Opinion: ‘Time to act’ for Wales after hitting new low in ‘train wreck’ Six Nations
Wales players looking on in their Six Nations clash with England
I might seem as English as David Beckham’s right boot, or David Beckham’s left boot for that matter, but I’ve got some proud Welsh roots within this shell of a double-barrel surnamed Englishman.
The descendent of a Welsh miner and rugby player, told to not sing Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau when England play Wales (I still mouth it for my Grandma’s memory) and whose Grandparents wrote the 2015 World Cup scoreline on a piece of paper and stapled it to our kitchen door, I’m proud to say I’m of Welsh heritage. Wales have always had a place in my heart.
There was no pride on Saturday, as they fell to their biggest-ever defeat to England.
What’s happening in Welsh rugby is a complete and utter farce right now, and if something drastic doesn’t change soon then I don’t even know what will happen.
Time to act
The only major positive to come out of this Wales Six Nations campaign is that it’s over – it’s been a complete train wreck from the get-go.
An opening day humiliation at the hands of France, followed by an Italian job so severe it led to the departure of Warren Gatland and Rob Howley.
The sudden, unexpected arrival of Cardiff head coach Matt Sherratt did bring a sense of hope. Inspired by – as Jac Morgan called it – a clear attacking plan, they pushed Ireland to the wire at the Principality and gave Scotland an almighty scare in round 5.
But, then everything turned sour as it if were milk left in a fridge after a power cut.
The build-up to the England clash was dominated by Welsh optimism and the sense of a crescendo that brought their worst losing run to an end. 2013 was mentioned, 2015 was brought up and even the lack of Six Nations victory over the old enemy since 2021 came up in discussion, but it proved worse than anyone would have thought.
A rampant England side mercilessly tore Wales apart at the Principality. Up front, England took them to the cleaners and the backline struggled to cope when Steve Borthwick’s side clicked into gear after a stop-start opening stanza.
Throughout the Championship, Wales conceded a whopping 195 points – an average of 39 points per game – while only scoring 76 of their own – an average of 15.2 per game.
Welsh rugby hit a new low, quite literally when it comes to the world rankings, but now is the time to act, for the sake of the game.
Matt Sherratt is headed back to Cardiff, with him not likely to come back to Vale after his one-word answer when asked if he wants it full-time, but that gives the WRU the perfect chance to find a quality replacement ahead of the Japan tour if they act quickly.
They have been linked with Michael Cheika, Pat Lam and Stuart Lancaster among others, but this is the sort of ambition they need to show to change the narrative surrounding the national side.
All three men would likely make a huge difference, given their experience of turning struggling teams into regular silverware contenders. Cheika took Leinster to European glory, the Wallabies to a World Cup final and has earned some strong plaudits for his work with Leicester.
Lam was the man to guide Bristol out of the Championship (twice) and has seen them lift the Challenge Cup and become regular features in the Premiership play-offs. Lancaster also took England over when they were at a low point after the 2011 World Cup, but successfully blooded in a crop of youngsters and regularly competed for the Six Nations title. It went south in 2015, but he’s again found a home in the club game and is touted as the man behind the Leinster juggernaut.
It might not be any of these coaches that take the top job, but it’s coaches with this sort of pedigree and reputation that Wales need to turn to if they want to put the national side back on track.
There is also the small matter of the Director of Rugby job, which there doesn’t seem to be as many leading candidates for given what the role has actually been presented as.
But, I feel it should be someone with a genuine love of Welsh rugby. A Ken Owens, Jamie Roberts or even Sam Warburton would really suit this role, and have their love of the game in Wales at their heart and therefore make decisions actually in the best interest of the game.
The only way, quite literally, is up for Wales now, but this post-Six Nations window is the perfect time to sort out all of the issues and build afresh. They have to act now if they want to fix the game.
🦁 Eddie Jones reveals the one Wales player who is a nailed-on starter for the British and Irish Lions.
Signs of hope?
As mentioned above, Wales can only go up from here, and they already seem to have a core group forming for the future.
Jac Morgan is head and shoulders Wales’ best player, and at only 25 he will only get better from here. Scary.
Morgan’s fellow Osprey, Dewi Lake, will also play a massive role for Wales moving forward. The hooker was a standout for his side throughout the autumn – despite the losses – and brings that brand of leadership and quality that any Test side would love to have.
Exeter’s Dafydd Jenkins is another whose stock rose massively this Championship despite the results. He’s another one that could easily be in this Welsh side for the next decade, with the lock still just 22 years old and is already proving to be an excellent Test player.
In the backline, Blair Murray cemented his place as Wales’ fullback this Six Nations. He just grew into the Championship as it went along, and will continue to get better with more exposure at this level. Ellis Mee and Tom Rogers will also likely be key men in this upcoming rebuild.
There’s no hiding it, Wales do need a clearout after a tough two years, but there already seem to be some growing shoots of green underneath the ashes of this Six Nations campaign.
Strengthening regions?
A way to boost the game in Wales is also the regions, and that already seems to be in motion.
While the Dragons currently languish at the bottom of the URC table, Ospreys, Scarlets and Cardiff are right in the mix for play-off spots heading into the final rounds of the season and we could very easily see at least one pushing for the final.
Around that, they have been making some statement moves for either the remainder of this year or next season.
Among others, Ospreys have signed Fijian skipper Waisea Nayacalevu from Sale Sharks, Scarlets have tempted Joe Hawkins back across the bridge from Exeter.
These signings are not only good in their own right, but they represent a statement of intent from the regions and hopefully the game in Wales.
I’m unapologetically English, but maybe, just maybe, I’ll start to sing Land of My Fathers rather than mouth it in the future.