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Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Dylan James

Former rivals say game has moved on from Gatland and he must evolve with Wales or fail

Warren Gatland has been told his tactics must evolve or he will fail in his second stint as Wales coach.

Former England international Andy Goode believes the game has moved on from Gatland's coaching methods and questioned if he is the right man for the job.

Fellow pundit, former Scotland captain John Barclay, also insisted changes in the way the top teams play since Gatland last coached with Wales mean the type of basic tactics his team employed against England have next to no chance of succeeding.

Speaking on The Rugby Pod, Goode said: "What I will say about Wales, and I feel pretty bad saying this - the way they play, the way Gats coaches, the game has moved on.

"You look at the Lions in 2021, how he set up that Lions team to try and play against South Africa, the way Wales are playing, what he did with the Chiefs in Waikato. Gats has got to evolve.

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"The one out rugby and kicking that Wales showed, it was awful. When you're wanting a massive reaction, I was really disappointed with how Wales turned up, how they played. Their attack, they just kept running short balls off nine with no movement, no deception, then they're just kicking to Freddie Steward the whole time."

Goode continued: "England tactically and physically monstered them at times. There was a lot of pressure on the teams but I was really disappointed with Wales, thinking that there was going to be loads of energy coming into the game and what they put out there.

"I look at Gats and say 'If that's how he sets his teams up, he's got to evolve as a coach'.

"If that's what he's going to do, he hasn't got the players. He's not South Africa so he hasn't got the players to play that way and therefore he needs to evolve as a coach, or is he the right man to take Wales forward? I don't know.

"Just running your players into brick walls and nothing changes throughout the game, you are responsible. You set a team up to play, and you've got to play with the players that you've got."

BBC pundit Barclay weighed in by saying: “It boils down to a lack of succession planning with Wales.

"I can’t think of many teams where the difference in the guys who are getting phased out of the side and the next guy in is like a hundred caps, 80 caps. The difference is crazy.

“It’s so hard for the likes of Jac Morgan, Mason Grady. These guys should be coming into a team with a blend of experience and youth, but they are coming into a team where everyone’s new and there’s no confidence.

“If I’m Gatland now, where do you start? You need results, you need to build confidence. Do you have time enough to say ‘This is where I get to, this is the game plan I want us to play’ and you persevere with the players?

“Or do you say you go to a very limited game plan which is what they are doing at the moment?

“I think rugby’s evolved significantly in the last 18 to 24 months where if you run direct at people and kick the ball, you will beat almost no-one. That’s what Wales tried to do at the weekend.

“You have to have more to your game than just a bit of physicality and a kicking game.”

You can listen to the full podcast by clicking here.

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