Wales head into the 2024 Six Nations with a point to prove after a disappointing World Cup campaign and a challenging transition under Warren Gatland.
With a mix of experienced leaders like Dan Biggar and a new generation of talent, the squad faces a tough test in a highly competitive tournament. Gatland will look to rebuild confidence, improve set-piece efficiency, and rediscover the attacking edge that once made Wales a dominant force.
With a mix of experienced leaders like Dan Biggar and a new generation of talent, the squad faces a tough test in a highly competitive tournament. Gatland will look to rebuild confidence, improve set-piece efficiency, and rediscover the attacking edge that once made Wales a dominant force.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Well, Charles, the Six Nations isn't too far away. A great occasion in the Rugby Union
00:07calendar for those six teams. Wales, of course, in recent times have, let's be honest, not
00:11been very good at all, have they? I mean, obviously, they just keep losing. As a Rugby
00:16Union side that has such a proud history and even in recent times have been really, really
00:20good. Recently, under Warren Garland, they've been dreadful, haven't they? It's been quite
00:25shocking to see their fall as a Rugby Union side for a nation who absolutely adores Rugby
00:30Union. And so they're going into this tournament probably not expecting an awful lot. And that's
00:36a real shame for Wales. But what can we expect from them? If anything, to be honest, can
00:41they win a game? I know normally we'd be asking, can Italy win a game? But can Wales win a
00:47game? That's the big question. And you struggle to see where a win comes from. I know Italy
00:53obviously is perhaps the best chance, but Italy even picked up wins in last year's campaign.
00:58So where will it come for Wales? Because the other sides are all looking pretty good, to
01:04be honest. Yeah, they are. And I think the realistic aims for them is to avoid that wooden
01:10spoon again. I mean, it was a dreadful time for Welsh rugby to get that wooden spoon last
01:15year. Obviously, it stemmed off and kick-started the terrible year that they had, the history
01:21breaking year in a bad way, of course, for no wins throughout a calendar year for Wales,
01:28which was absolutely terrible, to put it plainly, especially for the fans. I mean, yeah, you
01:34mentioned that Italy, but they finished seven points above Wales. Wales were at bottom on
01:39four points in a Six Nations tournament. I mean, just recapping over the last year, they
01:45lost by one point in the opening game against Scotland. It was very unlucky, really. Then
01:50they lost by two points against England in Week 2. They then were absolutely battered
01:57with a 24-point deficit by Ireland, who were obviously the champions the year before. And
02:04of course, then they go in France at home and they lose by 21 points, a massive loss.
02:11And they sort of threw the towel in. Then they lose by three points to Italy on the
02:14final day to claim that wooden spoon, something that no rugby union fan wants. But yeah, it's
02:20going to be a really interesting tournament. Warren Gatlin's lined up and he's brought
02:24in a few youngsters and the sort of debate for who's going to be the captain, et cetera,
02:29has been going on for weeks and months. And it's going to be really interesting to see
02:33how his side line up. And they really need to just make sure it's a bit of a redemption
02:38period for Welsh rugby, whether it's transitional or happens straight away, they need to get
02:42back to their very best. And they do not belong outside the top 10 in world rugby. So it's
02:49something that they certainly need to address. And doing it with a positive Six Nations would
02:54be the best possible way to start.