Simon Thomas’ review of Welsh rugby in 2024

Simon Thomas

Wales 2024 Test record: Played 11, Won 0, Lost 11

The facts are as unpalatable as they are unavoidable – this has been Wales’ worst ever year.

It’s the first time since 1937 they have gone an entire calendar year without winning a Test match and there were only three fixtures back then, whereas they have lost all 11 this year.

Dig deeper and the stats are all the more alarming.

They have leaked 366 points at an average of 33 and conceded 45 tries, more than four per game on average.

Perhaps even more startling is the fact that coach Warren Gatland has used no fewer than 54 players, plus two more new faces in the summer tour match against the Queensland Reds.

That points to a couple of issues.

It shows the inconsistency in selection, with some of the changes and choices amid the losing run having been pretty baffling.

It also reflects how Gatland has been scrabbling around in vain trying to find a winning formula.

The truth is the year is ending with no real clarity over what his best team is or quite how he is looking to play.

Revolving door policy

It’s interesting to look at who has featured most often amid the revolving door policy.

Aaron Wainwright, Gareth Thomas, Cam Winnett and Rio Dyer all started nine of the 11 Tests, while Tommy Reffell and Sam Costelow both made 10 appearances when you add in outings off the bench, with Mason Grady one behind.

Others would undoubtedly have featured more had it not been for injuries – notably Jac Morgan, Dewi Lake, Tomos Williams, Daf Jenkins, Josh Adams and Liam Williams, with Taulupe Faletau absent altogether.

There have also been further retirements, with George North and Gareth Davies calling it a day at international level and Ken Owens hanging up his boots for good, following on from last year’s farewells from the likes of Alun Wyn Jones, Dan Biggar, Leigh Halfpenny and Justin Tipuric, not forgetting the NFL-bound Louis Rees-Zammit.

It’s all left Gatland with a pretty young and inexperienced group of players and he did warn there would be pain along the way as he built for the future.

But we didn’t foresee quite this much pain.

If you add in the World Cup quarter-final defeat against Argentina, it’s now 12 Test defeats in a row, the worst ever run under any Wales coach.

Moreover, his record during his second spell in charge now reads: Played 24, Won 6, Lost 18.

In pretty much any sport, that’s a lamentable sequence which would cost the man in charge his job.

But, following a WRU review, Gatland has survived.

Nigel Walker

Instead, it was Executive Director of Rugby Nigel Walker who stepped down, while changes to the national coaching staff are being considered.

Retaining the New Zealander has certainly provoked a strong reaction, with many condemning the decision.

On the other hand, there are some who question whether anyone else would have done a better job this year given the players at his disposal.

Admittedly, Wales are short of top quality performers at the moment. You only have to consider how many are likely to go on next summer’s Lions tour of Australia, let alone make the Test team.

You’ve got Jac Morgan and after that it’s hard to name anyone else who really looks odds on, with Tomos Williams, Dewi Lake and Aaron Wainwright possible contenders.

We could well end up with our smallest contingent since just five – Scott Gibbs, Ieuan Evans, Tony Clement, Richard Webster and Robert Jones – went on the 1993 tour of New Zealand, while matching that number could well be a stretch.

So Gatland certainly doesn’t have the raw materials to work with that he did during his first successful spell in charge.

But the question is whether he is getting the best out of them and whether his tactical approach is the right one, with the game having moved on in recent years.

Having had his reprieve, he must surely now be in the last chance saloon.

It was telling to see how the WRU announcement of his retention was phrased. It talked about how he has been “challenged” to lead Wales to success in the upcoming Six Nations.

Chief executive Abi Tierney went on to say “he knows the security of his position is directly related to the performances of the team and that this is a situation that will continue to intensify”.

But what does success look like for this current Welsh team after 12 straight defeats? What kind of performances are required for the boss to stay in his job?

With Ireland and England at home, plus trips to France, Italy and Scotland, it’s really hard to see just where a win is going to come from.

Hope

But there is some hope to be derived from having the likes of Jac Morgan, Tomos Williams, Josh Adams, Taulupe Faletau, Daf Jenkins, Liam Williams, Tom Rogers, Elliot Dee and Joe Roberts back available.

