Peter Jackson’s verdict: Time is running out for Wales to see the light

At the height of his power as the 20th century’s multiple inventor, Thomas Edison once revealed the motivational force behind his discoveries: “The most certain way to succeed is to try just one more time.”
There were times yesterday when Wales gave their shrinking followers every hope that, like Edison, they, too, were about to see the light. At fleeting intervals during a rip-roaring Test, they were within sight of making a discovery of their own, albeit a mundane one compared to the dazzling way Edison illuminated the world.
Instead of stopping their Southern Hemisphere rot, Wales fell short. Nobody ought to be the least bit surprised considering they have always fallen short in the ten matches against Australia since they last beat them.
Trying on such a painfully perennial scale is all very well but there will be those amongst the Red Dragon brotherhood this morning more inclined to subscribe to WC Fields’ take on recurring failure than Edison’s.
“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” the celebrated American actor-comedian said. “Then quit. There is no point being a damn fool about it.”
Almost 20,000 empty seats bore alarming testimony to the theory that an ominous number of Welsh fans have had enough of paying through the nose to see the same old story. The WRU did its best to cover up the emptiness by draping an outsized Welsh flag across the entire area behind one goal.
Nobody knows precisely how many clubs marooned with tickets on a no-sale, no-return basis were forced into a firesale. Nor can anyone vouch for the legitimacy of claims on social media that the Union gave away free tickets to put bums on seats.
Flooding November with four Tests on four Saturdays, as Wales have done now for too long, has been too heavy a burden on the pockets of a largely working-class clientele. Losing autumn-in, autumn-out makes the burden heavier still. After 20 straight defeats against the world’s big three, this was supposed to be the day Wales delivered. Instead they ended up disproving the accepted theory that if you play a team often enough, you will eventually beat them.
This time was going to be different, at least according to a Welsh management claiming that their players in the Pro12 run only an average 55 metres a minute. They had upped the tempo to get them running 85 metres a minute, all designed to ensure they had the gas to ensure a winning finale.
No expense had been spared to provide Sam Warburton & Co with a suitably fast track, a brand new playing surface assembled at a cost of £3m and with enough twine, so the publicity blurb said, to wrap round the planet twice.
So how, after losing eight times to Australia by points margins of four, two, one, two, eight, six, three and nine did they lose this one by five? Because they missed a tackle in the 15th minute, two more in the 30th and threw an intercept pass in between. The cumulative damage added up to more than 21 points.
Leigh Halfpenny’s bravery, this time in diving on Bernard Foley’s grubber, hurt Wales infinitely more than Tevita Kuridrani’s blast through the Welsh midfield for his try fewer than 60 seconds later.
The full back’s concussion forced Wales to reshape their back division – Liam Williams from wing to No.15, Cory Allen’s introduction into midfield and George North‘s redeployment to the wing. The shuffle spared the Wallabies from being split asunder by the fearsome Lion as they had been for the second Welsh try.
For all that, Wales led after three minutes and again 70 minutes later. They also came from behind three times only for the Wallabies to trump them, as they always do, by taking the lead for the fourth and decisive time.
Seven whole minutes gave them ample time for the last word had they not been undone by a technical indiscipline born of their desperation. Of all the turnovers none was more critical than the one coughed in those final frantic minutes.
As soon as Matt Hodgson snaffled possession at the expense of substitute tighthead Rhodri Jones, all realistic hope had evaporated. Foley, imperious in his control at stand-off, nailed two late goals and Wales, having emptied their bench, found themselves stuck in familiar territory.
It left them with little option but to talk about the dreaded ‘positives’ and promise, as usual, that it will be better next time. They have played worse and won but the facts are unavoidable – 21 consecutive defeats against the big three and counting.
Maybe what Wales need now is a little inspiration from a man who by his own admission has “never been afraid to fail” – Michael Jordan. As the basketball superstar is fond of saying: “If you run into a wall, don’t turn round and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it or work around it.”
They had better find a way in the ten months before their next match against Australia, at Twickenham in the World Cup. Another failure then, to follow Mr Edison’s edict, and the lights really will have gone out.