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Another Wales player has backed Warren Gatland to stay in job

By PA
Dejected Wales players after their Bok hammering - PA

James Botham has given short shrift to those who question whether Warren Gatland should remain as Wales head coach.

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Wales’ 45-12 defeat against Autumn Nations Series opponents South Africa was their 12th Test match loss in succession.

They have gone a whole calendar year without winning a Test, which has not happened to Wales since 1937, and are just over two months away from a Six Nations opener against France in Paris.

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Hype reel for Bath and Scotland star fly-half, Finn Russell.

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A review into the autumn campaign – it also featured defeats against Fiji and Australia – will begin shortly and be led by Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Abi Tierney.

Gatland has overseen just six victories in 24 Tests since returning for a second stint as Wales boss, which starkly contrasts with a trophy-laden first spell from 2008 to 2019.

Defence

216
Tackles Made
92
46
Tackles Missed
6
82%
Tackle Completion %
94%

“Look what he has done in the past,” Wales flanker Botham said.

“There is a reason he came back into the job.

“There is no point in looking to point fingers or blame or say is he the right man? He is here, so of course he is right for the job.”

Botham made a staggering 28 tackles against the Springboks, being at the forefront of a resilient defensive display that ultimately prevented South Africa from cutting loose.

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Leading 19-0 inside the opening quarter, and then 26-5 at half-time, it looked as though the visitors might humiliate Wales.

But a second-half performance highlighted by admirable character and commitment underpinned Wales’ best performance of the autumn campaign.

James Botham Wales Warren Gatland
Handre Pollard gets hit hard – PA

Botham added: “It was very physical. But what was pleasing was the way we fought back at the end to get back into their 22 and get the final points.

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“There were a lot of positives from it. Overall, I thought the boys showed a lot of heart, and it was good to see.

“At times, things get hard, but it shows the boys care. There has been a lot of negativity around recently, but you have got to put that in the back pocket.

“I wouldn’t say it’s about proving a point. All teams transition. Some take longer than others.

“It is a journey, and we’ve definitely got a few more stops before we get to the final destination. The more we stay together, the better I think we will be.

“The Six Nations is a new competition where we can set new goals. Boys can go away and work on things they need to work on, including myself.

“The more you play together, the more you trust one another. Once we get the cohesion over a period of time, we will be better.

“It is a matter of turning the corner. When we will do that, no-one knows, but it is definitely going in the right direction.”

Related

Go behind the scenes of both camps during the British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa in 2021. Binge watch exclusively on RugbyPass TV now 

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Comments

1 Comment
O
OJohn 16 days ago

Ian Botham would never be so weak

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JW 37 minutes ago
'It doesn’t make sense for New Zealand to deny itself access to world-class players'

There are a couple of inadequacies in this articles points as well.


First

Robertson, in what he has said publicly, is building his argument for change as a means to close the gap that is increasing between the All Blacks and South Africa.

Based on recent performances, the All Blacks are better than the Springboks.


Second

Both games saw the All Blacks lead coming into the last 30 minutes, only for the momentum to shift dramatically once the two sides emptied their respective benches.

The failings of the second half were game plan related, they happened regardless of whether the bench had yet (play got worse very early in the half, even in the first half) been used or not.


And third

Robertson’s view is that because the Boks don’t lose access to their experienced players when they head offshore, it gives them an advantage

Didn't Razor have the most experienced team all year?


Also

“Sam Cane and Ardie Savea with Wallace Siti, what a balance that is.

This is part of Razor's problem. That's a terrible balance. You instead want something like Sam Cane, Hoskins Sotutu, Wallace Sititi. Or Ardie Savea, Sititi, Scott Barrett. Dalton Papaili'i, Savea, Finau. That is balance, not two old struggling to keep up players and an absolute rookie.

It has changed. Not many go north, more go to Japan, so how do we get the balance right to ensure that players who have given loyalty, longevity and who are still playing well

Experience is a priceless commodity in international rugby and New Zealand has a system where it throws away players precisely when they are at their most valuable.

You mean how do we take advantage of this new environment, because nothing has effectively changed has it. It's simply Japan now instead of Europe. What's it going to be like in the future, how is the new American league going to change things?


Mo'unga is the only real valid reason for debating change, but what's far more important is the wide discussion happening that's taking the whole game into account. The current modem throws players away because they decided to go with a 5 team model rather than a 12 or 14 team model. Players have to be asked to leave at the point were we know they aren't going to be All Blacks, when they are playing their best rugby, reached their peak. In order to reset, and see if the next guy coming through can improve on the 'peak' of the last guy. Of course it's going to take years before they even reach the departing players standards, let alone see if they can pass them.


What if there can be a change that enables New Zealand to have a model were players like Jamison Gibson-Park, James Lowe, Bundee Aki, Chandler Cunningham-South, Ethan Roots, Warner Dearns are All Blacks that make their experienced and youth developemnt the envy of the World. That is the discussion that really needs to be had, not how easy it is to allow Mo'unga to play again. That's how the All Blacks end up winning 3 World Cups in a row.

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