Wales Rugby Union is experiencing another extremely challenging time. With Warren Gatland’s side setting their longest losing streak record in test rugby this year.
We’re looking back over their 2024 as a rugby union side and what needs to improve for the upcoming Six Nations in the new year.
We’re looking back over their 2024 as a rugby union side and what needs to improve for the upcoming Six Nations in the new year.
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00:00Well, Charles, I know we mentioned Wales previously about their 11 game losing streak and it's
00:07only just gone and got worse for them under Warren Gatland. Of course, a head coach who
00:13once was revered in Wales given some of the achievements he brought to the nation as a
00:18rugby nation but now it just keeps going from bad to worse. A record extending 12th loss
00:25on the bounce against world champion South Africa. I mean obviously it's been a really
00:31poor Autumn Nations series for quite a few of the home nations to be honest but for Wales
00:36in particular it just keeps going from bad to worse. How do you sort of go about explaining
00:42that at the minute because you've clearly got a good head coach there who once or at
00:46least once was able to, as I mentioned before, bring some real moments of brilliance for
00:51Wales but now it just seems like a sinking ship. What is going wrong and what needs
00:57to change?
00:58Yeah, I mean there's a lot of divide at the moment whether Welsh fans are backing Warren
01:04Gatland anymore. At the end of the day, sport is a results game and stats back that up,
01:11records back that up and the record is that they have gone an entire year without a win
01:16for the first time since 1937. Now, that's unbelievable. That was never sort of dreamt
01:22of when they brought Gatland in and they thought it would bring a new sort of expression to
01:28Welsh rugby and try and dig them out of where they've been. They've been a nation who've
01:33had high hopes and just haven't quite gotten over the line. They've lost a lot of experience
01:38in the last few years and they've sort of hit a reset button with the number of caps
01:43given to younger players and there has been some positives for them which is really tough
01:49to look at but Welsh fans just need to understand there has been positives during Gatland's
01:55time. It just hasn't really come during the games which is very tough to take. At times
02:02there have been some fantastic call-ups and performances from a number of young players
02:07but I think it all sort of stems from the WRU, obviously the Welsh Rugby Union and where
02:13they are because they announced a loss in numbers this year and despite huge concerts
02:19hosted at the ground with Taylor Swift, for example, as well, amazing names who've come
02:25into Wales and performed and hopefully they were thinking that was going to get a boost
02:31for Welsh rugby. It's actually gone the other way. They've still announced a loss so I think
02:37it's possibly an issue that stems from top to bottom at Welsh rugby at the moment. It
02:42just showed that the golfing class between Wales and South Africa are obviously world
02:47champions. 2025 is the next time they'll play rugby now, early January in the Six Nations
02:54so they've got a lot to build up before then. Time's running out to get things right.