Former Wales and Lions centre Jamie Roberts has admitted he was "gutted" when he heard the news Rob Howley was being sent home amid allegations of a betting scandal.
The assistant coach to Warren Gatland left Wales' Rugby World Cup base this week to be replaced by Roberts' former Test team-mate Stephen Jones.
And while describing Howley's departure as "brutal", 94-times capped centre Roberts believes Wales must quickly draw a line under the headline-grabbing news to stand any chance of going deep into the knockout stages of the World Cup.
Writing his World Cup column for the Daily Telegraph, the 32-year-old Bath battering ram said: "It is far from ideal.
"I am sure Wales would have wanted to be in the headlines for the right reasons, and that had been the case up until Tuesday.
"Rob being sent home, pending a full investigation, is pretty brutal.
"Certainly as players and coaches, it is a big no-no to bet on rugby. You can bet on any other sport, but not the game you play.
"Rob was part of that coaching group who the players would have wanted to send off with the Webb Ellis Cup.
"I am gutted for him. He has been a huge figure in that coaching set-up over the past decade, is very knowledgeable about the game, and has brought some great attacking rugby to that side down the years.
"He has been a hugely important cog in the machine. It is frustrating on the eve of the tournament.
"But s**t happens. Warren will impress on the players that they have to galvanise and get their heads down, be mature about it and get on with it, while executing Rob’s plans as well as they can without him actually being there."
And on the arrival of Jones into the Welsh camp on Thursday, he added: "Stephen will come in with his own ideas and is a very experienced player and coach, but the role has come a few months sooner than he expected.
"Ultimately, the coaches are not out on the pitch and, if anything, it is up to the playing group now to take more responsibility, especially the senior backs such as Dan Biggar, Jonathan Davies and Leigh Halfpenny.
"No doubt, the lads will want to deliver for Gats in his last tournament with Wales, even more so after the past few days.
"On a personal note, he put that faith in me for a long time and I always wanted to repay him."
