Wales bid to end 482 day wait for win in Six Nations as 'write us off' statement made

Wales are approaching 500 days without a triumph arsenic they hole to kick-off the Six Nations against France successful Paris with Warren Gatland hopeless to drawback a grounds losing run

October 7 2023 - Lando Norris hadn't won a race, Mauricio Pochettino was 10 games into his Chelsea reign, nary 1 knew who Luke Littler was and Wales won a rugby match.

Since past 3 of those things person changed. Norris is seen arsenic a world title contender, Pochettino is present the USA brag and Littler is champion of the world.

Wales though are inactive seeking that winning feeling. When they bushed Georgia 43-19 astatine the Rugby World Cup fewer could've believed they'd beryllium going into the 2025 Six Nations without a triumph successful 16 months but that is the reality.

On that time successful Nantes a definite Louis Rees-Zammit scored a hat-trick. The darling of Welsh rugby decided months aboriginal that rugby wasn't for him, helium wanted to effort his manus astatine NFL. Since leaving for the USA he's been signed by the Kansas City Chiefs, released by them, signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars, released by them. All the portion Wales inactive haven't won without him.

On Friday they caput to the Stade de France to instrumentality connected the French. Paris hasn't been a blessed hunting crushed arsenic of precocious and they've won conscionable erstwhile successful their past 5 visits. Last twelvemonth they shipped 45 points arsenic Les Blues tore them isolated successful Cardiff en way to 5 losses retired of five.

Wales and Warren Gatland finished with the woody spoon arsenic radical connected the extracurricular proceed to question whether the large New Zealand manager was close to instrumentality for a 2nd stint successful complaint arsenic coach. The aureate procreation person each beauteous overmuch retired and the home crippled is successful a atrocious way, leaving him with an adjacent tougher job.

It is 12 games without a win. A afloat calendar twelvemonth without a win. Fiji landed a archetypal ever triumph Wales successful that time. Gatland's squad shipped astatine slightest 30 points connected six occasions.

Best lawsuit scenario: They upset each the likelihood successful France and triumph for the archetypal clip successful 482 days. In that clip you could acceptable successful the Tour de France 23 times.

Sam Warburton captained the squad to galore successes, including Six Nations titles and Grand Slams, but backmost successful the autumn helium said: "For Welsh fans, I deliberation we've got to realise this is wherever we are it, we're successful a spot of a acheronian spot and it mightiness instrumentality a portion to travel retired of it."

Gatland has selected a squad for the Six Nations that includes 18 players who person 10 caps oregon less. Several of the starters who volition play successful the Six Nations opener against France person nary thought what it feels similar to triumph a crippled of planetary rugby.

Wales' adjacent 2 months volition spot them question to France, Scotland and Italy. They'll big England and Ireland. The British and Irish Lions caput to Australia this summertime and erstwhile radical jot down their provisional guesses astatine what the squad mightiness look similar determination are adjacent to nary Welshman successful it.

That is simply a reflection of wherever they're at. The sporting satellite continues to move, landscapes alteration some successful and retired of rugby, but 1 happening that has remained a changeless for astir a twelvemonth and a fractional is simply a Wales squad trying and failing to triumph games.

Despite that Gatland, a antheral who offered his resignation aft past year's dire Six Nations, lone for it to beryllium rejected, is seeing their existent plight arsenic thing to get up for.

He said: "It is the astir breathtaking challenge. I look backmost to the World Cup successful France, wherever a batch of radical were predicting we would not get retired of that group. One of the things I said is 'write america disconnected astatine your peril'."