Welsh Rugby Union accept everyone has to take responsibility
Any football board in the world looking to sack their manager after a poor string of results should look very closely into the handling of the Wales rugby team by the WRU.
The Wales manager, Warren Gatland has seen his team depleted by injuries and on a poor run dating back to the autumn of 2010 yet the WRU accept that everyone should take responsibility and that they will not be looking for a quick scapegoat so problems can be swept under the carpet.
With the pressure of 2011 also being a World Cup year, starting in New Zealand this September, any major changes to the management is likely to put more spanners in the works than take any out. For Wales, who are having to chop and change players on an almost daily basis the Six Nations now represents a chance for them and Gatland to build a team capable of competing professionally when the World Cup starts.
Whilst most will see the defence of a manager as simply a short term lifeline, the WRU are accurate in their statement when the chief executive, Roger Lewis suggests their knowledge of what lies ahead.
“This is a time for cool heads and certainly not to chop heads. At the top of the WRU we believe we have the right people in place with the right skills and experiences. Our coaching team know what is required to win Grand Slams and European Cups as well as how to face defeat.”
Wales are not a bad team, they simply aren’t winning at the moment, in time it will come, and a strange positive of so many injuries to their top players means the younger generation are getting their chance to shine which brings with it a great deal of experience. Let us not forget that although England won in Cardiff last week, it was a very close call and Scotland will need to keep their wits about them if they want to get their first win of the Six Nations campaign.
