Several things can be true at once. Warren Gatland may not have had the quality of players available to him in his second spell as Wales coach that he had in his first, but did the New Zealander make the most of the resources at his disposal?
Gatland’s justification for picking players out of position, before he stood down after presiding over a Wales record losing streak of 14 straight Test defeats, was that he was building towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
But interim Wales coach Matt Sherratt, with the clarity that comes from knowing he’s in charge only for the last three rounds of the Six Nations, recalled Gloucester fly-half Gareth Anscombe, overlooked by Gatland, in one of several changes to the starting team against Ireland.
Wales still lost, going down 27-18 in Cardiff, but the difference from their recent defeats was stark, with captain Jac Morgan and Tom Rogers scoring well-worked tries and Anscombe kicking eight points.
“I’ve been coaching long enough (to know) there’s always going to be a bounce like this,” said Cardiff boss Sherratt, with the Englishman adding: “The challenge is trying to build on that bounce over the next couple of games.”
No team wants to be known for ‘heroic defeats’ but Wales’ first match under Sherratt means they they can travel to Edinburgh for their fourth-round clash against Scotland with hope of a first international win since defeating Georgia in a pool match at the 2023 World Cup.
© 2025 AFP
