The year is 2008 and Wales have felt compelled to act. 2007 has been a disaster of a year – a defeat to Italy, a fifth-placed Six Nations finish, a premature Rugby World Cup exit after being beaten by opposition perceived as inferior. Out went Gareth Jenkins; in came Warren Gatland to steady the ship.
The parallels are easy to draw as Gatland begins his second stint in charge. Once more the New Zealander arrives at a time of Welsh strife, with the men’s national side again in need of redirection and the union in the constricting grip of crises termed “existential” by an acting chief executive just installed after allegations of a toxic culture of sexism, misogyny, homophobia, racism and bullying.
