Wales play their final match of the autumn series against South Africa. After a week of agonising in both camps, neither team can afford to lose, according to Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards. Graham Thomas says the simplicity of Edwards’ viewpoint is to be welcomed.
Shaun Edwards was in combative mood – his default setting – this week when he said international rugby was all about winning.
He’s right. It is. Whoever wins between Wales and South Africa on Saturday can gulp a sigh of relief after a week spent inhaling the stale air of insult and recrimination.
Edwards – Wales’ long-standing defence coach and a merciful counterpoint of plain-speaking – spelt it out simply. Winning is what matters and his and Rob Howley’s critics cannot have it both ways.
Wales have so often been hammered for losing by narrow margins to the likes of Australia and South Africa and reminded of the brutal truth that professional sport has little time for bravery without reward.
The result against Japan was a victory, said Edwards. It may have been last-ditch, undeserved, unpleasing on the eye, with all manner of faults, but it was a win.
If Wales back up that result with another victory over the Springboks, it will mean an autumn series of three wins out of four and their best November for 14 years.
But the problem with this analysis – one recognised by Edwards – is that it takes no account of the strength of opposition. It gives no leeway. As a former rugby league man used to unforgiving judgements during his years with Wigan, Edwards was quite clear when he labelled the Springboks game as a cup final.
“The success or relative failure (of the autumn) will depend on whether we win on Saturday,” he said. “We are going into a cup final this week against a team ranked higher than us. They’ve got what we want, which is that fourth ranked position. We are going to play winning rugby.”
If Wales win in a grim struggle between two stuttering teams, few people are likely to carp on too long about Wales’ inability to expand their game in the dynamic direction that others have headed.
It is about winning. Few complained about Warrenball when the Grand Slams were being delivered. It has taken defeats – regularly and habitually against New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, for the mood to change.
The signs are that Wales will revert to their familiar style in some areas, at least. They may have left Jamie Roberts out at centre in favour of Scott Williams, but for all the talk about changing the game-plan, Wales have not much altered their team. They want old dogs to learn new tricks.
The Springboks have gone the other way, ripping up their team and they include just four survivors from the side that beat Wales in last year’s World Cup quarter-final.
Should Wales lose, however, the autumn series will have been a failure – judged on Edwards’ terms – and the scorn will continue all the way through to the Six Nations.
Warren Gatland has always claimed that it is the Six Nations that matters, than the autumn Tests are mere preparation for the one annual tournament Wales play in.
But it is not just the style of rugby and shape of players that is altering. Ranking points for the World Cup means the autumn series now has real relevance and another defeat against a southern hemisphere team will mean it is South Africa who are heading towards a seeding position for Japan 2019, not Wales.
As Edwards says, it’s a cup final where the winner takes all.