Posted by Having written a view from next door for each of Cymru’s three in-test windows; losses to Argentina and New Zealand, and the win over Japan, this time it doesn’t feel necessary to devote a whole blog to the out-of-window South Africa game.
Hosting the best-in-the-world Springboks without any of our players based outside of Wales went exactly how anyone who knows even the smallest amount about rugby union would expect. It was a total and utter bloodbath.
The away side were physical, dynamic, well-drilled and confident in everything they did despite being a makeshift 23 themselves with their overseas players, as well as a number still playing for South African clubs, not being available. In stark contrast the hosts were meek, borderline scared looking, clunky and noticeably nervy.
If we’re looking for any positives to cling on to then the rewarding of some players with debuts after good form for their clubs was pleasing to see, and Ellis Mee was probably the standout player having only come into the squad in the week prior to the game but continuing to show some green shoots of potential that had also been seen in the Six Nations.
That’s largely been the story of the Autumn for Cymru though, hunting for positives. The question then is whether there are any positives, or whether it’s just the desperate straw clutching of a nation now so devoid of hope that we will trick ourselves into thinking things are getting better when in reality this is the level the national team are at now.
Of course it remains true that this was the first window under Steve Tandy and that he is not a magician who can just transform a team fresh out of an 18-game losing streak into a competitive tier one outfit. It will take time to get his ideas across, for him to settle on key combinations and to adapt his tactical approach to the players available to him.
What he can do, and seemingly has done, is start to make changes to the environment around the national team camp. Despite the results and performance struggles, the players seem in genuinely better spirits than they did during the second stint of Warren Gatland, and it is with a better culture that Cymru will start to turn things around.
That allows structure to break out on the field. The attack in particular had a clear modus operandi of basic shape patterns and an aim to move the ball to width where possible, the defence was better organised on the inside and brought a level of line speed, and there was a lot of good maul work throughout the course of the Autumn.
Also impressive was the fire fighting done over the course of the three weeks as a seriously poor aerial display in week one against Los Pumas was rectified over the course of the campaign by some tweaks to back field coverage and better organisation of the chase when kicking. Nothing much could be done about the height of certain players though, unfortunately.
Ultimately though it’s a long-term project to turn this Cymru side around, and it’s a project where large parts of it are not even particularly in control of the national team coach. Tandy sits at the mercy of Dave Reddin and the Welsh Rugby Union Executive as they continue to pump out papers related to different aspects of the professional club game without making any real meaningful impact in practice.
The real concern is that, no matter what the blazers on Westgate Street do, this whole thing may be beyond saving and the men-in-red consigned to the purgatory of Scotland-itis forever, stuck between being too good to drop to tier two but not good enough to regularly compete at the top of tier one.
Enough of that existential crisis for now though, and back to the short-term where Tandy can have some control over getting his backroom staff sorted. Having the likes of Dan Lydiate and Rhys Patchell join the camp is great for their personal development, but Cymru need a top ticket in charge.
The new Head Coach requires a Defence Coach to assist him in running the defence, a Scrum Coach and a Skills Coach in place for the Six Nations, all of whom have the experience of either successful club coaching or test roles elsewhere to rely on in rebuilding this squad.
If he gets that right, and the coaches make the most of the time they have with the national team prior to the Championship getting underway, then there’s a chance of two wins across February and March with the blues at home this year. Another winless year and a wooden spoon would be a disaster though, and raise questions about the progression even this early into Tandy’s reign.
A fun year awaits…
Cardiff Rugby Life 