Gareth Jenkins once said, "Judge me on the world cup", so the WRU did, and sacked him! 20 odd games in charge and only 6 wins, one of those against England last March, and the rest against smaller nations, no offence to Canada and the like!
Unfortunately, I think Jenkins has paid a big price for what is not necessarily a result that is all down to him. Look at the players on the field. They missed 5 kicks at goal. That isn't going to help. And with the current set up of the Celtic League, narrowing down teams into regions, the WRU along with their Irish and Scottish counterparts, have totally devoid their national sides of a player pool. Maybe this is a reason why they have struggled this world cup.
The Celtic League also doesn't offer massive competition. There is no relegation. League games don't matter so much. A lot of the Fiji side that won against Wales on Saturday ply their trade in England or France, where the competition in the league is a lot fiercer than it is in the Celtic League.
Maybe the WRU should look more closely at themselves before dismissing their coach and shifting all the blame on to him.
The Irish were also eliminated today, losing 30-15 against Argentina, who ended up topping their group. They will play Scotland in the quarter finals, and will now be favourites to reach a semi final, whilst France, the hosts, will have to go to Cardiff, to play New Zealand.
It looks very much like its going to be a southern hemisphere semi final, further illustrating how far behind the northern hemisphere has fallen. Let's hope things improve before the next world cup, or even the quarter finals next weekend. If we don't improve soon, we will be years and years behind!
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