Any Welsh fans seeking solace in their current British and Irish Lions plight need only look eight years into the past and a few hundred miles north for something like succour. For the first time since 1899, a Lions Test team has been named without a constituent from Wales; Jac Morgan, the last remaining representative on tour, out by a nose despite being one of the form horses since arriving in Australia.
There is a natural hand-wringing that will come with a perceived slight of a nation but even the most ardent of Welsh fans will accept that this is a reflection of their wretched form. An 18-match losing streak may just have been ended in Japan but Wales remain without coach or positive direction, with the slightly frightening sight of back-to-back meetings with New Zealand and South Africa to come in November.
