Opinion: Wales disappointment against Springboks was all too predictable

My selection of sports teams to support has never been optimal.

When I was four and first decided to support a football team I was adamant it would not be Arsenal or Tottenham. Instead, I chose Everton: it was my godfather’s team, they finished seventh that season and they sounded like my name (which I think is still a very fine excuse for a four-year-old to support a team).

Fast forward to now, supporting the Toffees has been an arduous and often painful affair. Points deductions, Dyche-ball disaster-classes and generally a loss of any positive expectation.

Likewise, when more recently I became interested in Formula One, I decided to support Aston Martin as the premier British brand on the Grid. While Adrian Newey does perhaps signal good things to come, that too has been disappointing.

Yet no pain has been greater than the decline of Welsh Rugby, epitomised by this past weekend’s demolition at the hands of South Africa.

Welsh Rugby has always been a tale of the highest highs and lowest of lows. We are now definitively in a low. The record loss to South Africa at the Principality was almost less painful given how obvious it was to any pundit. In two years, the only team Wales have won against is Japan. Their ranking has fallen to eleventh, the lowest of any team in the six nations.

The form is objectively horrific. Yet what makes it even worse is how striking the change has been since the pandemic. Where now we are at a definitive low, the 2000s and 2010s were perhaps an all time high for Welsh rugby.

On the field it was a game of two halves in the most literal sense, in so far as Wales barely got into South Africa’s

While the Land of Dragon never saw world cup glory, they reached two semi-finals, including a tense kick-heavy game against Rassie Erasmus’ South Africa in 2019. Blessed with players like Sam Warbuton, Justin Tipuric, George North and Dan Biggar, Wales won six Six Nations, including three grand slams. The rise to the top was remarkable, yet the collapse has been just as quick. Now even the reliable win against Italy has slipped away.

All this was epitomised on Saturday. While Siya Kolisi praised the fixture as a necessary step to improve Wales by playing the best, the pre-match criticism that the game would be a runaway was evident, both in the performance on the field and the large sections of the stands that were empty. On the field it was a game of two halves in the most literal sense, in so far as Wales barely got into South Africa’s. The South African Scrum which had terrorised Ireland the week before was no better with scrum penalties and an almost 40kg difference in the weight of the packs. The backs led by man of the match Andre Esterhuizen punched holes in the Welsh defence and ruled in the air.

At such a low, one must ask if the only way from here is up, or whether Welsh woes will continue

Even with the historic loss, the most surprising event of the game came in the dying moments. Eben Etzebeth, subbed on to get involved in his customary once a game scuffle, was clearly shown attempting to gouge his thumb into Alex Mann’s eye. A clear angle meant an instant red card. The seemingly deliberate nature of the gouge, while Mann has reported no eye issues, means Etzebeth’s fate is up to World Rugby who will be debating how long his suspension will be. A two-year ban has been floated that would keep him out for the next world cup in Australia.

In conclusion, Wales’ loss to South Africa last weekend serves as an all too predictable symbol for the current state of Welsh Rugby. At such a low, one must ask if the only way from here is up, or whether Welsh woes will continue for another few years in the build-up to Australia 2027. While the future is unclear, the present is clear and miserable for Welsh rugby.