Wayne Pivac admitted indiscipline and a malfunctioning set piece cost Wales dearly as they lost their opening game of the Autumn Nations Cup against Ireland in Dublin.
The visitors suffered a sixth consecutive defeat after tries from Quinn Roux and James Lowe ensured Ireland began the new tournament with a comfortable 32-9 triumph.
Johnny Sexton also added eight points from the tee while Billy Burns and Conor Murray struck two penalties apiece, with Leigh Halfpenny scoring all of Wales’ points in response.
And Pivac was left to rue the high penalty count from his side.
“I’m obviously very disappointed with the first half in terms of our set piece,” he said.
“We weren’t able to build any pressure. There was malfunctioning at the lineout and there were infringements at the scrum, where we were on the receiving end.
“We were unable to really build anything, which was very similar to the first half in the Scottish game [in the Guinness Six Nations]. That was frustrating.
“The difference being, from a positive point of view, was that through all the territory and possession the Irish had [in the first half], only one try was scored.
“The defensive effort, the energy we were looking for was there. Unfortunately, when you are having to make that many tackles, it’s going to take its toll at some stage in the game.
“At half-time, we were going in there looking to eliminate mistakes in the second half and get our discipline under control because we’d conceded ten by half-time.
“It’s very hard to build momentum when that’s the case. That was the discussion and I felt that after half-time we were reasonably positive and we started to play some rugby once we held onto the ball and build some pressure.
“In the latter part of the second half, more of the first half crept in with the individual errors and unforced errors. It’s something we need to look at and address very quickly.”
Wales will now face Georgia next weekend in Llanelli as they look to end their losing streak, with Pivac set to make a host of changes to his side as planned before the tournament.
And while Pivac acknowledged that it has been a frustrating run of results for his team, he stressed the importance of patience from the Welsh public following the Warren Gatland era.
“We’re looking to change what we’ve done over 10 years and we’re trying to change mindsets,” explained Pivac. “It doesn’t happen overnight in my experience.
“It’s something that we will continue to work towards because we believe in it. The players are working very hard and from our point of view it’s about rolling up our sleeves on Monday.
“Obviously we’re concerned about any performance where we don’t get the result that we’re after and we’ve had a few on the bounce. From my point of view, it’s not about me.
“It’s about the team and making sure we give them the best preparation and the best opportunity to perform. Preparation has been good and we’re working very hard as a group.
“It’s taking time for us to click and eliminate the errors that are hampering us at the moment. They are things which are in our control and we have to make sure that we control them a lot better.”
