A host of issues has left the Welsh Rugby Union at a crossroads and needing drastic change in 2025
It was difficult to recall a more emotional press conference than the one Wales endured on Sunday after being defeated 52-20 by Australia. Dewi Lake has never hidden how important this is to him, so seeing the young captain sit silently as head coach Warren Gatland discussed his future was difficult to witness.
Wales is in a historical rut after 11 consecutive losses; they will meet world champions South Africa this weekend, and there is no easy answer for their troubles. But how did they arrive here?
Criticism directed against the Golden Generation
What appears to have wounded Gatland the most after defeats by Fiji and Australia in the last two weeks has been criticism from players who were vital during his first tenure, when Wales had so much success. On Sunday, Dan Biggar, Sam Warburton, and Jamie Roberts were on the TNT Sports post-match panel.
Roberts, speaking after the Fiji defeat, stated that Wales were in the worst position they had ever been in the professional era, and that he did not believe they had progressed since Gatland’s return. Last Monday, Gatland stated that he was aware that a few people had contacted Roberts to advise that his statements were inappropriate, to which Roberts answered on X: “No one has contacted me.” It was an unnecessary contact for Wales, but seeing Gatland clash with one of his world-class former players serves as a sobering reminder of how far Wales has fallen. Biggar was similarly candid on Sunday following Australia’s setback.
“Does a change in management suddenly turn [things] around and Wales are going to defeat South Africa next week and France in the first weekend [of the Six Nations]? The answer presently is probably no. But there must be a time when a change will not harm Wales,” Biggar told TNT.
Last year’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final versus Argentina featured 788 caps, including Liam Williams, George North, Josh Adams, Biggar, Gareth Davies, and Tomas Francis. None of those players played against Australia, and the total number of caps in the Wales XV on Sunday was 289. According to statistician Russ Petty, Biggar, Warburton, and Roberts combined for only nine fewer caps than Wales’ whole XV.
This is a dramatic reconstruction that will cause some suffering, as Wales has learned all too well. Former captain Warburton said, “Sometimes you have to look man for man while we’re playing. We have some fantastic young players, by the way, but do we have enough to sit at the top table of international rugby? No is a severe answer.
Conditioning and international players
Gatland used Sunday’s press conference to double down on some of his previous concerns surrounding access to Wales’ players situated in the four regions (Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys, and Scarlets).
The first was about conditioning, with Gatland claiming that his players were not as fit now as they were at the World Cup, when Wales won their group before losing to Argentina.
“I think having more control over the players would make a significant difference. If they could spend a little more time with us conditioning and bringing them to the level we believe will be beneficial, which we know we can achieve during World Cup campaigns when we’re together for three or four months. I’m not sure if that will be implemented, but it would be beneficial.
Another concern he noted was the number of overseas players recruited by Welsh regions, which now has 23 non-qualified players, 13 of whom play in the pack.
“I’ve been very clear about the quantity of non-Welsh eligible players and whether we can lower them. “I’m a big believer in them, but let’s get real world-class quality,” Gatland said Sunday. Given the regions’ £4.5 million salary ceiling, which is far lower than the Gallagher Premiership and Top 14, getting world-class overseas players will always be a challenge, with Gatland concerned that avenues are being blocked by non-qualified players of insufficient quality.
Finances
The Welsh Rugby Union issued numbers in June estimating a £29 million financial gap over the next five years, which equates to a £1.45 million funding imbalance per regional side each year. In addition, the WRU reported £14 million in pre-tax losses for the fiscal year 2022-23.
The amount of empty seats at the Principality Stadium on Sunday was revealing, with a crowd of 56,188, which was significantly lower than the capacity of 74,500. In reality, more fans (61,587) attended the game versus Fiji the previous Sunday because tickets were less expensive.
Those unsold tickets represent a loss of important cash for the WRU to reinvest in the national game, and Wales’ losing streak with a youthful team and fewer big names clearly does not help promote the games as an attraction.
Women’s controversy.
While doubt surrounds Gatland’s future, the WRU has been working to improve its public image after being caught up in a new sexism storm on the eve of the autumn internationals.
WRU officials apologised for serious failings in how they handled a contract stand-off with their women’s team, after Telegraph Sport revealed the organisation was prepared to forfeit the team’s place at next year’s World Cup in England if players did not sign new contracts. A study of the contracting procedure, which the WRU claimed was “reputationally damaging” but not sexist, is expected to be published later this month. Nonetheless, it has compelled the WRU to engage in damage limitation exercises.
Women’s head coach Ioan Cunningham was the first casualty of the contracting fiasco, resigning his position by mutual consent, while Vodafone, the WRU’s largest sponsor, expressed its own reservations about the debacle last week.
With so much focus on Gatland’s future, and knowing how deep his love of the game runs, you wonder whether he’ll slither sideways and take the vacant women’s position.
It may sound like a weird idea, but a growing number of well-known men’s coaches are venturing into the women’s game. Gatland has already expressed his respect for his close friend Wayne Smith, the former All Blacks assistant who led New Zealand’s women to World Cup success in 2022.
What’s there to lose after such a terrible year? Things for Wales’ men’s and women’s teams can’t get any worse.
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