A 36-3 defeat by France at the start of the 1990s prompted a BBC commentator to ask in exasperation: “Where on earth do Wales go from here?”
To pick up the wooden spoon, the answer might have been.
There followed a tour to Australia that summer which saw Wales ship 63 points against the Wallabies and lose 71-8 to New South Wales. Players clashed with each other at the post-match dinner on Test match day, and skipper Paul Thorburn subsequently resigned, having bluntly told his team: “This is the time to look ourselves in the face and say we are just not up to it.”
