England did not play all that well in thrashing Wales and it is hard to see how the visitors pull themselves out of the rut
England really didn’t play that well. Certainly, if the number of points left out there is any guide. There were times in the first half, that part of the game when both teams are meant to be still in it, when it seemed as if scoring a try just required the hosts to string enough passes together.
Fair enough, they did score four in the first half alone, but two of them, the second and third, came when Wales were down to 13. So, yeah, string enough passes together …
We are quibbling, obviously, but paving the way for the real story here, which is Wales. Or is it? The tribulations of the Six Nations’ joint most successful team (by grand slams at any rate) do not these days constitute news, but with each low registered that slightly sickening feeling deepens further. How easy to forget they were champions only five years ago.
This crisis is most keenly felt in a country so steeped in rugby’s ways, but it spreads beyond the principality. This is a crisis for the Six Nations, because at this point it is hard to see how Wales pull themselves out of the rut. And that means those hawks who have long called for the introduction to the championship of promotion and relegation will find their voices again.
