For someone who toiled watching them in the 90’s we are just in that fallow zone now. I was at Wembley 98 against France, and i didn’t see a change. The Henry years gave back some pride, and laid some building blocks, but the Gatland years were a freak of nature. He inherited a golden generation which are now all gone. It masked the cracks. Rugby is dying in Wales. As a stat, look at the crowd sizes for the Irish regional, English prem like Bath, Leicester, Harlequins etc. The WRU is the only thing propping our reg sides up. We will be like this for a long time now unless something dramatically changes. Be happy for the years we had, and just accept where we are. Compare 2021 to 1979 as a comparison.
Wales isn't set up to sustain 4 professional rugby sides. Loads more money in football, and that can only sustain 2 competitive sides (before Hollywood bought Wrexham) But there is no reason why we couldn't have a thriving club game or produce world-class players for the national side.
I'd regard two wins as an improvement but more than anything I want to see an improvement in the forwards especially the front row - good solid scrummaging, every lineout won and hard in at the mauls / rucks and getting about the field - I'd also love to see some decent back play ( not just hoofing the ball every five minutes ) - I'm hoping that Dan Edwards can bring this in. I'm a huge Gatland fan but some of this selection has me baffled
Hard question to answer! I don't think 'improvement' is the same thing as 'success'. Really can't bring myself to see one win in a 6N as a success for Wales as (especially if the win is against Italy) it's still pretty much a whitewash in old money and that was something that was very rare. That said I'm not really expecting improvement and can easily see us losing the lot so one win would be better than expected! Being properly competitive in every game I think is definitely too high a bar given where we are, but one win and seriously competitive in at least two others would be maybe OK. Barring something miraculous and well beyond that I think it's time for Gats to go after this tournament anyway. Agree that it seems very strange for Anscombe not to be in the squad, but I wouldn't really want him to be starting anyway as it's hard to see him being good enough at this stage to make a difference so probably better to look to the future. As you say it would surely be better for him to be involved to some extent though.
Yeah I agree with everything you’ve said Clyde On the Anscombe one I could accept him not playing as I think he’s past his best as you said. My worry is just having Edwards in there without anyone to lean on for advice who has experience in that position
Not sure if this is biased I think Matt Sherratt would be a good fit for wales as he’s managed to transform a team full of half decent players into 3rd place in the urc. Imagine what he could do with a stronger squad
@TheoJones-z8j probably be an unpopular view, but as a Cardiff supporter i don’t think we’re really meeting the potential of the current players. Our season is lopsided, I hope you’re right that Sherratt will get the results, but with the upcoming fixtures and our current performance I can see us dropping to 10th or lower.
I’m a big fan on Sherratt too but I feel he needs to prove himself longer at club level for a few years. I think he can get to that standard and I like his direction and how he seams to deal with the press ect but I just think it’s way to early
We've been unlucky because we've got the hardest game first, I've pretty much reached the point where I don't care about the results, it's about improvement in performance, because if these players had played to anywhere near their potential we might not have won any tournaments but we wouldn't be on this stupid long losing streak.
"Mae'r daith o'r mil milltir yn dechrau gyda'r cham sengl" ( a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step). Gobeithio byddwn ni'n chwarae'n na'r llynedd. Efallai na fyddwn ni ddim yn ennil y Chwe Gwlad, ond na fyddwn ni ddim yn cael y llwy bren, dw i'n siwr.🏴
I would take 2 wins right now - any 2 wins that would represent significant improvement and probably qualifies as a success 1 win probably more likely but can’t be deemed a success
Hi Christian, I know I said this last year, I'm going in positive, big call. The mere losses to Italy, England and Scotland all with in 4 points I think we can beat these three teams if only by a few points. I'm still gutted about Gareth Anscombe not picked and I don't see it as an age issue, Warren Gatland has picked Liam and Toby must be about the same age, look at two years ago Alun Wyn Jones was still in the team at 37 and Warren wanted him in the world cup by then Alun Wyn would have been 38 and would have been his 5th world cup, if your a good play no matter the age you should be picked even if your on the bench. I being brave 3 wins happy with 2, I would love 5 wins but now i'm dreaming. As always a great review, take care
Thanks mate. Some good points in there. Love your positivity mate. 3 wins would be amazing and if we get that I’m buying you a pint of Wrexham larger 🍻😂
Italy are better than us and the margin might surprise a few. Can't see a win. Gatland will be off, maybe even mid championship if it starts with 2 heavy defeats? All good fun eh?
