The Phantom

Well here’s probably the most anticipated Rugby World Cup post by TD (since your probably the only person who reads these!)

The Welsh team were an absolute disgrace on Saturday afternoon. Some will say they played some good rugby, but at the end of the day you want the victory… the fancy performances are a bonus. We are (or maybe were) a tier 1 nation. We should have beaten Fiji, and there is no excuse for that.

No disrespect to Fiji, they played some good rugby, but that is only because our game plan played right into their hands. We should have never put ourselves in that position, to play an open game of rugby, against the kings of 7s play.

Before the game I had Wales to win 42-25. I was not worried that much by the Fijians. I watched them play Canada at the Millennium Stadium 2 weeks ago, and there was nothing in that game that suggested to me that Wales should be worried. Fiji looked average at best against the Canadians. In the second half Canada played a tight forward based game which saw them trouble the Fijians… something we should have done. Instead when Fiji scored 3 early tries we panicked. We made the same mistake as Scotland did earlier in the year against Italy. We should have kept pressuring them, and kept the scoreboard ticking over with penalties and drop goals… just chip away at their lead. Instead we spend large periods of the first half deep in the Fijian red zone, with only coming away with 7 points.

There was a glimmer of hope at the beginning of the second half. A glimmer of hope was on the horizon. But then again we allowed Fiji back into the game… and the rest they say is history.

After that result Gareth Jenkins’ position was untenable. He wanted to be judged on the world cup… and he has been. You live by the sword, you die by the sword. I fully support the decision. Jenkins is a fiercely loyal man, he’d never have stepped down so the only thing to do was dismiss him. The WRU are saying all the right things at the moment. A full review of the elite game in Wales will now begin, and hopefully we can see the much needed changes happening to our game. I have many ideas for them… I think I should offer my services to them!!

Now we have to find a new coach. For me there are only two men who could do the job. Former Italy and Japan coach, John Kirwan. He has shown that he can produce good teams with limited resources. He has worked wonders with Japan and Italy, just imagine what he could do with a Welsh team? His experience as a national coach would be desirable, and he has also worked with the New Zealand National Side. He was interested in the Welsh job last time round, but he saw that Gareth Jenkins was the overwhelming favourite and he didn’t pursue the job.

The other man for the job would be Robbie Deans, the Crusaders Coach. Players who play for him speak very highly of him, he also has the ambition of coaching a national side. He applied for the Australian job, when John Connolly got it, so I’m hoping he’d put his name forward.