Many a frustrated writer in search of a metaphor has plucked from the passages of 1 Samuel in the past but this week, the tale of David and Goliath feels apt. Cast, naturally, in the role of the feared Philistine giant are the world champion Springboks; playing their part as the young, overmatched shepherd are a Wales side beaten in their last 11 games and swallowing down nervously the reality that an entire calendar year without a win beckons.
David was at least armed with a staff, five stones and a slingshot; in their current configuration, Warren Gatland’s side look comparatively underpowered. Harmonious elegies seem to play each time a callow side venture in to the grounds of their once intimidating Cardiff castle, mournful howls from the bastions from a public by now expecting little – and yet still finding themselves disappointed.
In the past two weeks, the situation in Wales has gone from faintly diverting to simply sad. If defeat to Fiji was emblematic of a team lacking in talent and leadership, the 52-20 collapse against Australia seemed to show a side that, while retaining corporeal form, had been drained entirely of its spirit.
Gatland himself has taken on husk-like qualities at various times this year, his recent moments of levity and light seeming to come when considering a future beyond his current role rather than the task at hand. The infighting that typifies such a sorry situation has begun – Jamie Roberts, Mike Phillips and Alex Cuthbert were among those to criticise their former head coach, favourite sons squabbling with a patriarch who once made the Welsh rugby family flourish.
The question has rightly been asked if changing the figurehead would have any impact on performances and results. The headlines around Welsh rugby in the last two years have shown a culture of toxicity pervading through virtually every environment, with the senior men’s and women’s teams both contemplating strike action. The struggles of the regions are nothing new but the talent throughout is deeply concerning. Experience is lacking – last week’s starting XV contained an aggregate of caps fewer than the combined tally of TNT Sports’ pitchside pundits Roberts, Sam Warburton and Dan Biggar.
A Gatland exit may not be off the table if the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) can extricate itself from a lucrative contract. The embattled head coach has already offered his resignation once this year, though he insisted that he was willing to fight on this week.
“If you start thinking about other things, it is a distraction you don’t need,” Gatland explained. “I think we have been pretty clear in terms of the plan we’ve had. We’ve got a group of young players that need a bit of time.
“I have been pretty honest in terms that I understand the pressures of international rugby with performances and results. We can only work as hard as we have done. I am aware of the pressure and that decisions could be made outside of my control. We’ve just asked for a little bit of time. Whether we get that time, we will have to wait and see.”
Players have privately pondered if Gatland is yesterday’s man, unequipped to deal with the pressures and problems of the present. Readily available and highly-regarded successors are not immediately apparent but it would have been literally impossible for any potential replacement to do worse this year – and presumably at a significant saving in the annual accounts.
Wales’s struggles have already started to harm the balance sheet. There were swathes of empty seats at the Principality Stadium for the Wallabies clash, some 18,000 unsold tickets no doubt more reason for the WRU to fret. Could a younger coach in search of a chance to make their mark provide a necessary fresh voice to reinject the fun factor and perk up interest? Would such an ambitious individual even want to work within a structure seemingly so dysfunctional?
Given the lack of quality available to Wales, one South African selection rather rubs salt into their wounds. Assuming he is utilised off the bench, back row Cameron Hanekom will become the 12th debutant of the year for the Springboks. The 22-year-old will make his debut in the land of his grandmother, which led to fanciful speculation as he broke through at the Bulls that he might consider a switch of allegiance.
“It never crossed my mind, it was honestly more the media that speculated about it,” Hanekom stressed, understandably given the contrasting states of the two nations. “Since I was a young boy, I’ve always dreamed of playing for the Springboks.
“It still feels unreal at the moment, it will probably sink in fully when I’m out there in the stadium. It just shows that your hard work does pay off at the end of the day.”
That they have been able to blood so much new talent while still losing just twice in recent months is evidence of the rare place that the world champions have got themselves to. What has been clear in dealings with the squad both out at a training camp in Jersey ahead of November and in the last few weeks is the unique collective buy-in to an overarching plan. A weekly shuffling of personnel – six changes are made to the starting pack from the win against England – appears to have little impact on the belief in the ranks.
It makes an upset all the more unlikely. For any Welsh optimists, odds beyond 20/1 for a home win are available – one wonders what the bookmakers in the Valley of Elah were offering.
Wales v South Africa kicks off at 5.40pm on Saturday, 23 November. On TNT Sports from 5.15pm
