Wales suffered a discouraging 24-45 loss to France on Sunday, requiring setting up a bold front for the match against Italy to avoid finishing last in the Six Nations. With the known weaknesses of the French squad, fans have questioned the choices of Warren Gatland. Let us divert a bit; you can check out exclusive content for competitive gaming here.
Heavy Defeats Lead to Questioning of Gatland’s Selection and Tactics
Back to Wales, the last game witnessed the absence of established midfield duo George North and Nick Tompkins, and in their place were untested players. Also, the squad seemed very unprepared to tackle the effect that France’s powerful substitute bench would have on the game.
Ultimately, Wales caved in during the final quarter and conceded three tries without a single reply when both sides went head-to-head. Let’s look at the player performances according to the TRP reporter Tom Jeffreys
Highlights of the Players’ Performances
- Scrum Struggles: Coach Warren Gatland blamed the struggling scrum for the squad’s inability to take a lead. Meanwhile, Gareth Thomas got two penalties, one of which was for a head-on challenge, giving France points.
- Late Call-up Disappointment: The inclusion of Elliot Dee in the starting lineup was underwhelming, because while his lineout throwing was better than Elias’, the plan to exclude him from the beginning of the game is questionable considering the consistent lineouts of the squad.
- Young Player in the Den of Giants: Although Keiron Assiratti has an impressive record in this tournament, it was obvious he was overwhelmed by the appearance of the French squad. In 44 minutes, he only had three tackles with no carry, which shows an absence of impact.
- Brief Spark in the Squad: Without a doubt, Will Rowlands personifies the coach’s attempt to compete with France’s carriage and physicality. However, his efforts were not enough to launch a sustained comeback.
- Heroic Deeds: Making his professional debut at twenty-one, Dafydd Jenkins showed remarkable resilience under severe pressure. Despite leading a young team, his twenty-six tackles reflect a brave effort.
- Wales Best Player Takes the Center Stage Again: Tommy Refell demonstrated his exceptional performance with two more jackals, which added to his tournament tally of eight. Refell demonstrated improved all-round play with an effortless offloading and a powerful run leading to Joe Roberts’ try. Unfortunately, his injury-forced replacement in the 56th minute matched with Wale’s defeat.
- Missed Opportunities: Many professional players like Josh Adams and Aaron Wainwright were underwhelmed. Adams failed to make a remarkable impact throughout the tournament and Wainwright forfeited a potential scoring pass for Dyer.
- Imbalance on the Bench: The substitution in the team is incomparable to the physicality and experience of the French team. The decision not to preserve their more robust forwards for the later stages proved very costly.
- Selection Questions: Coach Gatland’s decision to remove experienced players like George North and Nick Tompkins has met with strong criticism, especially considering the struggles in the outside channels.
Final Thoughts
The defeat to French has undoubtedly exposed Wales’s vulnerabilities and brought up questions about the coach’s team selection and tactical choices. Critics believe that these issues must be addressed in the upcoming matches.
