Wales Walloped

Wales as expected lost heavily to the World Champions South Africa bringing a soul destroying Autumn Series to an end. The gulf between the two teams was cruelly exposed in a 12-45 loss with Wales shipping seven tries. There was not a phase of the game that the Boks did not boss as their powerful players out-muscled Wales. Things could have been a lot of worse if Wales had not given their all in defence and there must be some very sore bodies in the Welsh camp this morning. Botham, Morgan and Lake put in heroic shifts but at times the Springboks were just irresistible. The Springboks have brought the physicality of rugby to new levels but have also added a cutting edge that is supplied by their back three.

So where do Wales go now? That is twelve losses on the bounce and no real signs of the dire run ending.  Next up will be France away in the first match of the Six Nations’ Championship – a tough assignment if there ever was one. Then there are England and Ireland at home and Scotland and Italy away to follow. Having watched Italy ruffle the all Blacks’ feathers last night there is no “easy” fixture for Wales to target to end this losing sequence. Surely heads must roll but whose heads? The burning question of course is will Warren Gatland still be in charge? If he isn’t then who is? Whoever it is has a mammoth task ahead as they will have to turn a squad of young hopefuls into a competitive outfit in short order. Wales have the now infamous “black hole” in terms of big powerful specimens to contend with.

Congratulations to the Welsh Football team that are making positive progress under Bellamy despite not having a large pool of experienced top flight players to choose from. Maybe there are lessons to be learned from this.

Pontypool were due to resume their season with a match against Aberavon yesterday but storm Bert put paid to that. Next Saturday it will be Cardiff Rags away in a double header that sees the Dragons take on Cardiff afterwards. Hopefully we will see some truly competitive Welsh rugby matches as we try and forget about the national team’s trials and tribulations.

Come on Pooler!

Welsh Woes Continue

Well what can you say as a Welsh rugby fan? Eleven losses in a row speaks for itself and would try the patience of Job. The worst thing about it is the latest two losses to Fiji and Australia come as no great surprise with Wales plummeting down the world rankings like a lead balloon. At the heart of the two defeats was that we were outplayed and even the most one-eyed Welsh fan cannot say we were unlucky or blame the referee. Quite simply Wales are not good enough and a pale shadow of the team that performed well at the Rugby World Cup only just over a year ago.

There are many reasons by the catastrophic collapse. The mass retirements of our tried and tested core players has left a squad bereft of the battle-hardened warriors that are essential in today’s test rugby arena. The lack of truly competitive home-based professional rugby teams means the step up from regional to test rugby is too great for the most promising players. We are left with a team that is inexperienced and underpowered when trying to take on the behemoths that are to be found in virtually the opposition squads. Yes, Wales continue to show willingness and bravery but in the end the odds are stacked against them.

You can of course look at the management and coaching staff and wonder whether Gatland has been in the job too long. His record shows that he is a good coach but perhaps a new broom could make a difference. Whoever that may be would still be left with a small pool of players that is lacking in experience. Can these players step up to fill the boots of their illustrious predecessors? That remains to be seen. We do not help the Wales team’s cause by imposing the twenty five cap rule which prevents talented players who ply their trade in England and beyond from being selected.

You can blame the Welsh Rugby Union that seems to be making a hash of running Welsh rugby. Scandals and indecision abound around every turn with the only response seemingly to bring in more consultants who never seem to say anything new. As for so many professional sports, everything comes down to money in the end and Wales are short of it. Being on such a bad losing run means difficulty in filling the Principality Stadium for international matches and devalues the product that can be offered to TV etc. This creates a death spiral if we are not careful.

There are many people who would say this has been coming for years and that the signs were there for all to see. The community game has suffered with clubs going under and with too many matches postponed for lack of players. The professional game is not competitive with little to show with progression in the European competitions that are the benchmark. Little wonder then that in the end the performances in the test arena drop off. Is the country falling out of love with rugby?

On a personal basis, I still love watching Pontypool home and away and the Pooler Army is still supporting them in numbers. I have done this through thick and thin and will continue to do it. I watch players of no little talent giving their all for the jersey in competitive matches and that’s what makes the game so enjoyable. I have watched Wales home and away for fifty plus years but have to confess that the attraction is beginning to wane. High ticket prices, badly behaved fans and too much hassle with travelling combined with too many matches lost are making the product far less compelling. There is no sofa to hide behind when things start getting ugly on the pitch.

Welsh rugby has been in a trough before and has clambered out of it with the help of a good coach and talented players. This time we seem to be busy digging the trough deeper and deeper as we wait for what seems to be divine intervention. I fear it won’t come from consultants.

I wish I had a magic wand but I don’t but something needs to be done and quickly. A Hollywood star or two did it for Wrexham.  

Meanwhile next week Wales face South Africa the world champions with an even more powerful set of players. Good luck boys!