Broken Wales face rugby’s biggest test as Warren Gatland seeks to avoid another new low

In the past, many frustrated writers looking for a metaphor have drawn from passages in First Samuel, but this week the story of David and Goliath seems appropriate. The feared Philistine giant naturally stars the world champion Springboks; playing their role as the young, superior shepherd, Wales have lost their last 11 games and are nervously swallowing the reality that an entire calendar year beckons without a win.

David was armed with at least a staff, five stones and a sling; In their current configuration, Warren Gatland’s team looks comparatively weak. Harmonious elegies seem to ring out every time the inexperienced side ventures into the grounds of their once-fearsome Cardiff castle, mournful cries from the bastions of a public that now expects little – and yet still finds itself disappointed.

Over the past two weeks, the situation in Wales has gone from mildly amusing to downright sad. If the defeat to Fiji was emblematic of the team’s lack of talent and leadership, the 52-20 defeat to Australia seemed to reveal a team that, while maintaining physical fitness, was completely devoid of its spirit.

Gatland himself has shown shell-like qualities at various times this year, and his recent moments of levity and light seem to have come when he was thinking about the future beyond his current role rather than the challenges ahead of him. The infighting typical of such a sad situation ensued, with Jamie Roberts, Mike Phillips and Alex Cuthbert among those criticizing their former head coach, while beloved sons fell out with the patriarch who once helped the Welsh rugby family thrive.

The question was rightly asked whether the change of figurehead would have any impact on performances and results. Welsh rugby headlines over the past two years have shown a culture of toxicity permeating almost every environment, with senior men’s and women’s teams considering strike action within 18 months. Regional struggles are nothing new, but the talent everywhere is deeply troubling. Experience is lacking – last week’s starting line-up had a combined total of fewer appearances than TNT Sports pundits Roberts, Sam Warburton and Dan Biggar combined.

Gatland’s exit may not be ruled out if the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) are able to walk away from the lucrative contract. The embattled head coach has already resigned once this year, although he insisted he was ready to fight this week.

“If you start thinking about other things, you won’t need this distraction,” Gatland explained. “I think we laid out the plan we had pretty clearly. We have a group of young players who need some time.”

“I’ve been quite honest in the sense that I understand the pressure that international rugby puts on performances and results. We can work as much as we do. I am aware of the pressure and that decisions may be made outside of my control. We I just asked for some time, whether we get that time, we’ll have to wait and see.”

Players privately wondered whether Gatland was yesterday’s man, unable to cope with the pressures and challenges of the present. Easily available and respected successors are not readily apparent, but it would be literally impossible for any potential replacement to underperform this year – and presumably with significant savings on the annual accounts.

Wales’ problems have already begun to damage the balance sheet. There were rows of empty seats at Principality Stadium during the Wallabies match, with some 18,000 unsold tickets undoubtedly another cause for concern for the WRU. Can a young coach looking for a chance to make his mark provide the needed fresh voice to reintroduce the fun factor and rekindle interest? Would such an ambitious person even want to work in a structure that is seemingly so dysfunctional?

Given the lack of quality available to Wales, one South African player is rather rubbing salt in the wounds. Assuming he is used off the bench, Cameron Hanekom in the back row will be the Springboks’ 12th debutant of the year. The 22-year-old will make his debut on his grandmother’s soil, leading to bizarre speculation when he broke through to the Bulls that he might consider switching allegiances.

“It never occurred to me, to be honest, it was more the media that thought about it,” Hanekom emphasized, which is understandable given the contrasting fortunes of the two countries. “Ever since I was a kid, I always dreamed of playing for the Springboks.

“It still feels surreal at the moment and I’ll probably be fully aware of that once I’m in the stadium. It just shows that your hard work pays off in the end.”

That they have managed to produce so much new talent yet lose just twice in recent months is testament to the rare position in which the world champions find themselves. What has been clear with the team, both at the training camp in Jersey in the run-up to November and in the last few weeks, is the unique collective support for a comprehensive plan. The weekly reshuffle – six changes to the starting line-up since the win over England – appears to be having little effect on confidence in the ranks.

This makes the disorder even more unlikely. For any Welsh optimist, odds of over 20/1 to win at home are available – I wonder what the bookmakers in the Elah Valley were offering.