How do Wales kick-on now?

Still having problems processing what happened on Saturday, but we can’t dwell on this forever and must kick-on. Obviously there’s still a game left for us on Saturday, and I hope the boys can lift themselves and do what they need to do to win it. The last few weeks have been remarkable for Welsh rugby and it’s up to Gatland and co to make sure this is the beginning of a lasting revival rather than an impressive flash in the pan.

The positives: Almost everything apart from the red card on Saturday. We’ve discovered a handful of truly world-class players almost overnight. Players like Phillips and Roberts rediscovered their form and showed that they are among the best in the world. Despite the fans’ repeated moaning and grumblings over the last couple of seasons, Gatland has shown he is one of the best coaches in world rugby and we’re damn lucky to have him for another four years.

The negatives: We still have problems closing out tight games. We failed to nail the RSA game, and we really should have beaten France on Saturday – our inability to score drop goals is a major problem, and needs to be addressed. There is now also the worry that Edwards is leaving, which will be a major blow.

The real question now is how can Wales maintain the level they’ve reached this summer/autumn and go on to become a consistent top-4 side? A lot came down to the boys fantastic fitness levels this summer, but can these be maintained over the year – probably not, but if the Polish trips really were so successful why can’t we do this every season, or get the WRU to invest in a similar facility at home? Unfortunately, I also think a good deal of the success was down to the boys being away from Wales – the scrutiny and attention they receive at home just doesn’t do them any good, and they seemed to thrive on being out of the “goldfish bowl”.

Whatever happens regarding the 3rd place play off, the players and coaches have done their nation proud – and surprised almost everyone. My real hope now is that this campaign (and its disappointments) can lay the foundations for a culture of attainment and hunger within the setup that will lead to a period of lasting success. Interested to know how you guys reckon this can be achieved.

"Unfortunately, I also think a good deal of the success was down to the boys being away from Wales – the scrutiny and attention they receive at home just doesn’t do them any good, and they seemed to thrive on being out of the “goldfish bowl”.

+1!

I think what this campaign has showed is what these players can do when they are given enough time to train and prepare. For the AI's and 6N's, they don't have anywhere near as much time. It might be the beginning of our internationals playing less and less for their regions.

Some sort of balance/compramise will have to be reached that benefits both parties, as we need the regions to be strong to help develop and bring these players through, but these players then will need to have enough time to train for Wales. It's going to be a fine balancing act, I just hope all parties involved can handle it maturely (which isn't often the case in Welsh rugby!).

Agreed, RugbyDreamer - I sincerely hope the WRU listen to Gatland and learn from what has been achieved. To be fair, I think they probably will. It seems that with the academies now beginning to work and hopefully with the Premiership being tightened up next year there may be a more consistent conveyor belt of talent, so the "elite" international players may be allowed more time with the national set-up.

Thing is though, with so many young players coming through, is there enough room for them at just the 4 regions?

The steps to improve the quality of the premiership should really help as at least that way there won't be such a big step up in terms of performance needed when they do play for a region.

Josh Lewsey made a really good point on Scrum V yesterday, about these players not letting their success go to their heads, for them to remain grounded and keep working for each other for the next 4 years. It's going to be a tough thing for them, especially as we know how much they are going to be applauded (deservedly so) when they get home. He said they needed to take this pain and work with it for the next 4 years, to really have it as their focus to put it right in the next world cup.

Josh Lewsey made a lot of good points on Scrum V last night - they should keep him as a pundit. Since Scrum V effectively seems to operate as a kind of unofficial "House of Lords" for Welsh rugby, we need outside voices on it like him and Guscott who aren't afraid to say what most people are thinking, as opposed to dull yes-men like Robert Jones.

I think you have it spot on rugbydreamer, there needs to be a compromise from all the levels of rugby in wales to make sure everyone benefits. What could help is some form of fitness regime that covers all of the regions, improving the general standard so that it isnt a problem when players make the transition to international level. I read somewhere the other day that tobys fitness for example, was very poor when he first arrived at the training sessions with the welsh team, so much so that he was the biggest improvement in the squad sessions. When you think he's been playing regular, first team rugby for nearly two years, maybe something needs to be done to make sure that isnt the case for future players.

Keep playing exciting rugby, keep that pack going.