View from next door: France

Undoubtedly the worst thing about Cymru’s Friday night thrashing at the hands of France in Paris, amongst the many options to choose from, was the all too predictable nature of the performance and how it was met by general apathy from supporters now accustomed to it.

Well, except on Facebook where Welsh rugby fans in the comments section of WalesOnline posts are absolutely furious 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

How much can you analyse a 43-0 defeat? The attack was tepid at best, if it existed at all, the kicking game was underused and rarely in control, and while the defence was committed it was completely outmuscled. Overpowered and underskilled, it’s an uphill battle against a team as good as France who did not even have to go through the gears in order to cruise to a win.

In the hunt for positives it should be said that the set piece was solid, and above all, the application of the players cannot be questioned. The sheer effort to try and stay in the game was undeniable with the match stats underlining just how hard they were working to make the best of a bad situation. Ultimately though they are being let down by two things; the coaching and the state of game in Wales.

Starting with the short-term fix – the coaching is simply not good enough. Warren Gatland and Rob Howley are outdated and out-of-touch. Friday night’s attacking game plan and tactical approach was so simplistic and surface level, as well as being totally at odds with the relative strengths of the selected team, that it was borderline embarrassing to see.

Cymru cannot power through teams so we need some other form of attack. That requires a level of innovation to create attacking shapes that can shift the ball quickly from the point of contact, get runners hitting weak shoulders and show pictures to the defence that create indecision in the opposition. A smart kicking strategy dove-tailed into that provides field position to play from.

In defence we cannot prevent teams punching holes so instead should look to switch to an overtly turnover targeting strategy. We have back row jackal options galore in this country, as well as tight five forwards more than competent over the ball, so in order to prevent teams running over us or forcing the men in red into 200+ tackle games, trying to turn possession over quickly can keep us in games.

Gatland and Howley will not, or cannot, implement any sort of progressive game plan. There are coaches out there who can do so, and there’s no doubt in my mind that would improve the performances of the team and ultimately lead to better results. Whether Cymru do or don’t beat Italy on Saturday, it’s time to refresh the leadership of the men’s national team.

However, that would not be the golden ticket back to the top of the international game, because it is my view that no matter who was leading the team from the coaching box on Friday night that the Welsh side would have lost to Les Bleus.

There are plenty of talented players coming through the Academy systems in the country and through the Exiles programme, but those who end up inside the professional game in Wales are being let down badly by the Welsh Rugby Union’s mis-management. It has been the case for so many years, and as plenty of us warned, it is now coming home to roost.

The under-investment in the development pathways mean that those involved with running each Academy are working with at least one hand tied behind their back. In comparison to their opposition from particularly Ireland and England, and increasingly Scotland and Italy, the young Welshmen are not receiving the same level of skill and athletic development mix.

Then when they get to the senior professional level they are progressing into the first teams of clubs with some of the smallest playing budgets in European rugby. Gone are the days of quality overseas signings and experienced internationals guiding the next crop of players through the domestic game and into the national team.

Instead they quickly become key members of those squads, trying to turnaround the fortunes of teams that are stuck lingering in the lower reaches of the United Rugby Championship and hunting for a form of success in the Challenge Cup. It is a constant underdog fight, one that will not result in battling it out in play-offs or the Champions Cup, widening the gap between club rugby and the test level.

The top players that choose to leave Wales can experience that quality of rugby, but to do so cuts down the amount of contact time they have in national team camps and, should they end up switching over the Severn Bridge as teenagers, leave them susceptible to being poached by the English set up.

Given that investment and opportunity, the players currently being produced could make it to the very top. Some are doing so anyway with the possibility of two-to-five Welshmen going on a British & Irish Lions tour this summer, but on the whole Cymru’s men’s national team are being badly let down by a one-trick pony coaching ticket and a no-trick pony WRU leadership.

Addressing one or the other will lead to some improvement but until both of these fundamental problems in Welsh rugby are rectified then wooden spoon battles, not appearing on top 10 ranking lists and picking the bones out of heavy losses may well continue to be the norm.

Time has run out on preventing this reality, but it’s not too late to halt the slide before it falls totally off the edge of the cliff. There has to be hope that the blazers can turn this around, but it’s the hope that kills you.