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Welcome to the first in a series of guest Blog articles for you to read, consider and enjoy.

We hope to make these Blogs a regular feature on www.Llanishen.rfc.wales

Ruck and Reason is a series of Blogs by Dr Huw Jones.

Huw’s first Blog article in the Ruck and Reason series considers the recent tour that Wales undertook to play the All Blacks.

A ROAD TRIP TOO FAR………REFLECTIONS ON THE NEW ZEALAND TOUR

The road trip from Auckland, to Hamilton, then on to Wellington, crossing the Cook Strait to the South Island and down to Dunedin, is one that many travellers hope to do sometime in their life. It was also the itinerary of the Welsh rugby team a few weeks ago. I doubt whether they had time for various detours to see the home of Bilbo Baggins at Hobbiton; majestic Mount Cook and magnificent Milford Sound. The latter coincidently named after the town of Milford Haven, from where its discoverer John Grono originated. I suspect that some players did venture to Queenstown, another place first discovered by a Welshman, William Gilbert Rees from Haverfordwest.

Above: The Forsyth-Barr Stadium in Dunedin

But the history and connections between New Zealand and Wales are not just geographical. They also encompass our rugby heritage. Wales’ first victory over the All Blacks in 1905, 3-0, lives long in the memory of many New Zealanders. They still feel it was an unjust victory due to Bob Deans’ try being disallowed. In fact, if you go into the historic Dunedin Railway Station where the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame is housed, the first thing you will see is that scoreline in big black letters just inside the entrance. It reminds all of the importance of victory and success. A victory which Wales only accomplished on a further two occasions in over 100 years against the All Blacks.

Above: The Sports Hall of Fame in Dunedin where the 3 - 0 Wales victory in 1905 is at the entrance

With that as context, you didn’t need to be Nostradamus to predict that Wales would not only lose the test series against New Zealand but also be beaten in all four games. Some glass half-full supporters had suggested that we could win the first match. They argued that as the All Blacks hadn’t played a test since winning the Rugby World Cup, we ‘could catch them cold’. To say that this was hopeful would be giving hope a bad name. We hadn’t beaten the ABs since 1953 and we have never won on NZ soil.

Although they hadn’t played a test since last year their players had competed in 13 rounds of Super Rugby. Even after a number of high profile retirements the AB squad was still very experienced and it was only the centre combinations which were in doubt. Unfortunately, Wales’ hopes evaporated in the first twenty minutes of the second half of the Auckland test when they put 28 unanswered points on the board.

The second test was much of a muchness while the third test was a test too far. Players clearly tired after a season of 18 internationals (yes, unbelievable isn’t it) and arguably lacking significant confidence in their style of play. They also conceded 22 tries and for a team which prided itself in its defence this must have been a bitter blow.

But for many it wasn’t the three test defeat which was the most concerning but the midweek loss to the Chiefs in Hamilton.  OK I’m a glass half empty person but I take no pride in saying that I predicted this. Yes, the Chiefs were lacking a number of first team players due to All Black call-ups or injury but they were still a formidable outfit. At the time, topping the Super Rugby table and playing some brilliant rugby under their coach Dave Rennie, the man who’d coached the Junior All Blacks to three consecutive World Cup wins and the Chiefs to consecutive Super Rugby titles. They play the game at phenomenal pace but are also technically very aware. Many teams don’t compete at lineouts these days to try to prevent a rolling maul from being formed. The Chiefs also don’t always compete at the breakdown therefore not allowing a ruck to form which results in no off-side line being created. Tactically brilliant, but this requires enormous discipline on the field to know when to do it and more importantly when not.

It’s easy to simply say the All Blacks are a unique phenomenon and a team that we could never hope to be competitive against. But we must also remember that four out of five of the New Zealand Super Rugby franchises top that table. Even the fifth, the Blues, have improved significantly in recent months. The success of the All Blacks doesn’t start with the All Blacks.

So what is the key to rugby’s success in New Zealand? Well, my 30 odd years involved in sport and its administration has taught that there is never one simple answer. We nearly always seek a panacea to our problems. People quickly say, ‘If we do this or that, it will all be fine’. In my experience, its many things that you have to change and nine times out of ten it’s not just stuff on the field of play. It’s also how the game is run and governed; in other words the culture of rugby and how it permeates from the top down to grass-roots.

I’ll discuss this further in my next blog but for now let’s stick with the obvious things that most people have observed simply by watching the test matches.

Basic skills are at the forefront of everything they do – catching, passing and off-loading. This applies from 1-15 on the field not just the pretty boys in the Backs. Their clearing out at rucks is key to enable quick ball to be made available and prevent defences from having the time to re-group. The result is a fast paced game which is both fantastic to watch and I suspect to play. Any professional rugby player or coach who doesn’t have Sky Sports and who doesn’t watch Super Rugby and the Rugby Championship suggests to me that they don’t care about their own development. On this basis alone they should be sacked. We all need to aspire to this type of rugby.

These things we can solve and we can do it quickly if we get our coaching right at all levels not just the National team. I’m confident that Geraint John, the WRU’s Head of Elite Performance has the skill and commitment to lead this change. But he doesn’t coach the national team!

Many questioned whether Warren Gatland is the right person to now coach Wales given what was a disastrous tour. Well, he was given a contract until 2019 and at a rumoured £500,000 per annum this is probably seen as too much by the WRU to write-off. Others argue, can we afford not to write it off given the dated style of play and what appears to be a significant lack of confidence by the players in what they are being asked to do.

Coaching isn’t just about technical skills it’s about getting the best out of players by giving them confidence, something which appears to be lacking at the moment. Look at the impact Chris Coleman has had on the Wales football team. The squad have hardly changed but they are now a team, or even a brotherhood, which believes in themselves and believes in the coach.

It was therefore a bizarre announcement before the final test that Howley and McBride’s contracts would be extended to 2019. Many had long argued that the coaching team needed refreshing in order to create a change of culture and approach in the squad. Gatland saw it differently. To his credit he is loyal to those with whom he works, but some would argue that he’s loyal to the extent of stubbornness.

You can speculate on the discussion which took place with the Communications Team before this announcement. Someone suggesting it should be made before the last test as we weren’t likely to win it and therefore it would go down like a lead balloon if it was to be made afterwards. OK boys let’s get it out before the match! Rugby and politics operate in similar ways sometimes.

My view is that changes should have been made. England Rugby have shown the impact a new coach can have almost immediately. The last thing we need is a disastrous few years and then eventually the coach is sacked just before the World Cup. That would never happen would it?!

But we are where we are. The National Coaching team will remain unchanged until after the Rugby World Cup in 2019. In the meantime let’s hope that the WRU can begin the process of culture change that all associated with Welsh rugby can buy into, including the professional and amateur clubs. More on this in the next blog.

If they don’t, then we are going to be talking about 1953 for many years to come.

Huw G Jones

Huw was Chief Executive of Sport Wales (previously the Sports Council for Wales) for over 15 years. During this period Wales saw significant increases in children’s and young people’s participation in sport as well as Wales’ best ever performances at the Olympic and Paralympic games. He retired in 2013 and is now a volunteer in sport as well as a season ticket member at Cardiff Blues.

Above: Huw Pictured outside the NZ Rugby HQ in Wellington

The Club wishes to thank Huw for sharing his thoughts and looks forward to the next Blog.

Highlights of the 1st Test and the Game against the Chiefs are available to watch below.

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NZ v Wales 1st Test Highlights

Chiefs v Wales 2016