Six Nations debate reignites after Wales fall to a new low

Looking out over a sorry, soggy scene in Rome, an ailing emperor surveyed a once formidable empire now in ruin.

- HARRY LATHAM-COYLE

Warren Gatland and Wales had arrived in the Italian capital seeking the invigorating fountains of new life; instead, as the rain tumbled down, deeper into the quagmire they slumped.

The end surely draws near for the head coach as another winless Six Nations beckons after hitting a fresh low. Asked on the BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly podcast about Gatland’s future, former Wales international James Hook provided a useful summary of the situation. Would Gatland still be the head coach come the 2027 World Cup? No, Hook quickly replied. How about at the start of next year’s Six Nations? No, the 81-capper repeated. What about for the autumn, then?

The answer remained the same. This Welsh empty vessel ploughs inexorably towards another regime change that many felt inevitable from the moment Gatland once more took on an unenviable task. The head coach himself had sounded the alarms at the end of his first tenure about how a golden generation had papered over the cracks apparent within the game in the country, and that the success could not be sustained. The cracks have become chasms; Wales are falling into the abyss.

Defeat in round two drops them below Georgia to 12th in the world rankings; Samoa, who abandoned their November tour amid financial problems and serious allegations against their head coach, sit not far behind.

“There is no doubt it’s challenging,” Gatland said, as the latest inquest began on Saturday. “As a group, the players are working incredibly hard. It is frustrating from our point of view in terms of the accuracy and some of the discipline. But the boys spoke well in the changing room at the same time about keeping together and continuing to work hard.

“When you are under pressure, some of your decision-making goes off cue. You definitely feel the pressure as a team that hasn’t won for a while.”