Enjoy the moment ...tougher tests are on the way

THIS was a must win game for Wales and we did it. Just.

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A drawn Test series with Japan may not be too much to shout about in the grand scheme of things but it is a fair reflection of where Wales are right now

To put it bluntly, this was a game of two teams scrapping it out for 12th/13th/14th place in the rankings. Both teams made errors as a consequence of indiscipline and losses of composure, and the result could have gone their way. Fortunately for us it didn’t.

The reaction of the players and coaches was more of relief than elation. That was an indication of what it meant to them.

Performing the role of an interim coach Is not an easy task. It involves being expected to pick up the pieces and to deal with the mess that somebody else has left.

Under the circumstances, Matt Sherratt should receive the credit that is due to him.

However, we may have come to the much-welcomed end of an 18-game losing streak but we've still got a long way to go in our recovery.

Dave Reddin, the newly appointed Director of Rugby of the WRU, is the person tasked with getting Welsh rugby out of this mess. However, the person who will be at the focal point and who, as a consequence, will cop any flak, will be the head coach of the national team. That's the way things work in Welsh rugby.

In the next 12 months or so we've got the Autumn Series followed by the Six Nations to look forward to. That's nine games which contain Japan, again, and Italy. The other teams are in the top seven in the world rankings.

But how do you measure the success of our recovery? We need to be pragmatic. As the bare minimum, target wins against Japan and Italy and provide a definite improved showing in the other games.

All this will be taking place while there is the upheaval going on at board level to contend with, but a win is a much-needed win so enjoy the moment.

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