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The former England and Lions centre turned his focus to Wales ahead of Steve Tandy’s first Six Nations in charge
Jeremy Guscott believes Wales can recover as a competitive force in world rugby, but only if they block out the noise, forget England’s resurgence and focus relentlessly on rebuilding a pathway from within.
Writing in his column for The Rugby Paper, the former British and Irish Lions centre said the uncertainty surrounding Welsh rugby, both on and off the field, has fuelled rumours and negativity, making an already difficult period even tougher for players.
With heavy defeats in the autumn and administrative instability creating major uncertainty, Guscott warned that constant speculation is damaging a young and inexperienced squad trying to find its feet.
After a damaging autumn campaign, and with England up next off the back of their 11-game unbeaten run, there is a general acceptance that results are unlikely to take an upturn soon.
But Guscott urged Wales not to compare themselves to England – and even cited the fact that Steve Borthwich took time to get England revving under his leadership, something Steve Tandy will doubtless be aiming to emulate.
“If I’m Wales, it is all about ignoring England, and their recent record,” Guscott wrote. “Sometimes, in order to do that, it means the whole squad taking a break from social media, and also having a clear, straightforward message for the press and broadcast media.”
Guscott pointed to Wales’ autumn internationals as evidence of both how far they have fallen — and where hope still exists.
While the 73-0 home defeat to South Africa was “not flattering”, he highlighted the four tries scored against New Zealand as a reminder that there is “a way back”.
“The problem now is that very few of them are household names,” he wrote. “When you are losing continuously, trying to regroup is not easy. It is a real slog for young players in particular to bring uplift and play well when they are coming into a losing team.”
Guscott urged Wales to concentrate on restoring their player pathways, particularly at under-20 level, citing last season’s U20 Six Nations success — where Wales finished third after beating England and Ireland — as a blueprint for long-term recovery.
He believes that conveyor belt must be rebuilt if new head coach Steve Tandy is to have any chance of success.
“Traditionally Wales have had good young player development pathways through schools and clubs,” he said. “Now is the time for Wales to concentrate on re-establishing those pathways, and producing teams at U20 level in particular to create a conveyor belt of future internationals, in the way that France and England have done in recent years.”
On the field, Guscott was clear about what Wales must improve, stressing discipline, accuracy and physical edge as non-negotiables, particularly given that Wales are not blessed with many big physical specimens.
“If you’re a lighter side physically you’ve got to play a quick game, be very precise in what you’re doing — and push to do it, because otherwise you won’t progress,” he said, adding that repeated penalties, missed tackles and basic errors “sap morale” and are “mentally draining”.
He also backed Wales’ current leadership group, praising dual captains Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake as “good leaders” and “Test-level” competitors, while calling for new talismen — particularly in the back row — to step forward.
Despite the bleak backdrop, Guscott insisted Wales should not panic over players leaving for clubs abroad, arguing unrestricted movement could benefit the national side if development pathways are strong enough.
While, clearly, the road to recovery is a long one for Wales, Tandy and the players, Guscott believes Welsh rugby is far from a lost cause.
“The crucial part is that Wales are busting a gut to get better despite being up against it,” he added.