Good commentary. I’m a Kiwi and have commented for sometime that it was not the right thing to do bringing Gatland back after he had a poor session back here with Waikato. I’m also not sure what has happened between him and Gareth Anscombe who I would still rate as a quality player and would fit well back here in NZL. Also it is important to always set goals that seem unattainable and there is no reason that Wales shouldn’t be able to beat Italy, England and Scotland this 6nations. Good luck boyo.
Christian i agree 2 wins would constitute progress but i wouldn’t really call that ‘success.’ But i’d definitely settle for 2 wins as it would mean we’ll have beaten at least one team that is considerably higher than us in the rankings. The biggest problem is that i genuinely don’t think the WRU have the money to get rid of gatland. It’s why he’s still there in my opinion. But he’s played his final hand for me with his 10 selections. If they fail to spark his failure to include anscombe for the exact reasons you mentioned will come back to haunt him. Cheers as always christian.
Yeah, I agree with everything you said as usual mate for me though the money issue is not an acceptable excuse if we have an underpass six Nations again. Having said that we know how much the WRU love an excuse (and an apology) 😂
Giving targets for such a small sample competition is probably not wise. Wales could play well, show cohesion, players Gatland picked could show what he saw in them, all whilst end up on 1 win and end up with the wooden spoon because another team implodes against Italy. Or Wales could be crap, show nothing but beat an over ambitious 14 man Italy with some dodgy decisions and have the same number of wins and avoiding the wooden spoon.
I think if he gets 1 win, they’ll give him a pass. For me, I think there has to be flexibility, performance has to factor in… for instance, say we beat Italy but they have a red and we get smashed the rest of the time - no, but if we smashed Italy, and are competitive (within 5) on others - maybe. 2 wins, I think we have to accept it’s enough to save his job, but success really starts at 3 wins.
- 60 min against France I expect. We’ll lose via subs, but I think put in a good effort. France always gives points away. -Italy’s game being 2nd will help us because you don’t lose the tournament in the 1st game. I think it also helps being in Italy, Italy struggle to get the crowd behind them because of their goldfish bowl stadium. Atmosphere gets lost. If we win it might gain us some momentum. - Ireland will lose, but the score should be closer than last years. At home. Plus Ireland has dropped off a little. - Scotland game will be physical. Anything can happen in that game. We could be thrashed or Scotland defence collapses. - England game will be physical. The game of the 6N for us. I think being at home will help again. If we’re bottom by this time we’ll likely lose. If we do alright by this stage will win. All comes down to where we sit in the table. If we had the squad we had back in 2019. These fixtures are perfect. I like the fixture list.
I think some people are going to be in for a big shock I think that we'll win more than 3 games , the difference from last year is we are starting to build competition for places players will be uping their game you mentioned Sam Pari if he has a good competition Dewi will has to pove himself to get his shirt back the same goes for Rio ,Cam and Max i know ben doesn't play 10 regularly but he does and is good there .
Sorry mate totally disagree what you are saying about Gatland. The group of players who are currrently playing for Wales are not as good as the ones who have recently retired. No coach in the world can turn the current group of players into world beaters. Stick with Gatland!
I agree with you Steve,we've lost a glutt of world class player's, those who got us grand slams,I think 3 in 12 years,Lee halfpenny,Biggar North,Webb,Jonathan Davies,Jamie Roberts,there's probably a good dozen that have left,,if they can get a win or two in this years 6 nations,then we're on the right tracks.
@@TheWelshSportsPodcast really don't have many players to experiment with just have to be patient, Gatland is a world class coach,which he proved in the past,you only have to look at the standard of players we've lost over the last few years.I think yhe 25 cap rule should be scrapped.
I agree with your thoughts. I don’t think just a win over Italy will be good enough. That is how Italy used to think, and they have never progressed beyond that. I do not understand Ben Thomas at 10. When Gatland praised him he was not referring to him at number 10. Last night I watched Cardiff and sadly I came away thinking, this is how Wales are. They have moments and individual performances but are not cohesive enough to threaten the opposition. Is that down to the players or coaches? For this squad to grow they need to start winning and if they don’t then I am afraid the coaches need to go.
