Ryan Jones and Warren Gatland. (Image: Getty)
These are harrowing times for Welsh rugby. Sure, ripples of optimism have surfaced , and intrigue has at least partially overridden anxiety ahead of an acid test at home to today.
That’s due to the eight changes in the starting XV from the side beaten by Italy last time out. The prospect of attacking innovation is a far cry from the blunted approach in Rome, a display void of conviction, cutting-edge, and confidence.
And yet, the brutal realities remain. Warren Gatland’s departure was inevitable, but sadly for Welsh fans, the serious issues plaguing WRU governance and the professional club game won’t disappear to New Zealand with him.
It’s a notion that former captain Ryan Jones is prepared to acknowledge. His own international career between 2005 and 2015 was signified by different times, least of all four titles, three Grand Slams, and a 2011 semi-final. But that was then; this is now.
In an interview with Express Sport, Jones, 43, questioned whether Gatland’s dismissal was managed with any sense of direction, regardless of the inevitably. “It’s almost unheard of for a coach to be sacked during the Six Nations, especially on the back of what was supposed to be a robust review (in November),” he said.
“I do think it’s incredible we’ve got to this point. Is sacking Warren the solution to the ills in Welsh rugby? No it’s not. Whether they’ve got the right people to address everything is a different question.
Ryan Jones (right) captained Wales under Warren Gatland. (Image: Getty)
“Warren was a great leader of talent when given the ingredients. That’s great when you’ve got the talent to deliver and thrive in the right environment. It (the current situation) goes way beyond the coaching team.”
The problems Jones is outlining are potentially years away from being fixed. The Welsh team, meanwhile, has a far more immediate juggernaut to deal with — an Ireland side arriving in Cardiff on the back of a maximum of 10 points from two matches as they gun for a third straight title.
Not even the most optimistic and patriotic home fan would dare suggest an upset is on the cards. But what does Jones think would represent a successful showing come 4.15pm at the Principality Stadium?
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“Ireland are firm favourites and rightly so, they are one of the best teams in the world in recent memory,” he conceded. “This is a ruthless side that wants to cement themselves as a generational Ireland team. In many respects, they already have.
“But I’ve been pleased with Matt Sherratt’s interviews, talking about playing with belief and confidence. Success will be having a real good crack at Ireland from broken play and set pieces. If we can keep them in sight at half-time, and look dangerous, I think people will be really pleased with that.”
It sounds like a low bar to set, but 14 straight Test defeats ultimately shrivels ambition. And if Sherratt’s side can at least play with verve and get supporters off their feet, then it would represent a form of progress, wouldn’t it?
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“We want to see a Wales team that attacks,” answered Jones. “The intent has got to be to play with a cutting edge, but it has to be measured. We don’t have a catastrophic plan where we throw it about from everywhere, and no one knows what they’re doing.”
Intriguingly, Jones stopped short of joining the chorus of former players currently scathing about the set-up recently implemented by Gatland, let alone the actual players. This afternoon, he’ll be joined by ex-Irish international Rob Henderson in providing a live commentary feed from his account, part of an innovative new scheme from Vodafone.
But regardless of what transpires in front of his eyes on the pitch, Jones knows that the real problems in Welsh rugby lie deep beneath it.
Jones and Henderson will host a social media watch-along live during Wales vs Ireland match, enabled by network slicing on Vodafone’s 5G Standalone (5G SA) network. In a UK first, the livestream on Jones’ account will showcase the power of network slicing in a stadium environment. The technology on show is part of a Vodafone trial.