Lack of Cohesion Costs Wales

By Paul
November 4 2006

TRADITIONAL slow starters, Wales failed to hit the ground running in an exciting but ultimately scrappy encounter against an experimental Wallaby side today.

Gareth Jenkins will have more questions than answers, after a test that Wales will have mixed feelings about. Having done superbly to claw back an eleven point deficit, Wales will have been disappointed not to have gone on and closed the game out, and end up with the scores level at twenty nine a piece.

A late ankle twist let James Hook to continue his assured emergence as an assured player at this level, in place of Stephen Jones. Hook's solid boot at this level will no doubt please Jenkins, like wise Gavin Henson who showed a marked improvement in a Welsh shirt. As per usual, Martyn Williams was just everywhere and it is hard to estimate just how crucial he is to this team.

Failure to control ball in their own twenty two hurt Wales continually through the eighty minutes. The Wallabies won twenty -seven balls at that end of the park, opposed to the four the home side could muster.Wales had only assembled four days prior and it showed, with a lack of cohesion failing to back up some strong individual displays. A tendency to kick ball through showed a lack of communication and direction. Wales could only manage four offloads out of the tackle area in the entire game, and missed a whopping fourteen tackles. The last two Wallaby tries could be perceived as soft ones to give away.

Kevin Morgan and Gareth Thomas looked somewhat hesitant as they were constantly turned by Australian punts. Jenkins must now decide who of the two makes way for Mark Jones. I don't think that our forwards managed to impose themselves on the game, in particular Ian Evans and Adam Jones who struggled, whilst Ryan Jones looks a long way off his Lions best.

How Wales judge this match is vital. It wasn't calamitous nor was it glorious; hopefully though it has blown a lot of cobwebs out of several players systems, and the character shown in coming back from the opening Wallaby deluge took guts.

With a wider view, both teams are at a similar stage in their World cup build up, and the disjointed nature of today’s game was perhaps inevitable. It is still early days for the style Jenkins wants to impress upon this side; I think we will see a far more accurate picture next week.