I applaud the solidarity and brinkmanship that the senior Welsh internationals have displayed over the last couple of weeks. The veteran players were not really fighting the good fight for themselves, they are standing up for their friends and colleagues in the regional game.
Most of the established players in the Welsh team are very near the end of their careers and have well over 60 caps. They have earned good money for many years and would be offered a decent contract outside Wales if they wanted.
But they have exercised their power this week for their mates and the younger players who are coming through. They made a genuine threat to strike ahead of the WRU’s biggest pay day. They knew what they were doing, they had the WRU by the unmentionables and held out until they achieved an acceptable compromise.
Fair play, they got a result. It should never have come to this and whatever reason lay behind the inertia of this protracted saga, the impression that most people take from this is that it is another example of the WRU’s incompetence. The second public humiliation within weeks.
Nevertheless, the model of professional rugby needs a re-set. English giants Wasps became insolvent and Leicester Tigers, the current English champions, were on the brink too and only survived thanks to a £13million bailout from their benefactors. The system is broken.
Full disclosure, I do not have the answers, and anyone who offers a one sentence quick fix for this situation has no understanding of the depth of the problem. I am certain that future salaries will be substantially lower and I also expect that in Wales we will go from four to three, if not two, professional teams.
But the details matter. How we get from four to three is difficult. I cannot see a region willingly disbanding. A Scarlets-Ospreys merger was rejected in the west only a few years ago.
So I want to hear a plan that states which region goes? What would the remaining teams be called? Where would they play? Who would be in charge, clubs, region or Union?
Who is responsible for the academies? Are they funded separately? What structure sits under the regions? How many teams?
And so on...
It's easy to give the big picture view but any plan put forward must address each of these issues. This will involve people having to vote themselves out of existence. So unless you tell me the mechanism of how you reach the end point, it’s just hot air to me.
It's my belief Welsh rugby is in desperate need of insightful and determined leaders. People who understand the landscape, have the political skills and the ability to inspire a monolithic institution to transform itself. Welsh rugby needs a Vernon Pugh or a Sir Tasker Watkins, a person with the authority to deliver a sustainable future.
What chance the players delivering a victory on the field after such a disruptive week? Slim, I would venture. What gives me most hope is that England are pretty average too.
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They seem to think that Ollie Lawrence’s decent performance against the Italian backline makes him the new Smoking Joe Stanley. I will need more convincing.
Steve Borthwick is channelling John Major as he embarks on a ‘back to basics’ philosophy with his team. Big set-piece, Steady Eddie at fly-half and a crash-ball centre. Their defence has been porous, conceding six tries at home against Scotland and Italy so they are vulnerable to quality attacking play.
Unfortunately, Wales have shown precious little of that in their first two outings, having scored just two tries while conceding nine. They had plenty of possession in Murrayfield but looked utterly benign with it. Our Baldrickesque cunning plan of repeatedly hoofing the ball up in the air and then not chasing with any real enthusiasm does not seem to be paying off.
However, it’s the penalty count that is most problematic. In the first half against Ireland and in the second half against Scotland, Wales were whistled off the park. When the team was under pressure, discipline went out the window. I suspect it’s because they don’t have the confidence in their defence, and in their desire to slow down the ball or cut down space, that they are compelled to overstep the mark.
Wales will have to deal with England’s dual prop threat. Two outside halves trapped in the bodies of front row forwards. How frustrating? They endure scrummaging rather than relish it. South Africa have exposed their inadequacies there but if Wales don’t get on top of them, they can cause trouble.
It must have been a tough time to be in the Wales camp during this campaign. Scandal, strikes and two record defeats. They have stuck together admirably and I think Gatland has been as supportive as he could have been without subverting his employer.
George Orwell referred to sport as war without the guns and although he detested the pride and patriotism it engendered, Wales need those powerful emotions if they are going to do anything in this match. Wales are miles away from playing with the fluency and creativity that is required at international level but they may be able to emulate the spirit of past unlikely victories against the old enemy.
Ieuan Evans in 1993 and Scott Gibbs in 1999 are the iconic moments emblazoned in our minds from those two famous wins. We forget that on each occasion England were the dominant side and contributed heavily to their own downfall.
I think Wales only need to put this England side under a reasonable amount of pressure and they may well start to fall apart. Wales need to get the crowd in the game which means starting strongly and getting an early lead. If they do that, it will be a contest.
I am aware that it is a recognition of where Wales currently stand that I am relying on ‘hwyl’ and ‘calon’ to be Wales’ most important weapons in this tussle rather than a structured game plan.
Wales’ chances are slim admittedly, but it's not impossible.
Gwyn Jones is a part of S4C’s Clwb Rygbi Rhyngwladol team. S4C’s coverage of Wales v England gets underway at 4pm on Saturday. Also, watch coverage of Wales Under 20s v England Under 20s from 6.45pm on Friday night, English commentary available.
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