Wales have experienced one of their worst years Rugby-wise, in their history. As the next time they set out to play is the Six Nations early next year, what are their expectations are for the highly anticipated tournament and how they look to turn their fortunes around.
Category
đ„
SportsTranscript
00:00James, looking at Welsh rugby and obviously an incredibly upsetting and disappointing
00:08year 2024 with the test record broken by this group of players where they had 13 consecutive
00:16losses. The first time they've actually gone a calendar year as well, losing every
00:21game since 1937. And in 1937, they actually only played a handful of games. So obviously,
00:28it's really damning for Welsh rugby this year. And, you know, it's become a sort of
00:33place where, even at Cardiff, where that was their sort of, you know, extra man. And they've
00:40sort of lost that home touch as well. So not a great place for Welsh rugby. And obviously,
00:46the next time they play is the start of the new year in the Six Nations. So, you know,
00:51you really need to hope between now and then that there's a big improvement. But it's quite
00:56tough to see where that comes from. I mean, a massive tournament going into the Six Nations
01:00in 2025. How do you look ahead to that and try and remain positive in such a dark sort of year
01:07for Welsh rugby? Yeah, it's going to be tough to look positively at 2025. 2024 has been arguably
01:14the worst year in Welsh rugby history. It's quite an accolade to have, to know that that year is
01:19the worst one. It's been really tough for Welsh fans, for all Welsh rugby fans. There's going to
01:25be a few tough games in the Six Nations. We're going to be playing Ireland, who are always a
01:30difficult game, England, France, Scotland as well. The last few years, really, they've been quite
01:34decent sides. It's just, I think that all we've got to look at is hoping that we don't get the
01:40wooden spoon. I think that's genuinely the only thing to strive for, which is a very, very bad
01:49mark on Welsh rugby, to just beat Italy. That's it. I think that's going to be the aim this year.
01:55I mean, it's incredibly sad to hear you say that as a Welsh fan. Just on Warren Gatlin,
02:02why has it gone so wrong, do you feel? Obviously, there was a transitional period where, you know,
02:07he's openly said that he accepts pressure on his job and it's a massive job, as you say.
02:13You know, Wales is so intertwined with rugby, so important for the country and the culture.
02:18Why has it gone so wrong this time around for him so far? You need to look forward as a sporting
02:23organisation. I think the Welsh rugby, I think one thing that gets forgotten about almost when
02:28we're talking on the sports side, is the unbelievable turmoil going on behind the
02:32scenes at the WIU. The allegations behind the scenes have been very, you know, it's nothing
02:36to do with the players on the pitch, nothing to do with the managers and the coaches and stuff. But,
02:40you know, it's the same organisation, so it's going to be tough from that standpoint.
02:44You have to look forward. You have to be looking at managers who are going to change things, who
02:47are going to adapt properly to the game. And I just don't think we've done that. I don't think
02:52we've been a team that looks like moving forward and actually progressing as a nation, as a rugby team.