Given this reinforced pool, Gatland surely has to claim at least one victory to survive, while there must also be an improvement in performance and a greater degree of clarity in terms of just what he is trying to do.

If the winless run stretches to 17 Tests with another Six Nations whitewash, he surely has to go.

The Regions

Cardiff Rugby

2024 record: Played 22, Won 7, Lost 15

It’s been very much a tale of two halves for Cardiff this year.

Their first 12 matches of 2024 – from January through to the season’s end in June – produced just one solitary victory.

But it’s been a different story so far this term.

They have won six out of 10 matches in all competitions and will end the year in third place in the URC, which is real nose bleed stuff!

So what’s changed?

Well, for one thing they are converting those narrow losses from last season into wins.

They picked up no fewer than 11 bonus points in URC defeats last term.

That indicated they were being competitive, but also that they didn’t know how to see out games.

Now they have discovered the winning habit.

Matt Sherratt’s team have also shown an ability to come from behind, keeping their nerve after calamitous starts.

They were 15-0 down away to both the Scarlets and the Dragons, while they trailed 19-0 at home to Ulster and 10-5 against the Cheetahs – but they won them all.

It’s been a team effort, but a number of individuals have shone particularly brightly.

Second row Teddy Williams has started every game this season and been on the field for 762 minutes out of a possible 800, while topping the URC tackle and lineout stats.

Alun Lawrence, Rey Lee-Lo and Cam Winnett have also been stalwart performers, while Dan Thomas, Aled Davies, Josh McInally, Callum Sheedy and Iwan Stephens have proved excellent acquisitions from across the bridge, with Josh Adams and Taulupe Faletau showing their quality in making welcome recent returns.

Fans have liked what they have been seeing, with this year bringing a series of sell-outs at the Arms Park and another on the way for the New Year’s Day clash with the Ospreys.

There have also been significant developments off the pitch with investment group Helford Capital Limited completing their takeover of the club and a new three-year lease secured on the ground.

Dragons RFC

2024 record: Played 22, Won 4, Lost 18

It’s been a year of change at the top of the Dragons.

In July, David Buttress stepped down as chairman after seven seasons at the helm, with co-owner David Wright replacing him, while Rhys Blumberg took over from Graeme Bradbury as chief executive officer.

Then, last month, the club parted company with head coach Dai Flanagan, who had been in charge since the autumn of 2022.

Ospreys legend Filo Tiatia has now stepped into the hot seat on an interim basis and looks set to remain there for the rest of the season.

Amid all the changes, one thing has remained consistent and that’s the continuing struggle for success.

The year has brought just the four wins – against the Scarlets, Zebre, Ospreys and Newcastle – while the Gwent region currently lie bottom of the URC table.

There are some signs of hope in terms of the young talent coming through, with Ryan Woodman, Huw Anderson, Brodie Coghlan, Joe Westwood, Morgan Lloyd, Harri Ackerman and Nick Thomas looking bright prospects, while Aaron Wainwright, Rio Dyer, Taine Basham and Elliot Dee bring international class.

Moreover, there appears to have been a tougher edge on display in recent weeks, during the Challenge Cup victory over Newcastle and the narrow league defeat at home to Cardiff.

It would appear that former All Black Tiatia – a teak-hard player in his day – is having something of an impact on that front.

Speaking to Cardiff players and staff after the Boxing Day clash at Rodney Parade, the general consensus was it was the most physical challenge they had encountered from a Dragons team.

The question now is whether that increased physicality can be married with game management and composure to provide an upturn in results.

Ospreys

2024 record: Played 25, Won 13, Lost 12

The Ospreys were the undoubted success story of Welsh rugby last season.

They punched way above their financial weight to reach the quarter-finals of both the URC and the Challenge Cup.

It was a run which, quite rightly, brought huge plaudits the way of coach Toby Booth.

Come the end of the campaign, the future looked bright for all concerned.

But then, just a couple of months later, came the bombshell news that Booth would be leaving at the end of this season.

Right from the outset, one wondered how that would pan out.

It’s often a challenging situation when you know a coach is going to be moving on not too far down the line.

It brought to mind Wayne Pivac’s tough last season at the Scarlets after a year’s notice was given that he was going to be moving into the Wales job.