Beating Italy in Rome and England at home I think we can walk away heads held high. I’d like to see them give Ireland a run for their money like they did last year up until 60 mins, I doubt it though 😂
I can't see us winning any games, sadly. Just dont think Gatland has what it takes in the modern game to succeed, a bit like Mourinho in football hes well past his best. I have seen no improvement in any sorts last year and he's left out 2 of our most inform players.
Simple answer to the question is one win against Italy, we should have enough good players to do the job, but there is without doubt problems in the Welsh camp, we could lose the lot if things turn inward, has Gatland lost the dressing room before we even start, some of the players left out just does not make any sense, so now we have new combinations to bed in, within the fire and fury of the six nations, we could come apart very quickly starting with France who will blow us off the park within 20 mins , unless we show some fight and some team spirt. I think this will be Gatland last hurrah with him moving into a WRU post after this tournament, I think the deal is already done, the winner of the six nations will have world class players know exactly how to play settled combinations,a belief in the coach and in each other, Wales have non of these ingredients, some classy players but nothing else.
It's performance by way of showing a developing style of play. A step away from depressed, headless chickens is needed and that is not measured by wins. Sorry, but I can't agree with your analysis.
Personally idon't see Wales wining any matches this 6ns again Even though the squad has more experience It still lacks QUALITY T.Fautau is not the player he was in years past and has shown NO FORM THIS YEAR AT ALL. L.Williams is still class but he is about the only recognised world class player in the back line and it.s very doubtful he will be playing in the 2027 RWC given his age In the forwards it is also pretty bad apart from the backrow [T.REFFELL.J.MORGON, A.WAINWRIGHT ] Wales also lack quality players and only have players with potential Even Italy [and every other squad ] now has players of PROVEN WORLD CLASS throughout the squad This is why i will be surprised if Wales win any matches this 6Ns
What's wrong with people, Gatland walked into a contractual dispute, not of his making, I was a mess, we had a fairly good world cup considering, last year's six nations flipped on a few results, could have beaten Scotland in the last minute, nearly pulled off a win in Twickenham, and sixty minutes of the French game we was very competitive, this with a very young team with a higher ceiling, Wales have have had a total rebuild,and Gatland stated he is building a team for the next ten years, I think he needs to freshen up the back room staff, and some different voices, our front row need to put in a shift in Paris,that's where I would be concentrating my efforts, if France come out of the blocks slow it may not be a hiding, Italy drew with them Ireland trounced them last year, if Wales only play like they did in the World cup, we will earn respect, remember when Wales knocked England out of their own WC, so expect the unexpected.😎
You must have a very short memory,or how about this,if you had your way,who would take their place,remember a good retired player doesn't make a good coach.
You're definitely more optimistic than I am. If Wales beat Italy, they've done OK.
Not sure I’m optimistic, maybe delusional😂
For someone who toiled watching them in the 90’s we are just in that fallow zone now. I was at Wembley 98 against France, and i didn’t see a change. The Henry years gave back some pride, and laid some building blocks, but the Gatland years were a freak of nature. He inherited a golden generation which are now all gone. It masked the cracks. Rugby is dying in Wales. As a stat, look at the crowd sizes for the Irish regional, English prem like Bath, Leicester, Harlequins etc. The WRU is the only thing propping our reg sides up. We will be like this for a long time now unless something dramatically changes.
Be happy for the years we had, and just accept where we are. Compare 2021 to 1979 as a comparison.
This comment was a very rough read 🥹🥹😂
Wales isn't set up to sustain 4 professional rugby sides. Loads more money in football, and that can only sustain 2 competitive sides (before Hollywood bought Wrexham) But there is no reason why we couldn't have a thriving club game or produce world-class players for the national side.
I'd regard two wins as an improvement but more than anything I want to see an improvement in the forwards especially the front row - good solid scrummaging, every lineout won and hard in at the mauls / rucks and getting about the field - I'd also love to see some decent back play ( not just hoofing the ball every five minutes ) - I'm hoping that Dan Edwards can bring this in. I'm a huge Gatland fan but some of this selection has me baffled
A win and being competitive.Frankly they are all better teams than us and Gatland is still experimenting
Hard question to answer!
