I'm 37 and from Neath. Spent many a'night freezing my tits-off in the Cowshed during my younger years, but in fairness, there's little interest since the mystique of rivalry was quashed by regional rugby. While NRFC's history is nice to know, it's not as important as improving the quality of the sport more broadly. Rugby within Wales needs to move on, and I'm sure the other ten people under the age of 50 living in Neath would agree with me.

Shave away 😂. Missed that at the time of the game

Great documentary. I rarely watch full videos and this one was special. The sound was a bit poor but other than that great. I went to school with gavin in Bridgend (brynteg). I was a few years younger than him.

Can you redo these for this year . Would love to see your take on who should play where

I dont see anything wrong with what he said in his book.

You can’t knock the man he had the balls to get up and walk away because we wasn’t going to be messed around amd he was a good player, you would probably find with the right manager and help he would have been a great his skill set was brilliant and he was tough

Massively overated. He literally became a superstar for a big tackle on a 12 stone, 18 year old. He didn't have the pace or desire to be a top player.

Really informative and engaging video … thankyou

I’ve this video , my favourite player and most talented should be involved in coaching,currently playing for his home team pencoed and still awesome.

It could be the era he played but I can’t remember him ever make an impact against the ABs. Unlike the other genius Welsh fly halves like Barry,Bennett and Johnathon Davies who I thought was just incredible

Brilliant brilliant player was Gav, loved watching him play especially for Wales. He was gifted and had all the ability in the world ! When he ran with the ball it was like he was floating on air ! A special talent….. Imagine if he fulfilled his full potential……. Would have been incredible to see.

The modern game has passed by Gatland, he needs to go. It was evident a few years ago when he went back to NZ to coach a very talented Chiefs team and they went on a big losing streak, only for Gatland to go offf on Lions duty and current coach Clayton McMillan to step in temporarily and completely turn the team around into a top contender. Needless to say Gatland was dropped as coach after that and ended up back in Wales trying to re-live past glory as head coach of a national team that desperately needs to rebuild and work towards the future and not be constantly looking in it rear view mirror.

Is that Zinzan Brooke @ 2:52 ?

As a Saffa; I love when Wales punch back!!!

Wales didn't just lie down and take it!! Good on them for pushing the Boks!!

This is going to be a weird thing to say, but hear me out... Wales needs Eddie Jones. The problem with Jones is, he creates a top down hostile high performance environment with only one way implemented... His way or you go A way 😊. He cannot coach a team as head coach if he does not have full control and he can dictate every facet of prep and play. I believe he is very bad at team building and the Kumbaya stuff. But when it comes to evolving a technical and tactical from scratch... He may be the best that has ever coached the game. Im a South African and therefore believe Rassie is the greatest coach to ever manage a rugby team... and he is, if you take every single facet of coaching like belief, emotional prep, instilling confidence, tactics and gameplan. But if you are rebuilding from 0... Eddie did it for England (they hated him, but he got them to a final). If Wales can stomach him and are willing to compromise their DNA... he will get you past the pool stages in 2027. The price may be too high though. I want Welsh rugby to flourish and give us games like the 2019 semi final. In my opinion, one of the best games of rugby ever played (tactically between two world class flyhalves).

nice vid

So so overrated.

Great summary as always. If we did have an East and West, there may be greater support than you suggest? If the regions were effectively named East Wales and West Wales, and played in red (apart from when they played each other) I believe there would be support. As a nation we’ve always turned out to support Wales, and if the regions are a version of Wales; with the club names completely dropped, it gets rid of the Newport, Cardiff etc. rivalry. Despite being a Cardiff fan, I would support an East Wales team playing at Rodney Parade. Simply because it’s Wales. I do agree that having just 2 regions does not deliver a large enough playing pool. Shame we could never deliver a North region. 3 teams in Wales, given our player population feels about right.

2 Regions. Centralised academy. Promote the club game. No cap rules.

How much of the men's funding which is generated by the men from Wales and domestic games is used towards the women's team? I can't see the point of supporting projects which do not make money.

I think looking ahead to the six nations, or dreading the six nations which ever way you look at it, I think a win must come from the tournament where and how is anything story, if we get whitewashed and get some hammerings in the process, They will be forced to change the coach we cannot go on being this bad, the question has Gatland lost the dressing room is a tough one only the players will know that and a review is in progress, The problem is that all of the six nation teams have advanced one way or another Wales have gone backwards, only England seem to be struggling but that is clutching at straws.

You call it positivity. I call it delusional. Jac Morgan was the only quality player in the autumn. Probably the only man with a shot at a lions call up. Everyone else looked like ametuers. So many are lucky to be playing at this level. I do like lake but to call him world class when he can't hit his jumpers, c'mon.

