Posted by There are a number of topics that Louis Theroux could cover across Welsh Rugby Union; the sexism and racism in the corridors of power, trying to resolve the professional game, the attitudes behind supporters making the Principality Stadium the “world’s largest pub”, among others.
One element I’d be most fascinated in though would be the cult of Warren Gatland. A small but vocal group of fans who seem to think the sun doth shine out of the New Zealander’s backside.
Cymru’s former Head Coach is a legend in this country for the work done in his first stint in charge of the national side. It brought incredible success in the form of grand slams, Rugby World Cup semi-finals and Six Nations titles, shaping a golden generation of players into the best team in the world at one point.
He wasn’t flawless; his record against the southern hemisphere big three left plenty to be desired, there’s a question mark over whether winning the RWC was ever achievable with the attritional style of play, and his drive to fully focus resource on the national team at the expense of the club game contributed to the current mess we find ourselves in.
That final point should have the blame mostly laid at the feet of weak WRU leadership though.
Nevertheless to take a country the size of Cymru and with the relative lack of resource in comparison to the likes of England, France and South Africa in particular, as well as Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, to the very top of the sport is remarkable work.
Gatland was very much of his time, however. Think Jose Mourinho in football. Great coaches who had great success in specific eras of their respective sports, but once those sports began to tactically evolve into the next era they were left behind. In Rhys Carre we see a physical embodiment of that from a rugby perspective.
Rewind just under three years and the then Cardiff loosehead prop was departing Cymru’s 2023 RWC training squad for “failing to meet individual performance targets”. Essentially he wasn’t fit enough for Gatland’s liking, despite making 15 starts for his club that season with an average of 62 minutes played and 80-minute shifts against Munster and Ospreys.
The following season was much the same with 13 starts averaging 59 minutes, and across the two campaigns he scored 12 tries to underline his ball carrying prowess. Unfortunately for the Blue & Blacks, with international honours not on the cards, he would choose to head to Saracens in the summer of 2024.
Now to the present and Carre is back in the Cymru fold. Steve Tandy has recalled the loosehead who is still well over 130kg, but gone is the outdated focus on fitness targets and body composition, and in is an understanding of building a game plan around the strengths of the player pool. What do we need? Solid scrummaging, physical defence and huge ball carrying.
The just turned 28-year-old ticks all those boxes and, contrary to the belief of the Gatland cult that the snub and subsequent move back to North London somehow sparked these run of performances, those of us who have watched the former Corpus Christi pupil for many years know that he always had this in his locker, it just needed the right national team coach to unlock it.
Tandy, ably assisted by Matt Sherratt and Danny Wilson, appears to be the coach who can do that not just for Carre but for a number of players in this Cymru squad, on the basis of the last three rounds of Guinness Six Nations action. With a bit of luck along the way, as injuries have forced alterations, he is shaping a playing group that has a great mix of attributes.
Ben Carter has been an excellent addition to the engine room bringing a new level of mobility and dynamism, James Botham and Alex Mann have provided a balance to the back row around their physicality, athleticism and skill levels, and Eddie James’ influence on the midfield gain line increases week-on-week.
That leads to the kind of performance we saw against Ireland where Cymru can front up physically for long periods, gain parity – and as the steam coming out of Tadhg Furlong’s ears proved – get on top in parts at the set piece, and display some cutting edge in attack to put ourselves in positions where winning in Dublin does not seem like such an impossible task.
Of course after so long dwelling in the doldrums not every aspect of the game is going to be perfect and there’s areas to improve on. Understandably the attack is set up to try and retain possession for periods rather than always looking to score tries, which will hopefully evolve over time, while the team shape to receive and chase kicks is still lacking some organisation.
It was another step in the right direction at the Aviva Stadium though, after the previous steps taken from France after England, and Scotland after France. There is no doubt that this Cymru side are better now than they were at the end of January, and that is all you can ask of the players and the coaching staff.
There may well be a feeling from some quarters that the next step needs to be a win over Italy on Super Saturday, which is understandable to a degree. Tandy’s side have been in a position to secure wins over the Scots and the Irish in the final quarter of each game but just not quite been at the level to get over the line.
A win would be a huge moment for Cymru, no question about that. It would undoubtedly mean a successful Six Nations and a huge springboard to kick on into the new Nations Championship, but it should also not be underestimated that the step from being relatively competitive to actually winning a test match is a big one. More of a leap, if you will.
Especially when it’s only a few steps on from being at an 18-game losing streak rock bottom, and the fixture is against the best Italian side in history who are pushing for a third-place finish and have just beaten England for the first time.
So while emerging victorious in Cardiff on Saturday would be a statement for this Cymru side, let’s continue to focus on progress first and foremost. Back up that defensive showing against Ireland, add some more layers to the attack and start to turn the tide aerially against a team with a good kick and kick chase.
Little by little!
Cardiff Rugby Life 