I don't think 'improvement' is the same thing as 'success'. Really can't bring myself to see one win in a 6N as a success for Wales as (especially if the win is against Italy) it's still pretty much a whitewash in old money and that was something that was very rare. That said I'm not really expecting improvement and can easily see us losing the lot so one win would be better than expected!
Being properly competitive in every game I think is definitely too high a bar given where we are, but one win and seriously competitive in at least two others would be maybe OK. Barring something miraculous and well beyond that I think it's time for Gats to go after this tournament anyway.
Agree that it seems very strange for Anscombe not to be in the squad, but I wouldn't really want him to be starting anyway as it's hard to see him being good enough at this stage to make a difference so probably better to look to the future. As you say it would surely be better for him to be involved to some extent though.
Yeah I agree with everything you’ve said Clyde
On the Anscombe one I could accept him not playing as I think he’s past his best as you said. My worry is just having Edwards in there without anyone to lean on for advice who has experience in that position
Not sure if this is biased I think Matt Sherratt would be a good fit for wales as he’s managed to transform a team full of half decent players into 3rd place in the urc. Imagine what he could do with a stronger squad
@TheoJones-z8j probably be an unpopular view, but as a Cardiff supporter i don’t think we’re really meeting the potential of the current players.
Our season is lopsided, I hope you’re right that Sherratt will get the results, but with the upcoming fixtures and our current performance I can see us dropping to 10th or lower.
Cardiff still need to play Connacht, Leinster, Bennetton, Ospreys ,Stormers and Bulls AWAY from home. They''ll finish around mid-table.
Cardiff have had mostly easy games so far, their fixtures have flattered them.
I’m a big fan on Sherratt too but I feel he needs to prove himself longer at club level for a few years. I think he can get to that standard and I like his direction and how he seams to deal with the press ect but I just think it’s way to early
We've been unlucky because we've got the hardest game first, I've pretty much reached the point where I don't care about the results, it's about improvement in performance, because if these players had played to anywhere near their potential we might not have won any tournaments but we wouldn't be on this stupid long losing streak.
"Mae'r daith o'r mil milltir yn dechrau gyda'r cham sengl" ( a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step).
Gobeithio byddwn ni'n chwarae'n na'r llynedd. Efallai na fyddwn ni ddim yn ennil y Chwe Gwlad, ond na fyddwn ni ddim yn cael y llwy bren, dw i'n siwr.🏴
Mae'n rhaid cadw'r ffudd a gobeithio'r gorau ond Duw mae'n galetach nawr, bois bach
@yddraigoch Cytuno 100% . Dw i'n teimlo mwy gobeithiol eleni. Rhaid i ni'n cadw'r ffydd - ond roedd hi'n anodd iawn i wylio'r 6N 2024.... Iesu mawr !
Let’s just hope the boys can surprise us and get a few more wins than we are expecting
I would take 2 wins right now - any 2 wins that would represent significant improvement and probably qualifies as a success
1 win probably more likely but can’t be deemed a success
Yeah hard to argue with that tbh
Hi Christian, I know I said this last year, I'm going in positive, big call. The mere losses to Italy, England and Scotland all with in 4 points I think we can beat these three teams if only by a few points. I'm still gutted about Gareth Anscombe not picked and I don't see it as an age issue, Warren Gatland has picked Liam and Toby must be about the same age, look at two years ago Alun Wyn Jones was still in the team at 37 and Warren wanted him in the world cup by then Alun Wyn would have been 38 and would have been his 5th world cup, if your a good play no matter the age you should be picked even if your on the bench.
I being brave 3 wins happy with 2, I would love 5 wins but now i'm dreaming.
As always a great review, take care
Thanks mate. Some good points in there. Love your positivity mate. 3 wins would be amazing and if we get that I’m buying you a pint of Wrexham larger 🍻😂
Shaun I think Anscombe is injured,plus many of the player that still play or all getting on 30 years onwards.
@ Thanks Adrian, I didn't think about Gareth Andscombe injuries
@ Thank's Christian, I'll hold you to that mate, have a good one
Italy are better than us and the margin might surprise a few. Can't see a win. Gatland will be off, maybe even mid championship if it starts with 2 heavy defeats? All good fun eh?
