all rugby activities for breaching World Rugby’s anti-corruption and betting regulations, on this day in 2019.

Howley was banned for 18 months, with nine months suspended, after it emerged he had placed bets on matches involving Wales and two of their players.

It was found that, over a four-year period from November 2015 to September 2019, Howley placed 363 bets involving 1,163 rugby matches with three bookmakers through accounts held under his own name.

Of the bets, 24 involved Wales or were related to “connected events”, such as Six Nations games involving rival teams. On two occasions he bet on unnamed Wales players scoring tries.

Howley was sent home from Japan shortly before the 2019 World Cup began after the WRU became aware of possible wrongdoing.

The alarm was first raised when WRU policy and integrity manager Jeremy Rogers was contacted by an employee of Betway, who claimed that Howley had placed bets on Wales games.

It emerged that Howley gambled on a Wales player to be the first try-scorer in the 25-7 Six Nations victory over Ireland in March, but he stated that it was part of a treble that fell in line with his normal recreational betting activity. He also backed another player to score a try.

When the unnamed players were interviewed they denied any knowledge that the bets had been placed on them, with Howley supporting their testimony.

The WRU found that Howley made an overall loss of £4,000 during the time period under scrutiny and described his activity as a “hobby”, while adding that “we use the word hobby with some caution because it seems that a trigger for Mr Howley’s betting activity was a family tragedy involving the death of his sister”.

Howley returned to coaching with Canada after serving his ban and, in December, was appointed as technical coach with Wales ahead of the 2024 Six Nations.

Rob Howley has been appointed to Warren Gatland’s coaching staff for the Six Nations in his first involvement with Wales since being banned for breaching betting regulations.

Howley served as Wales’ attack coach from 2008 to 2019 in a golden era for the national side that featured four Championship titles, three of them Grand Slams.

The former Lions scrum-half was forced to step back from the game in the build up to the 2019 World Cup when his betting activity came to light, resulting in an 18-month ban from rugby, half of which was suspended.

Now he has returned to the fold as a ‘technical’ coach in a role that also sees him involved with the Wales Under-20 side ahead of their Six Nations.

“It feels to me like the time is right and I’m really looking forward to returning to the fold with Wales,” Howley said.

“I have a second opportunity to do a job I’ve dedicated my working life to and I’m grateful to everyone in Welsh rugby for their acceptance and their faith in me, it’s faith I intend to repay to the best of my ability.

“I have been through an extremely challenging time in my life. Speaking out and talking about it has enabled me to move forward.”

Jonathan Thomas’ departure as contact area coach created space in Gatland’s management team, allowing Howley to link up with fellow assistants Mike Forshaw, Jonathan Humphreys, Neil Jenkins and Alex King.

“Rob is one of the most successful and experienced Welsh coaches on the international arena at the moment,” Gatland said.

“When we lost Rob from Welsh rugby we lost a hugely significant amount of intellectual property, knowledge of the game in Wales and of the international scene.

“We are delighted that he will be joining the 2024 coaching team and it’s a major coup for Welsh rugby to have secured his services once again.”

Wales assistant coach Rob Howley was sent home from the World Cup in Japan on this day in 2019 after a breach of betting rules.

The then 48-year-old former Wales captain had been a part of Warren Gatland’s coaching team since 2008 and left Wales’ World Cup squad base in the southern Japanese city of Kitakyushu while an investigation into his betting activities took place.

The Welsh Rugby Union said at the time that Howley had “returned to Wales to assist with an investigation in relation to a potential breach of World Rugby regulation 6, specifically betting on rugby union”.

Howley was sent home six days before Wales’ opening World Cup game against Georgia, a fixture they went on to win 43-14.

In a statement, the WRU said: “The WRU can confirm that Rob Howley has returned to Wales to assist with an investigation in relation to a potential breach of World Rugby regulation 6, specifically betting on rugby union.

“The decision was taken to act immediately in light of recent information passed to the WRU.

“No further details can be provided at this stage as this would prejudice the investigation. If required, an independent panel will be appointed to hear the case.

“Rob has co-operated fully with our initial discussions, and we would ask that the media appreciate this is a difficult and personal matter for Rob and that his privacy is respected before an outcome is reached.

“Warren Gatland has consulted with senior players, and Stephen Jones will be arriving in Japan imminently to link up with the squad as attack coach.”

Following the investigation, Howley was banned from all involvement in rugby for 18 months, nine of which were suspended, with the ban being backdated from the date he returned home from the tournament.

It emerged that Howley was charged with making 364 bets on rugby union over a four-year period, with 24 on games connected to Wales including two upon Wales players scoring tries.

Howley placed a bet on a Wales player to be the first try-scorer in the 25-7 Six Nations victory over Ireland in March 2019, but Howley stated that it was part of a treble bet, adding that it was a part of his normal recreational betting activity.

However, he later admitted that he knew he could not bet on matches involving Wales and that it was a breach of World Rugby anti-corruption and betting regulations.

Following examination of Howley’s electronic devices, including his laptop and phone, “no material was discovered which incriminated Mr Howley to an extent greater than that which he had already admitted”.

Wales reached the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup before losing 19-16 to eventual champions South Africa.