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'The last 2 weeks we got an education in power... there is a huge gulf'
By Jan De Koning
Wales’ hope of winning a Test against the Springboks in South Africa for the first time appears to be fading fast.
This can be deducted from the reaction of Dragons Director of Rugby Dragons Dean Ryan, following his team’s second successive hammering on South African soil.
Ryan pulled no punches in his post-match media briefing, following the Dragons’ disastrous two-match tour of South Africa – which saw them concede 106 points and score just 23, with 20-55 and 3-51 losses to the Bulls and Sharks respectively.
In fact, the Dragons also lost on home soil to the Stormers (10-24).
However, it is not just the Dragons who are struggling to deal with the South African teams’ power game.
Of the 13 United Rugby Championship matches between Welsh and South African teams, only two have gone the way of the Welsh teams – Cardiff edging the Sharks 23-17 at Arms Park and Scarlets beating the Lions 36-13 in Llanelli.
Ryan believes these results – with the South African teams regularly putting 40 and 50 points past the Welsh outfits – show just how tough the three-Test series will be for Wales in July.
The Wales national team has never won a Test against the Boks in South Africa and as it stands none of their regional sides has won in the Republic either.
Ryan said “a number of conversations” will need to happen to solve the issues facing Welsh rugby.
“The Wales challenge is a complex one,” he said, adding: “It is going to require some courage and require some people to lead.”
He added that Wales is facing a “huge issue” and if they keep on ignoring it, Welsh rugby will continue moving closer to sliding down a cliff.
“If we needed a reminder, the last couple of weeks and months have been a stark reminder,” Ryan said. “In the last two weeks we got an education in power,” Ryan told Rugby 365, when asked about the heavy defeats on South African soil.
“The basic of the game is based on power and at the moment there is a huge gulf between ourselves and South African opposition.”
He admitted that because they lost the collision and the set-pieces battles, they simply could not build any pressure on the opposition.
“The last 10 days there has been no a lack of effort, no lack of detail around what we are trying to achieve, but we can’t hold a scrum and that can march us up a field.
“Ultimately, the fatigue levels are enormous, and the error rate is then enormous come the last 20 minutes.”
He added that collectively the Dragons are just not up to the brute power delivered by South African teams.
“It is a reality check for us and it is a reality check for Wales going into the three-Test series in July,” was the frank response from the Dragons boss.
He again touched on the ‘gulf’ that exists between the Welsh teams and their South African counterparts when it comes to power.
“We are getting a good insight into the power at the top end of the game, both at province level and I am sure Wales will find out in July at international level.
“Outside of a few, we don’t have regions stacked with people that can handle that power.”
He said Wales coach Wayne Pivac will have a good look at the regional teams’ performances in South Africa.
“The critical mass of people that can control that power – not one individual – isn’t enough for us across the side.
“The pressure was everywhere today. At scrum, at midfield collision, at breakdown.
“We put some good defensive sets together, we were quite smart when we had chances to try and get on them. Our line-out was good quality too.
“But we cannot hold any pressure when, from the first scrum, we are marched 50 metres up the field from our own ball.”
Reflecting on the two-game South Africa tour, Ryan added: “I’m not unhappy with performances.
“I don’t have a magic wand and all I can ask is that players are at the best of their ability. I think we have been.
“We’ve come together strongly over this two-week period and levels of our performance have been good – but there is a gulf.
“You can’t play little trick plays that hide power.
“I’m not going to pretend that I have something that can solve that.
“There is a gulf between us and the top of the URC and that is a question that I have to answer within the region, with the resources we have got, and Wales has to answer in July.”
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Latest Comments
Yes that’s what WR needs to look at. Football had the same problem with european powerhouses getting all the latin talent then you’re gaurenteed to get the odd late bloomer (21/22 etc, all the best footballers can play for the country much younger to get locked) star changing his allegiance.
They used youth rep selection for locking national elifibilty at one point etc. Then later only counted residency after the age of 18 (make clubs/nations like in this case wait even longer).
That’s what I’m talking about, not changing allegiance in rugby (were it can only be captured by the senior side), where it is still the senior side. Oh yeah, good point about CJ, so in most cases we probably want kids to be able to switch allegiance, were say someone like Lemoto could rep Tonga (if he wasn’t so good) but still play for Australia’s seniors, while in someone like Kite’s (the last aussie kid to go to France) case he’ll be French qualified via 5 years residency at the age of 21, so France to lock him up before Aussie even get a chance to select him. But if we use footballs regulations, who I’m suggesting WR need to get their a into g replicating, he would only start his 5 years once he turns 18 or whatever, meaning 23 yo is as soon as anyone can switch, and when if they’re good enough teams like NZ and Aus can select them (France don’t give a f, they select anybody just to lock them).
Go to commentsThe only benefit of the draft idea is league competitiveness. There would be absolutely no commercial value in a draft with rugby’s current interest levels.
I wonder what came first in america? I’m assuming it’s commercial aspect just built overtime and was a side effect essentially.
But the idea is not without merit as a goal. The first step towards being able to implement a draft being be creating it’s source of draftees. Where would you have the players come from? NFL uses college, and players of an age around 22 are generally able to step straight into the NFL. Baseball uses School and kids (obviously nowhere near pro level being 3/4 years younger) are sent to minor league clubs for a few years, the equivalent of the Super Rugby academies. I don’t think the latter is possible legally, and probably the most unethical and pointless, so do we create a University scene that builds on and up from the School scene? There is a lot of merit in that and it would tie in much better with our future partners in Japan and America.
Can we used the club scene and dispose of the Super Rugby academies? The benefit of this is that players have no association to their Super side, ie theyre not being drafted elshwere after spending time as a Blues or Chiefs player etc, it removes the negative of investing in a player just to benefit another club. The disadvantage of course is that now the players have nowhere near the quality of coaching and each countries U20s results will suffer (supposedly).
Or are we just doing something really dirty and making a rule that the only players under the age of 22 (that can sign a pro contract..) that a Super side can contract are those that come from the draft? Any player wanting to upgrade from an academy to full contract has to opt into the draft?
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