Autumn Internationals 2022

Do you know how many wins Wales have managed this calendar year? That's the reason Welsh fans are up in arms about the coach, the WRU, the URC, the structures and everything else inbetween.

Didnt it matter last weekend?

Wales are not developing many good players. You look at the u20's and they have been dire. Scotland have been dire at u20 level too.

The fans in Wales aren't supporting the regions. Whatever the problems are it's apparent that the union is not being managed well.

Wales have a good record at the world cup. Better than ours. But, Wales are poor, with the 6nations coming you'd wonder how they'll go? I think they'll be lucky to win 3 matches. I can't see them win the tournament and the pressure on Pivac must be huge.

Wales are running on fumes and the trend line for performance has been down for years. International results display that and those exceptional days when they win big and over perform are rarer and rarer. Every team goes through doldrums but the game itself is in real decline in Wales and eventually this will tell.

And I'm not sure that you can take anything from results. Some are close games but as we know in Ireland there is a big difference between winning close games and losing them. We were losing close games against France and against the ABs for many years, what I'd take a way from that is that you are losing close games and the rest of the time you're being well beaten. Getting from there to winning close games consistently and not losing badly when you lose is a fundamentally different place to be in sport. For a start teams going out onto the field with real confidence (rather than hope) that you can beat whoever the opposition is, not just on the day but on any day.

Wales' 1/4 win in the last WC was solely down to Vahaamahina doing Vahaamahina things. France were comfortably the better team up to that point.

We get shat on for our issues winning at the 1/4s, which in terms of failing to perform, I agree with. That said, the circumstances have all been unique to themselves. 2003, if Humphries DG goes over, we win the group and likely beat a **** Scotland in the 1/4s. 2007, nuff said.. 2011, Kidney fucked up selection against arguably the best Welsh team ever imo, and that was tight game that wasn't unwinnable for us. 2015 we got destroyed winning against France, and Joe messed up not starting Fitzgerald in the centre vs Argentina. 2019 was a definite black mark, 2007 esque bed ****.

Weren't Ireland already through at that point? So even down to 14 and losing that game we would still have been in the 1/4.

At the risk of being called biased... it's very clearly Johnny Sexton, or maybe Romain Ntamack.

It absolutely is not Finn Russell.

If Leinster play Racing in a knockout round I will be absolutely delighted to see Finn Russell starting at 10, as he remains an utter liability when the pressure comes on.

It still is Sexton.

Russell is brilliant! Or dour! Just doesn't be top level consistently. I worry about playing Scotland, on their day they are tough. Remember Hogg dropped the ball for a certain try not so long ago. They score that and who knows? We shouldn't take them lightly. With Russell they can be brilliant attacking. But Hastings could be their lad. I think he's a good player.

What would England gain? Those regions are poor sides and would clog up the bottom of the league. Welch finances aren't inspiring either! Low attendances and things not looking to improve. If the wru cut 2 teams and invested in 2, they would probably have 2 good sides! They can't sustain 4 regions.

Wales have foundational structural issues in their setup. From what I've read, the inability of the WRU to administrate the professional game separately from the amateur one is a huge one. Rugby in Wales is in serious danger of becoming non-viable imo.

Very insightful to think that the league which is falling apart at the seams, is being led by a recently promoted cheat, is hemorrhaging players and hasn't had a team in the last 4 of europe for the last 2 years wont be competitive either this year.