It’s the second year with Warren Gatland back in charge of Wales. Unlike Gatland’s first stint, which was ushered in by a 2008 Grand Slam, Wales did not so much roar as whimper in the 2023 Six Nations under the returning coach. Of course, this wasn’t Gatland’s fault — he came in to coach a Wales in turmoil with uncertain futures and no contracts for many players. And all was forgiven.
But this was a year ago. And, despite an unexpectedly good performance from Wales in the World Cup (no one thought they’d make it out of the pool stage), Wales are still in the same Six Nations position as last year — fifth.
Missing experience
Of course, part of the issue has nothing to do with Gatland’s selection. After the World Cup, many of Wales’ big names and experienced players retired. In very quick succession, Wales lost the powerhouses of Alun-Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric. Following that, fullbacks Leigh Halfpenny and Liam Williams moved to play for New Zealand and Japanese club teams respectively, thus putting them out of contention for Wales selection. The straw that broke the camel’s back was star fly-half, Dan Biggar, hanging up his boots for international games.
As such, it’s not so much a choice as a forced necessity to use young, inexperienced players. But is it all bad?
Positive signs from a fresh-faced side
Unsurprisingly, the answer is no. It’s not all bad at all. This young team is already showing signs of great promise even though they have lost both of their opening matches.
Against an experienced Scotland, the young Welsh side struggled to find their feet. The first half was a shambolic mishmash of poor passes and clear inexperience. This resulted in Scotland romping to a well-deserved 20-0 lead. As half-time rolled around, it looked somewhat hopeless for this brand-new Welsh team.
And the beginning of the second half didn’t look too much better. Scotland once again were first to score, increasing the lead to a seemingly unassailable 27-0. However, Gatland’s half-time speech must have done something, for the youngsters began to play. For the rest of the game, it was all Wales as they had nothing to lose, the final score, an impressive 27-26 to Scotland.
Though they left victors, breaking a 20-year losing streak in the Principality, it was Wales’ almost-comeback that had the pundits talking. So. while Scotland won, it was Wales walking away happier.
Two teams undergoing changes
The following week, Wales were in Twickenham to do the unthinkable — beat England at home, something Wales hasn’t done since 2015. Again, the young Welsh side came under a lot of pressure to perform. After all, this is the big game. Once again, it was not to be.
This time though, Wales came out of the blocks firing, controlling the game and going into half-time impressively 14-5 up on the hosts. However, similar to the week before, Wales really only played one half. The Welsh side allowed England back in the game, and, unable to score points in the second half, they ultimately lost 16-14 to their hosts.
Once again though, Welsh fans left happy. This was one of the most inexperienced sides Wales has fielded in years. And while they were up against another team in transition with many top players lost to injuries, and Farrell taking time off, England had far more experienced players still in the squad. Again, as with Scotland, there were more positive takeaways for the Welsh than the English.
Looking ahead
While this Six Nations might be essentially over for Wales if they’re aiming for the top spot, the tournament is far from over. Reigning champs Ireland are up next and an away game is unlikely to see Wales come out on top. But, the youngsters will get to test their metal against a powerful team to see what they can come up with.
Maybe it’s only going to be Italy that Wales can beat (there are likely to be some exciting betting bonus offers available on this game), but promising players are shaping up nicely. Across these two games, Tommy Reffell has proved himself a strong player. Similarly, the brand-new Cameron Winnett has managed to offset mistakes with a mature and level-headed game. Ioan Lloyd, thrown into the deep end as fly-half, has also managed to retain his composure throughout some rather pressurised games. As such, there are many rising stars and a lot of hope for this fully rebuilt Welsh team. If not this Six Nations, it’s only a matter of time.
