Brendan Gallagher’s verdict on Wales

And still Wales can’t make the breakthrough the nation demands and expects and their talent warrants. For all their excellence on the European scene – three Grand Slams and a Six Nations title in the last eight years – Wales continue to come up short when the tackle the big beasts from the south. It doesn’t make sense and it is becoming a massive hurdle which Welsh rugby needs to clear.
Three wins in the last 64 games against the SANZAR triumvirate since the end of the 1987 World Cup and just one win in 22 under Warren Gatland. That last statistic is really telling, shockingly bad all things considered.  Gatland has achieved great things with Wales in the Six Nations, Wasps in the Heineken Cup and the Lions in Australia. He is a man who knows how to win big games and down difficult opponents but again the magic was missing at the Millennium Stadium last night.
Wales might complain at one or two decisions yesterday and losing three players to injury was undoubtedly a blow but the three tries to nil try count does not lie. Scarily, Springboks skipper Jean de Villiers was not a happy man considering it an “iffy” performance from his team.
South Africa are beginning to set their stall very high indeed – they know better than most how quickly the All Blacks are developing and how they must match every stage of that development if they are to have realistic chances of winning the 2015 World Cup.
As for Wales, the challenge is clearly beginning to become mental. Objectively there is absolutely no reason why they shouldn’t start claiming big Southern Hemisphere scalps, and they know it which is the really irritating bit. In his pre-autumn press conferences skipper Sam Warburton was quite adamant that it was high time for Wales to mimic the England team circa 2000-2003 and start to beat South Africa, Australia and New Zealand with some regularity. If ever you are going to win a World Cup the likelihood is that you will have to beat at least two of those sides en route, probably all three.
Warburton always fronts up and didn’t hide his disappointment last night.  “There’s a massive amount of frustration. We didn’t win and that’s all that matters. There was belief that we could have won but it wasn’t to be. We were in control for 23 minutes of the second half and one loose pass and we were punished badly. Against the top sides you make a small mistake and you pay the price. We wanted to take that next step but they took their chances when they had to.
But still it’s a desert out there. Away wins after an exhausting nine month domestic season are always going to be few and far between but why don’t Wales perform better in the autumn when they should enjoy the considerable advantage of playing at home at the Millennium Stadium?
With one or two notable exceptions Wales consistently underperform in November, not least last season when the team that went on to win the Six Nations failed to record a win of any sorts and managed to lose to Samoa and Argentina, as well as Australia and New Zealand.
Are their preparations intrinsically wrong in some way?  While not wishing to heap blame on the regions, who cop most of the flak, does competing in the Rabo suitably prepare the Welsh international contingent for the demands ahead every November or are Wales turning up undercooked? It always strikes me that the four Heineken matches either side of Christmas – whether the Welsh teams are in contention for the quarter-finals or not – provide a much stronger run into the Six Nations.
Or, perhaps, their much-vaunted fitness, which seems to give them an edge in Europe, is less of a factor against equally fit SANZAR teams. It is something that Gatland and his backroom team are sure to be addressing because the longer the run continues the bigger the problem appears. It almost becomes a self fulfilling prophesy.
Of course if you are a glass half-full character there was still plenty to applaud from Wales last night. It was a brutal game of colossal physicality and most Welshmen were able to match their opponents whereas once they would have been blown away. Injuries to Adam Jones, Jonathan Davies and Liam Williams would test the resources of any team and Wales hung in there grimly. In fact, they did rather more than that, the first half was a cracker full of thrilling rugby, but did they ever really threaten a win? I don’t think so.
So what next? This appalling run simply cannot be allowed to continue. With the greatest of respect to both Tonga – Wales opponents on Friday night – and then the Pumas there is only one game that counts now for Wales this November and that is the meeting with Australia at the end of the month.
Everything must build towards that game now with a no-excuse mentality adopted.  The game against Australia assumes the importance of “must-win” World Cup final for Wales or else the lingering doubts will continue to grow. This boil needs lancing.