I think they will grind through with Gats to the end no matter what happens and maybe cut the cord at the end. Agreed about Italy btw
Good commentary. I’m a Kiwi and have commented for sometime that it was not the right thing to do bringing Gatland back after he had a poor session back here with Waikato. I’m also not sure what has happened between him and Gareth Anscombe who I would still rate as a quality player and would fit well back here in NZL. Also it is important to always set goals that seem unattainable and there is no reason that Wales shouldn’t be able to beat Italy, England and Scotland this 6nations. Good luck boyo.
Push Gats upstairs and bring in a new head coach (Pat Lam) and coaching team.
Would love to have Pat lamb
Christian i agree 2 wins would constitute progress but i wouldn’t really call that ‘success.’ But i’d definitely settle for 2 wins as it would mean we’ll have beaten at least one team that is considerably higher than us in the rankings. The biggest problem is that i genuinely don’t think the WRU have the money to get rid of gatland. It’s why he’s still there in my opinion. But he’s played his final hand for me with his 10 selections. If they fail to spark his failure to include anscombe for the exact reasons you mentioned will come back to haunt him. Cheers as always christian.
Yeah, I agree with everything you said as usual mate for me though the money issue is not an acceptable excuse if we have an underpass six Nations again. Having said that we know how much the WRU love an excuse (and an apology) 😂
@@TheWelshSportsPodcast Ha haaa, you're not wrong! Cheers mate.
Giving targets for such a small sample competition is probably not wise. Wales could play well, show cohesion, players Gatland picked could show what he saw in them, all whilst end up on 1 win and end up with the wooden spoon because another team implodes against Italy.
Or Wales could be crap, show nothing but beat an over ambitious 14 man Italy with some dodgy decisions and have the same number of wins and avoiding the wooden spoon.
I think if he gets 1 win, they’ll give him a pass.
For me, I think there has to be flexibility, performance has to factor in… for instance, say we beat Italy but they have a red and we get smashed the rest of the time - no, but if we smashed Italy, and are competitive (within 5) on others - maybe.
2 wins, I think we have to accept it’s enough to save his job, but success really starts at 3 wins.
Yeah really good comment mate and I agree with everything you said 👍🏼
- 60 min against France I expect. We’ll lose via subs, but I think put in a good effort. France always gives points away.
-Italy’s game being 2nd will help us because you don’t lose the tournament in the 1st game. I think it also helps being in Italy, Italy struggle to get the crowd behind them because of their goldfish bowl stadium. Atmosphere gets lost. If we win it might gain us some momentum.
- Ireland will lose, but the score should be closer than last years. At home. Plus Ireland has dropped off a little.
- Scotland game will be physical. Anything can happen in that game. We could be thrashed or Scotland defence collapses.
- England game will be physical. The game of the 6N for us. I think being at home will help again. If we’re bottom by this time we’ll likely lose. If we do alright by this stage will win. All comes down to where we sit in the table.
If we had the squad we had back in 2019. These fixtures are perfect. I like the fixture list.
Avoid the spoon I think
The bare minimum for me yeah
I think some people are going to be in for a big shock I think that we'll win more than 3 games , the difference from last year is we are starting to build competition for places players will be uping their game you mentioned Sam Pari if he has a good competition Dewi will has to pove himself to get his shirt back the same goes for Rio ,Cam and Max i know ben doesn't play 10 regularly but he does and is good there .
I really hope so Ben. That would be amazing. I’m sick of making videos reviewing losses 🥹😂
Sorry mate totally disagree what you are saying about Gatland. The group of players who are currrently playing for Wales are not as good as the ones who have recently retired. No coach in the world can turn the current group of players into world beaters. Stick with Gatland!
Fair point Steve but 15+ losses is criminal and in my humble opinion the team is getting worse both as a group and individuals
I agree with you Steve,we've lost a glutt of world class player's, those who got us grand slams,I think 3 in 12 years,Lee halfpenny,Biggar North,Webb,Jonathan Davies,Jamie Roberts,there's probably a good dozen that have left,,if they can get a win or two in this years 6 nations,then we're on the right tracks.
@@TheWelshSportsPodcast12 loses in a row,you might not remember the mid eighties,but a similar time happened then,just have to be patient.
@@TheWelshSportsPodcast really don't have many players to experiment with just have to be patient, Gatland is a world class coach,which he proved in the past,you only have to look at the standard of players we've lost over the last few years.I think yhe 25 cap rule should be scrapped.
