My analysis of Wales

Wales play to a pattern. In 2008 it was simple, kick long and chase hard, live off the opposition mistakes. It was new and fresh then and whilst not the 'Welsh way' (whatever that is) it was successful.

Fast forward to 2009 6 nations. Jeremy Guscott calls Lee Byrne the best fullback in the World and raves about the Welsh build up play. Mike Phillips goes blind twice, then open to tie in the back row, then we send a ball carrier at their outside half, draw in their inside backs and go wide. But we hit a snag. Shane Williams was not scoring at will. Other sides were spoiling us. If they could stop us recycling up to the point we went wide we lost our attacking edge. France, having been woeful against England, raised their game enough to beat us in Paris. The debates on here about Paddy Wallace would have had a different flavour had Stephen Jones kicked the penalty he gave away at the death in Cardiff.

2010 and the plan is slightly different. A feature of the previous two years had been off the top line out ball. This had been spotted and was regularly being pinched by the other sides. Pinching line out ball is hard, unless you know that in the 22 it will be front ball, anywhere else it will be top of the line out ball. This was compounded by the fact that off the top line out ball was our only attacking option. Everything else we kicked and we were getting worse and worse in keeping our own ball because the pattern of feinting blind then driving close open, at speed open and then going wide was now being picked off by all of our opposition. So we mixed up our line out, but still kicked everything else.

2011. World Cup year. We had England seriously worried in Cardiff whilst playing badly. At the end of the first half, Deacon is carded and Wood is reprieved. Shane Williams uncharacteristically fouls up a try scoring chance we'd been waiting half an hour for. Second half and Ashton is reprieved, Mitchell though is binned. We lost. The rest of the campaign is spluttering. Our idea of enterprise is to send Roberts into a brick wall, a brick wall that knows what is coming.

There are two theories for the current Welsh side. After 2008, Gatland has done just enough not to lose his job, but has a master plan for the World Cup he didn't want anybody to see in advance. We'll call these the optimists.

The pessimists theory (and I am in this camp) is that Gatland coaches like an only child plays chess, his unopposed training sessions are a joy to watch. However he's not very good if he cant move the other side's pieces for them

What is your assessment.

I certainly think that his backroom staff needed shaking up before now, Howley had to go for me.

Gatland himself seems a stubborn so an so, if there had been calls from the media and WRU for Henson to be included then I fell Gatland wouyldn't have picked, but because it was frowned upon in some parts he went ahead with it.

The players - Certain senior players really need to take account of their own performances as well on the field. I agree you go onto the field with the coaches plain in mind BUT if that isn't working for whatever reason then we have experienced Welsh and Lions players in that set up who should be big enough and brave enough to change it.

Not blindly continue with something that clearly ins't working. We need more than just a plan A.

The worrying thing is that players like Alun Wyn etc appear to be overly influenced by him. The players on the field look pretty clueless and afraid to make decisions for themselves. What game plan? For me Gats has lost the plot - Stubborness read, Cooper, Phillips, Bennett and a few more when all around can see that something needs changing - He looks like a dead man walking and his verbal handling of Hartley before the Wales v England game was embarrassing to say the least and galvanised Hartley who duly shoved it back down Gats throat - well done sir. Wales have an excellent bunch of players at their disposal who if coached, guided and nurtured correctly would be a match for anyone on a consistent basis. Gatland very much reminds me of Cardiff City's Dave Jones as a manager, been a great lad and has done a lot but he has taken things as far as they can go and to top it off he's just psewing out drivel and making Wales a laughing stock. Big changes needed or is Gatland going to get lucky - Dave Jones didn't!!!!

There is no plan B, Gatland is a one trick pony so don't raise your hopes for the RWC. The best hope the WRU will see this or like England in the last RWC semi's and ignore the coaches and play off the cuff. The problem will this players that are brave enough to do this will be dropped even if Wales win.

glamorganalun wrote:There is no plan B, Gatland is a one trick pony so don't raise your hopes for the RWC. The best hope the WRU will see this or like England in the last RWC semi's and ignore the coaches and play off the cuff. The problem will this players that are brave enough to do this will be dropped even if Wales win.

Can they play off the cuff now? Or is that being coached out of them even at Club level. They should know that he wont be around by the next 6 nations so if they can, why not?

Glas - I broadly agree with your analysis and your chess analagy. We may have a tendency to over rate our players, but this coaching team is not getting the best out of what we have.

I believe our players are more than capable of playing off the cuff rugby, they did it the previous 6N when we got so far behind usually down to interception passes and having to play catch up, we came back at England, France and Scotland (scraped that one) by throwing the plan out the window. I am not sure the current captain will fall out of line!

Why do Wales and the Ospreys only start playing in injury time?

i said on the old 606 board before this years six nations rob howley was imo on thin ice, and nothing i witnessed in the six nations has changed my view,our back play is one dimensional and easily defended,is he being overruled by gatland?if he is there's no point in him being involved,if he's not then he's making a royal ba!!s up of the job. i hope he makes me eat my words during the pre world cup games! get a grip howley,there's enough talent to at least form some variety in our back play.

Now they have overhauled the backs, let's see whether they try to force these players to adopt tge same nonsense gameplan as the others.