Posted by What a difference a week makes! From the positivity of two (three, if you count that Barbarians fixture) wins in a row to the world ending as Cymru fall to defeat away to Argentina.
There’s nothing like the dramatic collapse of online Welsh fans as the men’s national team suffers defeat. All of a sudden Steve Tandy is not fit to be Head Coach, Matt Sherratt is stealing a living, Peter Murchie is a terrible appointment at Defence Coach and all the players are completely useless.
One particular account on Twitter embarked on a continuing 72-hour crusade to complain to anyone and everyone who would listen about Sam Costelow with a fervour matched only by an A-Level student struggling to get to grips with the UCAS process.
Perhaps the most bizarre thing about the fallout is that a loss away at Argentina is far from anything to be embarrassed or concerned about. It was a much improved Pumas side to that which lost to Scotland, closer to the selections that beat the All Blacks and were just two points off the Springboks as recently as last October.
It seems to need repeating but this Cymru side are on a huge rebuild. From a run of 21 test defeats in a row across 18 months, and back-to-back wooden spoons in the Six Nations, to having to appoint a whole new coaching ticket which is only just coming together and all against the backdrop of ongoing uncertainty over the future of the club game.
So let’s all relax a little bit!
It’s still perfectly reasonable to analyse some areas of the game which which weren’t quite up to scratch on the weekend. Murchie will be disappointed by the number of missed tackles and the crucial areas of the field they occurred in, while Cymru’s tactical kicking left plenty to be desired on a day where field position was very important.
The Pumas weren’t exactly wandering through huge gaps in the defensive line though, or the kicks weren’t bad choices, it is simply a case of execution which can be easily fixed. Aside from that there were undoubtedly positives and perhaps a peek inside how Tandy is going about this rebuild with a major focus on fundamentals.
What we’ve seen over the last two games has been real solidity around the scrum, lineout, maul, breakdown, pick-and-go, and aerial work. Against two large and physical packs we’ve gone toe-to-toe in the tight exchanges and even come out on top in some areas, as the maul tries, scrum penalties and jackal stats prove.
Especially when considering that the three first choice tightheads from the Six Nations are all either injured or unavailable, along with the first name on the teamsheet lock, and the bench tighthead was a debutant against Fiji, it’s a credit to the work done by Paul James, Dan Lydiate and Danny Wilson that Cymru have not been simply run over.
With the lack of training time as a full squad prior to the Nations Championship getting underway, as well as the even greater lack of training time between games as the Welsh squad traverse multiple continents, focusing on these foundations is a sensible decision from Tandy as the ultimate aim continues to be preparation for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
The moment for expanding the attacking game and working on counter attacking will come in time, but it is pointless in running before we can walk by building an attack without the stable base of a set piece and a competent pack. A lengthy pre-RWC training camp next summer will be perfect for that offensive development.
Up next is the ultimate test for just how much those fundamentals have improved though with a trip to Durban to face the reigning world champions South Africa. Even without some of their biggest stars it will be a huge challenge for the scrum, maul and physicality in the tight areas to go up against a formidable pack like that.
Should there be any sense of anything near parity it would be a huge tick in the box for the stepping stones that Tandy & co are laying, but if not then perhaps us Welsh fans could avoid going full hysteria for one week.
The Springboks are the best in the world for a reason, and we’re not at that level yet!
Cardiff Rugby Life 