Never look back. Warren Gatland might be questioning whether he should have followed that universal advice. Following this loss, the New Zealander has managed the longest streak of Wales defeats in history: 11 and counting. The 43-19 pool win against Georgia during last year’s Rugby World Cup feels like a distant past—a victory that occurred just days after they crushed today’s rivals, Australia, by a record margin. In stark contrast, this marked a record points tally for the Wallabies in Cardiff. The situation has deteriorated dramatically since the World Cup, and Gatland, once so confident, now appears increasingly disconnected and uncertain, searching for a way out of this deepening crisis. True, he has lost several key players to retirement, injury, or overseas contracts. But he is handsomely compensated, to say the least. The pre-match atmosphere was tense, and it’s only going to get worse.
The real tragedy for Gatland and Wales was that this young team displayed exceptional spirit in coming back from a 19-0 deficit. They were only six points behind at halftime, and Samu Kerevi’s red card just two minutes into the second half should have bolstered Welsh hopes. Instead, Australia scored five more tries while down a man against an increasingly disorganized opposition. Matt Faessler and the player of the match, Tom Wright, both completed hat-tricks. Next year’s Lions tour is on the horizon.
There was some notable verbal sparring even before the match. Regarding midweek criticism from former Wales players, Gatland told TNT Sports: “A couple of them I’m a bit disappointed with… you’d like to think there is an opportunity for them to support you.” Jamie Roberts, on pundit duty, responded. “I am sure he appreciates he’s in the position he is because of what the players gave for him on the park,” Roberts said. Another adage that holds true is that experience is irreplaceable. As Kerevi and Rob Valetini both celebrated their 50th Australia cap, the Welsh backline had just 63 combined caps, with fly-half Gareth Anscombe accounting for 38. Gatland had urged his current squad to be “more accurate and disciplined” during the buildup, but after a cautious start, Wright was tearing down the Australian left flank and feeding Andrew Kellaway with a clever inside pass. Kellaway found Kerevi, who was stopped by a stunning tackle from Welsh wing Tom Rogers.
The Wallabies soon shifted their focus to the right, and when Anscombe rushed out of the line, a dummy by Wright gave him a clear path to score. A Wales attack broke down due to an error by James Botham, Max Jorgensen seized the opportunity and delivered a deft one-handed pass to Len Ikitau, who released second row Nick Frost. His speed was too much for a struggling Wales defense, and the mood under the closed roof at the Principality Stadium was growing increasingly somber with each passing second. Adding insult to injury, it was a Gatland-style try that deepened the gloom. A straightforward maul after a lineout allowed Faessler to score, and Noah Lolesio converted. That made it 19-0. It was all looking very bleak, but a clever finish by Aaron Wainwright got Wales on the board. Two more Anscombe penalties before halftime made things look a little less desperate, and Gatland’s young side had shown spirit.
Joe Schmidt removed Angus Bell at halftime, apparently concerned about his scrummaging efforts, with James Slipper introduced. There were more concerns for the Wallabies coach when Kerevi was sent to the sin-bin for a reckless hit on the Wales openside, Jac Morgan. Replays were clear, and a red card via bunker review was issued. Still, the card came after Faessler had scored his second and Australia’s fourth try, stretching the visitors’ lead back to 13. Ellis Bevan, the Wales scrum-half, was arguably lucky to avoid a yellow card for a high challenge on his opposite number Nic White, who was swiftly substituted. Wales had won 18 out of 18 lineouts in their defeat by Fiji, an apparently impressive feat, although if the set piece was functioning so well and they were still beaten, clearly there are serious issues elsewhere. Faessler completed his hat-trick with tries on 48 and 53 minutes before Botham was denied a powerful score in the corner for a forward pass. Wright added the sixth try, converted by Lolesio, and Wales’s Ben Thomas offered some hope, before Ikitau and Wright completed the rout.
Can Gatland build a more cohesive team for the Six Nations? Will he get the chance? It’s been about five years since the Kiwi concluded an ‘incredibly special’ first stint. The farewell this time, whenever it comes, is unlikely to be so warm.
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