Is the women’s game a luxury that we can afford right now? We can’t afford to adequately fund the professional game for men’s rugby yet are obliged to fund the women’s game knowing that it will never make a return. They’ll get slammed for it if they change anything of course, so it’s just an expensive bit of PR mitigation the way I see it. The pathway project is a brilliant idea and a real positive, definitely feels a few years too late but in fairness to the WRU they probably didn’t have the cash a few years back. So at least they are finally starting something after being asleep at the wheel for a very long time

Good video Christian. Agree with everything you say. Especially keeping 4 regions

I think they’ll sack Howley. They really should: Gats can then go if he wants to. Ignoring Falatau for now, I think our best 23 is probably something like the below. However - as can be seen - there is a lack of size, so we need to base our game around speed and movement. Gats is NOT the man for that. Thomas. Lake. Thomas Jenkins. Freddie T Botham. Wainwright. Morgan Tomos Jarrod Thomas Page Grady. Rogers Williams Dee Smith Griffin Beard Rowlands Reffell Davies (new coach talk to him) Lloyd

Didn't agree about keeping four regions. We can only have 2 regions in Wales, East and West. We haven't got the player base, etc, for 4 professional clubs. Plus, that would mean 12 million a year for 2 clubs, which means we could complete with the Irish sides. If people from Newport and Swansea don't want to watch the regional sides, they've got Newport and Swansea clubs to watch instead, as people in Ebbw Vale, Pontypool, Merthyr, Pontypridd, Bridgend, Neath and Aberavon have already.

I think in addition to the WRU administration getting their act together, gatlan needs to build a fresh coaching team around him. Howley is no longer delivers us an exciting attacking force, Jonathan Humphrys has little track record of success and Neil Jenkins…… most expensive water boy in the world. You can’t tell me that his experience is relevant to any of the modern kickers. Gravy train

the real elephant in the room is funding for womens rugby. it's a financial blackhole at every level that will never produce a profit relative to investment. and to clarify re: the women contracts , they were sitting on the contracts for months doing nothing before the deadline was introduced. only the diversity hires walker and tierney are obsessed with funding these useless female wannabes.

Thanks for a great review Christian. I’m still hopeful that things will turn around 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼 BTW it’s women’s rugby not ‘ladies’ - otherwise we have to call the men’s team the ‘gentlemen’ … 😂😂😂😂

To be honest i just dont see ANYTHING CHANGING in WELSH RUGBY until the WRU bite the bullet and disband /merge a region or two So they can fund the remaining regions at a realistic level As for W.Gatland going well who will replace him ?? No one of note wants the Wales job As it has to much expectation and very little funding and currently a lack of quality players It will take three years i feel of the regions being properly funded for Wales to regain the hieghts of Gatlands 1st era in charge As for the regions developing young talent Well that very obviously isn't happening currently I do agree that the 25 cap rule has to go It woulf help Wales short term Although i do agree that there isn't alot of players who would return to the regions Given the lack of funds

Gatland is the best thing about the current team. They have Morgan and Lake as the only players who wouldve had a small chance of sitting on the bench ten years ago. THe only person I could imagine replacing Gatland is Shaun Edwards

And exactly who do you think will want the Wales poison chalice.....WRU need to rethink the whole thing If Gats wants it let him it can't get much worse Sorry for bad punctuation

Good review of past and future aims. Agree with everything and your views of certain individual player’s performance. One thing I don’t understanding about throwing the ball in at the line out, is it not like taking a kick at goal, something you have to constantly practice. Leigh Halfpenny is renowned for the amount of practice hours he put in to get as good as he is. I like the idea of the 60 player development, and noticed that Dan Edward’s was mentioned, who I rate highly. Sam Warburton talked about the need for athletic players in today’s game, and perhaps it’s no longer a game for all sizes, although maybe Antoine Dupont disproves this. The regions need to improve as players are not just loosing in a Welsh jersey but also within their clubs. I don’t know how Aaron Wainwright does it. He could go to a better club even outside of Wales. Have to admire his commitment to Welsh rugby.

Keep the head up a true fan

I think the Criticism of Anscombe is a bit unfair. He thrives on confidence and players playing confidently around he. He’s not the type of player to just improve the performances of players around him. He needs players around him playing well to get the best out of him

Hi Christian, I’d love to see Pat Lam too. For me Gatland isn’t the man. It’s not all his fault but I don’t believe he’s getting the best or picking the best available to him. I also think the 25 cap rule has to go. The regions this weekend were shocking. I think if the best players left the regions it would likely improve them. Coaching, fitness etc. If Gats stays, I see even less benefit of the players staying in Wales because under him this time round, the longer they stay in camp the worse they get.

