Wayne Pivac is set for the axe as Wales line up a sensational return for former coach Warren Gatland

Firing Wayne Pivac and replacing him with Warren Gatland would cost at least £1 million, but that seems increasingly to be the direction the Welsh Rugby Union will take.

There is a growing expectation in Welsh rugby circles that Pivac’s reign as head coach will come to an end this week after presiding over a year in which he managed just three wins.

Gatland, who was Wales boss between 2007 and 2019 before making way for Pivac, is the prime candidate to make a sensational return if the terms of a deal can be agreed.

The Welsh Rugby Union is expected to sack coach Wayne Pivac despite costing £1 million

The future of Pivac will be one of the main topics of conversation at a WRU board meeting on Monday, where the first point of order will be the appointment of a new chairman.

Should WRU CEO Steve Phillips decide to replace Pivac after a horrendous 12 months that included humiliating defeats by Italy and Georgia, there would be a significant cost involved. Pivac’s contract runs until after next year’s World Cup in France, so removing him, as well as potential members of his backroom team, wouldn’t be cheap.

Neither does Gatland, who would likely want to sign new assistant coaches himself if he took the role.

Warren Gatland is the man who could replace Pivac as the new boss of the Welsh rugby team

But Sports mail understands that while paying something close to £1 million is far from an ideal scenario for the WRU, there is a growing sense that it is time for action.

The WRU confirmed on Sunday evening that it will conduct a pre-planned and regular post-fall review.

Should Gatland be appointed, it would be a short-term deal through to next year’s World Cup. Wales throwing away a 21-point lead in the final 23 minutes of Saturday’s encounter with Australia saw them somehow snatch defeat away from victory against an injury-plagued Wallaby outfit.

The Pivac side had played their best rugby of the autumn, leading 34-13 before imploding after losing captain Justin Tipuric and Ryan Elias to yellow cards. It will probably cost Pivac his job.

Wales have had a disappointing 2022, having tasted victory just three times

“Without respect for Georgia, who are a growing force in the world game, this result was extremely disappointing,” Phillips said. “We expected a significant improvement against Australia and there was clearly a positive response. But again, of course we are disappointed that we didn’t win that game. We will now look at the campaign in its entirety, as we always do.

“After completing this assessment, we will act on the outcome as we continue to work towards the now short-term goal of success at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.”

Gatland is the only real contender who would be available to answer Wales’ SOS. Another New Zealander in Scott Robertson, La Rochelle’s former Irish fly-half Ronan O’Gara and Leicester Premiership winner Steve Borthwick are all admired by Test Rugby’s leading nations.

The Georgia players celebrate beating Wales in another defeat to Pivac’s Wales last weekend

But that trio are also all shortlisted to succeed Eddie Jones as England boss and are not believed to be interested in a short-term role at Wales. Either way, Phillips knows he has to act.

While sticking to his job, Pivac abandoned a planned mission to France on Sunday carrying members of his coaching ticket for what had been a planned reconnaissance mission ahead of next year’s 2023 World Cup. Pivac has remained in Wales to ensure that the assessment process can start.

However, the reality is that it is unlikely that he will still be in the lead by the time the tournament starts.

Gatland was boss of the Wales national side from 2007 to 2019 and could return

Wales know they need to find a possible replacement for Pivac quickly. A subcommittee of the WRU board met last week to discuss the position of the national coach.

Rob Howley and Steve Tandy have been linked with possible assistant coaching roles alongside Gatland should he return to the top job of Welsh rugby.

But with Tandy now employed by Scotland and doing well as a defensive coach, it is clear he will likely continue to be part of Gregor Townsend’s line-up.

Gatland and Tandy teamed up on the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa, but the Scottish Rugby Union are not willing to part with one of their prized donkeys.