Posted by Beggars should absolutely not be choosers, and therefore we as Cymru supporters should be pleased with Saturday’s win over Japan. It’s just, it did feel distinctly underwhelming!
Considering the run of form that the men’s national team has been on since the 2023 Rugby World Cup, the accompanying slide down the rankings and all the off-field shenanigans, getting any result is a positive.
Prior to this final part of the Nations Championship kicking off though there was a feeling from many, myself included, that this autumn window could be a bit of a turning point for Steve Tandy’s men. After the wins over Italy and Fiji earlier in the year, and having beaten Japan in each of the last two meetings, this was the time to pull away from that bottom tier of teams.
At times there were signs that was going to happen; Archie Griffin’s try was a great example of how we can physically dominate teams like Japan and play at tempo, Louis Rees-Zammit’s try was a great example of how well the backs can move the ball, and Josh Adams’ second try was a perfect example of how dangerous the men in red can be in transition.
Yet between those moments there were too many errors – with the ball turned over 14 times – and a lineout that only functioned at 69%. If you’re going to cede that much ball to a side like Japan that enjoy attacking at pace, taking advantage of broken play and happy to go through phases then you’re asking for trouble.
This is doubled down on by a Welsh defensive performance that seemed a bit flat. Dewi Lake spoke to S4C post-game about how the focus had been on a physical first hit in defence and then allowing a second defender to get to work either resulting in a dominant contact or a turnover, but that they were surprised by the Japanese ball carriers staying very low.
That could easily be rectified by a shift in focus to getting off the line quickly and putting pressure on the ball carrier before they’ve get their body position set and a few yards into their carry. Not something the players should be changing on-field necessarily, but a consideration for defence coach Pete Murchie. Cymru have been a blitz team for a long time, and with plenty of success.
The defence is not helped by the attack’s inability to hold on to the ball though, with some criticism aimed at Tomos Williams’ performance at scrum-half, as well as Steve Tandy’s reticence to replace him during games.
Tomos is undoubtedly the best Welsh scrum-half. He’s also the best player we have in the backs and second overall to Jac Morgan as the best all-round player in red. We saw close up at Cardiff for many years the individual quality he possesses, and that carried over to earning plaudits with Gloucester in the PREM and a British & Irish Lions tour selection.
Yet it does feel fair to say that we haven’t seen the best of the nine in a red jersey in the last year or so. In the eyes of this writer it’s almost as if he’s trying too hard. Trying to be the Welsh Antoine Dupont as the attacking focal point of the team but without the dominant pack in front of him and backs on the same wavelength outside of him.
Where this Cymru attack under Matt Sherratt is at the moment it just needs good, quick, consistent service from 9, to find it’s shape from there and make good decisions through the 10 and 12 channel to unleash the outside backs. If Tomos can focus on the fundamentals then the attack as a whole can build up with him and we can rediscover his x factor.
So we didn’t quite get the statement win that was hoped for, but it was still a win and there were flashes to take a lot of confidence from. With that in mind there’s no need to make any sort of fundamental changes to the side, outside of injuries. Perhaps swap the starting and replacement props but other than that some consistency is vital, especially in the three-quarter line.
New Zealand next up will be a huge test, but if Cymru can enjoy a fee hit and challenge them in the same way they did last year, then the confidence to take into the Australia game could be vitally important after the Wallabies looked comfortably off the pace against England at Twickenham on Sunday and could find themselves in trouble against Scotland this weekend.
Still plenty of time to make this November a very successful one for Steve Tandy & co.