I can't even see us winning a game in 2025

I'd say the main decline in Welsh rugby can be traced back to the disbandment of the National Academy in 2015 - a decision that has had lasting negative effects on player development. The centralized academy was instrumental in producing Wales's golden generation of players, providing world-class strength and conditioning and creating a clear pathway from youth to professional rugby. It was the backbone of Grand Slam victories in 2005 and 2008 and having Welsh players carrying the other nations during the the last 4 lions tours. However, the WRU replaced it with regional academies to cut costs and decentralize development. While the idea was to empower the regions, the reality has been inconsistent training standards and underfunded systems. Mark Bennett, a former head of strength and conditioning for Wales, has openly criticized this move. He noted that physical conditioning among Welsh players has dropped significantly since the centralized academy was disbanded. Without unified oversight, regions struggled to replicate the level of preparation needed to compete internationally. Other nations like Ireland and France stuck with centralized systems and are now outpacing Wales in producing world-class players. Ireland, for example, has heavily invested in their provincial academies, while France has combined club and national development to great success. Solutions? 1. Reintroduce a centralized National Academy to ensure consistent high-quality training and physical preparation. 2. Increase funding for regional academies and align their goals with a national strategy. 3. Learn from nations like Ireland and France by combining localized development with centralized oversight. 4. Focus on long-term planning and invest in both grassroots and elite player pathways to rebuild Wales’ rugby foundations. If we want to reclaim our rightful place among the best of the best again, the WRU needs to address these structural issues urgently. A centralized system worked before, and it can work again. We simply need Mark Bennett back being either our top strength and conditioning coach or in charge of the new national academy we should employ. It's criminal how a person of his elite credentials and modern outlook of the game isn't involved in the WRU anymore and I'll never understand why, one of the many mind boggling decisions made by the WRU.

Great video Christian, Young team. Gats played the least new caps between 2015 -2019 world cups , Slashing the cash is worse !, 99 problems in🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏉but passion isn’t one. Need to win in Rome or the losing streak is going to be scary 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿😘

I knew win or lose against Fiji would have determined the australia game but the SA game was going to be a loss either way, I was just hoping to see improvement and whey up some of the new guys like Hathaway and F. Thomas etc. If I were building a team up I would slide in one or two easier games for confidence boosting because that is what I believe is lacking Fiji are not an easy team to start, Scotland played portugal that win gave confidence but Gatland and Co insist on playing top 5 teams wich is destroying the confidence of these youngsters. There is a glimmer , these guys have talent, Freddie Thomas did not shy away from the safas and got stuck in he had guts, there was Teddy Williams a year or two ago came on against South Africa and he was also getting stuck in but has fallen to the shadows beard is good for lineouts but thats about it, I have lost faith in Gatlands strategy but that 1 win we are chasing may just be the turning point but it does not look like it will happen soon.

He's obsessed with the women's game, being that they've been professional for the last two seasons, they're skill-sets, tactics and kicking haven't improved one iota, and the backs need to learn how to catch and pass, and also tackle, what the hell is the money being spent on? The men's side isn't much better, after 3/4 phases, we run out of ideas, tackling and kicking leaves a lot to be desired too...

Hi Christian, In some way I'm glad the Autumn internationals is over but in a sad way I was hoping for 2 wins even just by a few points. Nigel Walker contract needs a good looking at and the WRU needs to have a good look at it's self and hopefully find the answer why we are in this state, is it money probably. As I said before it's not Warren Gatland and we got a completely new team, we just got to start from scratch and we are up against all teams with players with 60 75 80 or more than a 100 caps in there team, we just don't have that now. We are the whipping boys now till we get established again, this will take time and removing Warren Gatland will not solve it, if we get a new coach they will have the same problem, a new coach is not the answer, may be we need a new board at the WRU. As always good to catch your thoughts, Take care

Since Nigel Walker joined the WRU, what substantial improvement has he made, has this guy done anything, lets be honest he was a disasterous DEI appointment.

Some of the forwards and back line sub standard I think 👍

I wouldn't be surprised if Walker is given the heave-ho and Gatland is moved into Walkers role. A new head coach, and coaching team, is brought in and that'll be about the extent of the changes and the proverbial can gets kicked down the road yet again. Whilst I mention a new coach, I may as well throw my thoughts in on who. I suggest Pam Lam, I watch the premiership every week and Bristol play a really attractive and expensive type of rugby under Lam and they aren't a physically "massive' team so in my mind that fits the Welsh style of old and would suit our current squad physicality.

I'm really hoping SRC can capture the attention of the public. It could revitalise the game in some areas of Wales where the professional game has ignored slightly.

To be honest I wasn't shocked by the Autumn games - after the worst 6 Nations in decades and an unsuccessful tour of Australia, I knew we weren't going to win any of them, and we didnt deserve to. I was sad, but definitely not surprised. Something has to change, otherwise this will be what we can expect for the foreseeable future.