Cytuno !
I agree with your thoughts. I don’t think just a win over Italy will be good enough. That is how Italy used to think, and they have never progressed beyond that. I do not understand Ben Thomas at 10. When Gatland praised him he was not referring to him at number 10. Last night I watched Cardiff and sadly I came away thinking, this is how Wales are. They have moments and individual performances but are not cohesive enough to threaten the opposition. Is that down to the players or coaches? For this squad to grow they need to start winning and if they don’t then I am afraid the coaches need to go.
Beating Italy in Rome and England at home I think we can walk away heads held high. I’d like to see them give Ireland a run for their money like they did last year up until 60 mins, I doubt it though 😂
Yeah I’d be happy with that too. At least it’s something to build on then
I can't see us winning any games, sadly. Just dont think Gatland has what it takes in the modern game to succeed, a bit like Mourinho in football hes well past his best. I have seen no improvement in any sorts last year and he's left out 2 of our most inform players.
Simple answer to the question is one win against Italy, we should have enough good players to do the job, but there is without doubt problems in the Welsh camp, we could lose the lot if things turn inward, has Gatland lost the dressing room before we even start, some of the players left out just does not make any sense, so now we have new combinations to bed in, within the fire and fury of the six nations, we could come apart very quickly starting with France who will blow us off the park within 20 mins , unless we show some fight and some team spirt.
I think this will be Gatland last hurrah with him moving into a WRU post after this tournament, I think the deal is already done, the winner of the six nations will have world class players know exactly how to play settled combinations,a belief in the coach and in each other, Wales have non of these ingredients, some classy players but nothing else.
Yeah spot on as always Clive. I’m starting to wonder if the players he left out our ones that I’ve criticised him in this review 🤔
haha its like the 90s..... just beat England... we all good.
I would take that at this point 😂 Sad isn’t it 🤦♂️
1 Win , end the losing streak, It’s probably going to be a wooden spoon 🙁🏴😘
I hope so mate. Can’t take it anymore 😂
All this negativity,yes we'll struggle,as a welshman I never give up supporting my country in all sports.
Its heartbreaking whats happened to Welsh rugby
It's performance by way of showing a developing style of play. A step away from depressed, headless chickens is needed and that is not measured by wins. Sorry, but I can't agree with your analysis.
Personally idon't see Wales wining any matches this 6ns again Even though the squad has more experience It still lacks QUALITY T.Fautau is not the player he was in years past and has shown NO FORM THIS YEAR AT ALL. L.Williams is still class but he is about the only recognised world class player in the back line and it.s very doubtful he will be playing in the 2027 RWC given his age In the forwards it is also pretty bad apart from the backrow [T.REFFELL.J.MORGON, A.WAINWRIGHT ] Wales also lack quality players and only have players with potential Even Italy [and every other squad ] now has players of PROVEN WORLD CLASS throughout the squad This is why i will be surprised if Wales win any matches this 6Ns
Yeah I’m worried about getting no wins. I think Josh Adams and Daff Jenkins are good players who will improve the squad but not sure it will be enough
What's wrong with people, Gatland walked into a contractual dispute, not of his making, I was a mess, we had a fairly good world cup considering, last year's six nations flipped on a few results, could have beaten Scotland in the last minute, nearly pulled off a win in Twickenham, and sixty minutes of the French game we was very competitive, this with a very young team with a higher ceiling, Wales have have had a total rebuild,and Gatland stated he is building a team for the next ten years, I think he needs to freshen up the back room staff, and some different voices, our front row need to put in a shift in Paris,that's where I would be concentrating my efforts, if France come out of the blocks slow it may not be a hiding, Italy drew with them Ireland trounced them last year, if Wales only play like they did in the World cup, we will earn respect, remember when Wales knocked England out of their own WC, so expect the unexpected.😎
sorry, but i want us to lose all games so Gatland and his crew will 100% go!
😬😬😬
You must have a very short memory,or how about this,if you had your way,who would take their place,remember a good retired player doesn't make a good coach.
@ so, if we lose all 5 games: we would of lost 14 from the last 15 6N games . Not ONE sensible person would then back Gatland.
@@hyllaf or the WR ffycin U - they have been the main protagonists of our demise ...... for decades.