The Welsh contribution in European rugby is already over and no-one has yet broken sweat in a quarter-final tie in either competition. Worse than that, the figures for the four regions this season are damning. Collectively, they played 24 pool matches and won just seven, losing the other 17. Strength in depth in Welsh rugby? Do Harri Morgan a favour.
You know the Six Nations drinking game? The one that punishes all things cliche, like Eddie Butler pronouncing the name of a French player, with the type of va va voom that would suggest the former Wales captain spent his formative years pedalling the Rue d’Pontypool in a black and white hooped sweater, onions dangling from his neck, selling croissant.
Well, had there been a similar game during the autumn series, perhaps the phrase punishable by a swift glug of beer, would have been any reference to the growing depth of talent within the Welsh ranks.
Despite not yielding any notable silverware, the Welsh national set-up would be entitled to reflect upon 2018 as a successful year.
They went to Argentina, and won a series, albeit against a Pumas side that looked like they were voting on their feet for a change in coaching set-up.
Back at the Principality Stadium, Wales did it ugly to defeat the Wallabies, in doing so ending a decade of dominance.
A victory over a South Africa side, who themselves made important gains in 2018, gave Warren Gatland’s team an unprecedented November clean sweep, in a series that also included wins over Tonga, and Scotland in the inaugural Doddie Weir Cup.
Perhaps more important than the tangible measure of victory when evaluating 2018 was the emergence of new and credible options to both back-up and challenge the playing establishment. But, less than two months on, the glee of November seems a somewhat distant memory.
The Christmas derby matches failed to deliver anywhere near the expected level of quality. Take, for example, the Ospreys v Scarlets match.
It was a dire contest, but one that featured 18 individuals who had done the business for Wales during the calendar year.
Sure, the Dragons victory over the Ospreys offered up some excitement but this was more result-driven than classy rugby football.
After this final weekend of the pool stages, Wales have no representatives in either the knockout segment of the Heineken Champions Cup, or the European Challenge Cup. The Ospreys needed snookers out in France, but lost the frame.
Wales again has no representatives among the 16 teams left in both tournaments. Is it the poor league competition our regions are forced to play in? Then, how come our Guinness Pro 14 brethren the Scots and Irish have two and three teams, respectively, into the last eight of the main tournament?
This forces the question as to whether that deep pool of talent is just a mirage – an optical illusion conjured up by the wizardry of the national coaching set-up.
Should we just accept that Gatland, Edwards & co. have created an environment that both demands and more importantly, facilitates those within it to reach performance levels that deviate above the mean?
As a supporter it is difficult not to point a frustrated finger of criticism at the inability of those involved in the national squad to drop a few rungs down the ladder, and not only retain their own Test match standards but also to drive those of their aspirational colleagues.
A pure statistician would laugh in the face of this frustrated finger, for if we accept that players are reaching above their average under Warren’s watch, then it is expected that they will subsequently return or even dip below their average performance level.
Then, of course, there is Welsh rugby’s very own Pandora’s box, labelled the structure of the professional game in Wales.
The structure debate is almost Brexit-esque in the inability of stakeholders to compromise personal stand points and collaborate for an optimal outcome.
If, like Scotland, there were only two regions in Wales, it is easy to envisage that both could be front runners in the Pro 14 and the Champions Cup.
But at what cost? Would reducing the size of the player pool adversely impact the depth and quality of player?
Take the emergence of Aaron Wainwright – out of a college rugby programme, into the Dragons squad and dining at the Test match table all in the space of 12 months.
They say the cream will always rise, but the route would have been far less fluid in a two, or even three team state.
Another chunk of this structure jigsaw is the extent to which the strategy shaping the professional game should prioritise the existing, and in some cases lost affinity that supporters have with certain organisations.
This is very much the emotional strand to the discussion, and such is the spectrum of opinion, both change and the status quo will yield loud critique.
The final round of the Champions Cup offered up some tasty encounters.
But these are the types of game that are always more enjoyable when you can relax and . . . who am I kidding? . . . there is nothing like the tension driven excitement when there is Welsh skin in the game.
Of course, there is always next year, but you know what they say about doing the same thing over and expecting different results.
Bring on the Six Nations.