2011 SIX NATIONS: SCOTLAND v WALES
Venue: Murrayfield Stadium Date: Saturday, 12 February Kick-off: 1700 GMT
Coverage: Watch live on BBC One from 1635, and on the Red Button and online; listen on BBC Radio 5 live; live text commentary on BBC Sport website and mobiles. Also broadcast on BBC America.

Roger Lewis gave Warren Gatland a new contract in October 2010

Wales coach Warren Gatland has been reassured his job is safe after Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Roger Lewis insisted he does not face the sack.

Wales travel to Scotland on Saturday bidding to end an eight-match winless run following their opening Six Nations defeat to England in Cardiff on Friday.

Lewis said: "This is a time for cool heads and certainly not to chop heads.

"At the top of the WRU we believe we have the right people in place with the right skills and experiences."

Gatland, a Heineken Cup winner with London Wasps in 2004, inspired Wales to the 2008 Grand Slam in his first campaign as national team coach but current Welsh form is poor.

Wales have not tasted victory since their final Six Nations game of last season when Gatland's men beat Italy 33-10.

The 2011 Six Nations campaign starts the preparations for this autumn's Rugby World Cup and Wales do have an unfortunate habit of parting company with coaches in the build-up to international rugby's showpiece tournament.

And Gatland has come under increasing pressure since Wales' disappointing performance in their Six Nations curtain-raising 19-26 defeat by England at the Millennium Stadium on Friday.

No-one is making excuses, it is up to all of us in the WRU to front up to this together and move forward Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Roger Lewis

The WRU backed Gatland by handing him a four-year contract extension in October and Lewis is adamant the New Zealander should be given more time to stop one of the worst sequences of results in the country's history.

"Our coaching team know what is required to win Grand Slams and European Cups as well as how to face defeat," Lewis told the Daily Telegraph.

"To gain respect we first need self-respect and to do that we all need to take responsibility.

"No-one is making excuses, it is up to all of us in the WRU to front up to this together and move forward."

Gatland has admitted he expects the sack should he not guide Wales to the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.

And the New Zealander concedes he is under pressure after the England defeat.

"We are in a professional sport, and you've got to realise it is about performing and getting results," said.

"You've got to take the criticism on board.

"If anyone thinks that we don't look at all the options and don't work hard, then I will give you a good example from last week in terms of the frustration.

"We spent all last week with the forwards working around the fringes, watching [England fly-half] Toby Flood's right-foot step and getting someone to right-foot step, watching him.

"So the frustration is when he goes through two forwards with a right-foot step [for England's first try]. It's incredibly frustrating when you've worked hard all week.

"At the end of the day, we are ultimately responsible for those mistakes. Yes, we are under pressure to perform and get results - that's what professional sport is about.

"We are under a lot of pressure, aren't we?"

In the World Cup Wales share a tricky Pool D with Samoa, Namibia, 2007 World Cup nemesis Fiji and world champions South Africa when Gatland takes his team to his native New Zealand for September's showpiece.

Gatland has only won twice in his last 14 Wales internationals but signed a contract extension which would make the 47-year-old Welsh rugby's longest-serving national coach should he remain until 2015.

But WRU chief Lewis conceded Gatland has a release clause in his new and improved contract that he could leave his post as Wales coach should either party want a change with the next four years.

Meanwhile, former WRU group chief executive David Moffett has criticised the WRU and the four regions.

"Welsh rugby is losing its way yet again and there are various reasons for that and I'm afraid some people don't really see that including the people running Welsh rugby," said Moffett, who lives in New Zealand after heading the WRU between 2002 to 2005.

"I think it's sad a situation where they have won just two out of 14 Test matches. That might change but I don't see any real evidence that there can be a much of a turnaround in the foreseeable future.

"None of the Welsh regional teams are in the next round of the European Cup and I think after such a long period of regional rugby is something to be concerned about.

He said the public had not "bought into" regional rugby - a system he introduced.

"The idea of regional rugby was to reduce the number of professional teams from an unsustainable nine down to, originally it was five, and then it became four that could sustain excellence in Welsh rugby,

"For a short time they did that but the public have never bought into regional rugby and I think it's a shame. And I think it's largely because of the parochialism of the Welsh."

In response to Moffett's criticism, Nigel Davies, the Scarlets' coach said: "I don't know how close to he is to the game and where his views come from. I can only speak from what's happening down here and what we are trying to do.

"I'm very comfortable with how we are moving this regional game forward. I'm really comfortable that our supporters are backing what we are going.

"Our crowds are increasing and the atmosphere is getting better [at Parc y Scarlets].

"We have got something like eight internationals at the moment which we have supplied. A couple of years ago [that] was two or three, so in those terms we feel we are helping in the supply of Welsh internationals."

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