Results didn’t really go his way in that farewell campaign down west and the same was to prove the case for Booth.

There had been a fair amount of speculation about whether the Englishman would remain at the helm for the whole season and that grew as the Ospreys made a poor start, winning just three of their first nine games.

The tipping point proved to be the thumping 59-15 Challenge Cup defeat at the hands of Montpellier earlier this month when they leaked nine tries.

Within a couple of days, it was announced that Booth would be departing with immediate effect.

It was an unhappy ending for a man who had done such a fine job since coming on board in 2020, turning the Ospreys into a really competitive team and one to be respected.

His exit has seen Mark Jones step up from defensive duties earlier than expected, with the former Wales wing enjoying a memorable first game in charge amid a dramatic last play victory over the Scarlets.

He will now turn to seasoned pros like Morgan Morris, Owen Watkin, Dewi Lake, Adam Beard, Gareth Thomas, Keelan Giles, Keiran Williams and skipper Jac Morgan to help take the Ospreys forward, along with Justin Tipuric, who is in his final campaign as a player before joining the coaching staff.

On top of that, there is young talent to develop in the likes of Morgan Morse, Dan Edwards, James Fender, Max Nagy, Harri Deaves and Iestyn Hopkins.

Then, off the field, there’s the big move to a new home, at a redeveloped St Helen’s, with the plan being to be playing at the Swansea ground before the end of the year.

Scarlets

2024 record: Played 23, Won 7, Lost 15, Drawn 1

Scarlets fans must have very mixed emotions as the year comes to an end.

On the one hand, their team has been performing so much better this season.

They have a really decent pack these days, while there’s bags of talent behind.

That has enabled them to be competitive in every single game so far this term.

It’s no exaggeration to say they could have won all ten matches, yet they’ve only actually claimed four victories.

It really has been a tale of ‘What if’ and ‘If only’ for Dwayne Peel’s team.

There have been no fewer than four occasions where victory has been plucked from their grasp in the dying minutes – against Benetton, Connacht, Bayonne and the Ospreys – while the game against Glasgow also went right down to the wire.

The disappointment levels reached new heights – or perhaps depths – just before Christmas went they conceded a final play try to lose to arch rivals the Ospreys in the west Wales festive derby.

So it’s been a frustrating time for players, staff and fans alike, but it’s important not to overlook the obvious progress.

There have been no repeats of the heavy defeats to the likes of Munster (42-7), Glasgow (45-3), Edinburgh (43-18) and Clermont Auvergne (38-17) that the first half of the year brought.

They are now a real forward force, with inspirational skipper Josh Macleod leading by example alongside the quality of Vaea Fifita, Sam Lousi and Taine Plumtree in the loose, with summer signings Henry Thomas, Marnus van der Merwe and Max Douglas adding significant oomph to the front five.

Then behind the scrum, you’ve got the likes of Tom Rogers, Ioan Lloyd, Eddie James, Blair Murray, Sam Costelow, Macs Page, Johnny Williams and Joe Roberts providing an array of attacking threat in addition to the ageless Gareth Davies.

So there is definite reason for optimism. It’s now a case of turning those tight games into wins.

Super Rygbi Cymru

This year has seen a major change in the structure of the Welsh club game, with the creation of a new competition below regional rugby.

Launched in the autumn, Super Rygbi Cymru features ten clubs from last season’s 14-team Premiership – Aberavon, Bridgend, Cardiff, Carmarthen Quins, Ebbw Vale, Llandovery, Newport, Pontypool, RGC, Swansea.

It’s the culmination of a long-held ambition by the WRU to create a streamlined, more elite league as the second tier of Welsh rugby, with a focus on raising standards and enhancing player development – creating a kind of finishing school for the regional game.

Some two thirds of the way through the inaugural regular season, Ebbw Vale are leading the way at the top of the table, with nine wins from their 11 matches.

Cardiff and Llandovery lie second and third respectively, while Newport have a game in hand in fourth.

Each team will play 18 home and away fixtures before progressing to three rounds of play-offs and a grand final.

As for the reshaped 13-team Premiership below SRC, Pontypridd are currently out in front, with Neath and Merthyr the teams in pursuit.