'Shame on you' - Viewers notice depressing off-field sight at Wales defeat

The Principality Stadium is usually a cauldron of passion and pride for Welsh rugby and its fans but it became the scene of a sobering exodus on Sunday night as rugby fans streamed out early during Wales' record 52-20 thrashing by Australia.

The defeat marked a historic low for Wales, extending their losing streak to 11 Tests and pushing the team into uncharted depths of despair in their 143-year history.

The early departures of fans - in some cases a full 20 minutes before the final whistle in Cardiff - caught the eye of viewers at home and those within the stadium.

On X rugby journalist Sarah Rendell commented: “Wales fans pour out of the Principality before full time as the team fall to their 11th consecutive Test loss. They haven't lost every game in a calendar year since 1937 and they have one game left of 2024, against world champions South Africa. Bleak times in Cardiff.”

Leigh-Catherine - a self-described “fiercely patriotic Welsh woman” -  posted: “At the stadium with fans leaving in droves B4 [before] full time. Sack Gatland and the rest of coaching squad plus executives in charge of WRU. This is heartbreaking.”

Others criticized the fans for abandoning their team. One English rugby supporter wrote: “Shame on you Wales fans leaving early. You could at least applaud your team’s effort; I’m English and watched to the (bitter) end.”

Wales’ dismal performance on the field only compounded the misery of another defeat. Despite Australia’s Samu Kerevi being shown a red card early in the second half, the Wallabies ran riot, with hooker Matt Faessler and full-back Tom Wright each scoring hat-tricks. Len Ikitau, Nick Frost, and Noah Lolesio also added their names to the scoresheet, as Wales’ defensive frailties were laid bare.

The boos that greeted the final whistle were bad enough but against the backdrop of a stadium half-empty before the game concluded was even worse. “Seeing Wales fans leaving early in their thousands, and booing at the end of the game hurts more than any single result," wrote one fan who captured the Welsh mood.

With world champions South Africa looming in their final Test of 2024, the pressure on head coach Warren Gatland is reaching boiling point. His second tenure has now yielded 17 losses from 23 matches, leaving questions not only about his future but about the overall state of Welsh rugby.