Happy with that team except for Costelow

Seems like a great guy, but he's not the answer

We have enough to beat Japan but the conditions might kill us

Eddie Jones is coaching Japan.

And Wales haven't been gutted for Lions selection so you should be fine.

Long winded but interesting discussion, especially the Japanese game plan

Error strewn stop-start first half from two sides desperate to not lose

Wales easily matching the Japanese speed game but struggling in the scrum at times

Wales look more inventive, and with more accuracy could be another two or three scores ahead

2 well worked tries and a penalty try to a well created Japanese try

Costelow is stinking up the shirt

Japan 7-19 Wales
Halftime

Forgot this was on. It’s hidden away on sky sport select in nz

Better than watching the low quality buildup to the AB Test

Stone the crows. Wales might be about to win a Rugby match.

Not if we continue to botch great chances and play like 8-year olds

Go Wales.

It always pleases me watching Eddie Jones lose. The guy is like a caricature of some WWE manager like Bobby the Brain Heenan or Jimmy Hart. It baffles me that countries continue to select him when he’s years past his use by date.

Why the fuck are we playing harm scarum rugby?

Oh yes, because we don’t have a 10 (or game plan possibly) to kick the ball deep and dead and force Japan to build their offence from deep within their own half

Get Costelow off

Change the game plan

The real positive is good first up tackling and strong turnover work over the ball

GET THAT LITTLE CU*T OFF

@MiketheSnow said in Mid-Year Tour : Japan v Wales Test 1:

GET THAT LITTLE CU*T OFF

Eddie ?

I don’t think you can sin bin a coach

Jesus

We’re so dumb

Discipline hurting Wales. The penalty count is counting up.

Good execution from Japan but we’re gifting them this match

Poor tactics, poor execution

Japan 17-19 Wales
65 mins

Well done Japan

Tightened up

Patient

Converting all the presents from Wales

Japan 24-19 Wales
71 mins

Unconverted try for 24 all would be a fair result

Well done Japan

Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence

We totally and utterly blew that

Japan 24-19 Wales

I'm 55 & don't think I've ever missed a Wales game live. I honestly don't think I'll bother watching the 2nd test next week.
There's just no enjoyment in watching this rubbish every time, it's like watching a car crash in slow motion.

Can we nick the Higgins brothers and Tahlor Cahill off you guys to up our squad quality a bit
Maybe we need to go down the Scots route and try to bring in more qualified players.
We thought our latest U20's batch are the strongest we've had in a while but they're 0 from 2 so far in the JRWC.

We have to look at the coaching

@MiketheSnow said in Mid-Year Tour : Japan v Wales Test 1:

We have to look at the coaching

Agreed it all seems muddled with regards coaching and selection. You select a ball playing 12 but don't spread the ball, a 12 at 13 who was slow to react a few times today in defence.
Both halfbacks kicked terribly throughout the game.

But the cupboard is pretty bare, we have no players who can give us front foot ball.
We need to hope that Eddie James and Grady come through strongly in midfield as a focal point.

Our locks are back-rowers size wise, the Kiwi lock for Japan was towering over the Welsh locks.
We just don't produce many big, athletic players throughout our game.

@pooler-fan said in Mid-Year Tour : Japan v Wales Test 1:

@MiketheSnow said in Mid-Year Tour : Japan v Wales Test 1:

We have to look at the coaching

Agreed it all seems muddled with regards coaching and selection. You select a ball playing 12 but don't spread the ball, a 12 at 13 who was slow to react a few times today in defence.
Both halfbacks kicked terribly throughout the game.

But the cupboard is pretty bare, we have no players who can give us front foot ball.
We need to hope that Eddie James and Grady come through strongly in midfield as a focal point.

Our locks are back-rowers size wise, the Kiwi lock for Japan was towering over the Welsh locks.
> We just don't produce many big, athletic players throughout our game.

Not long ago you had huge physical backs like North, Cuthbert, Roberts, Davies and Phillips. What happened ?

@MN5 said in Mid-Year Tour : Japan v Wales Test 1:

@pooler-fan said in Mid-Year Tour : Japan v Wales Test 1:

@MiketheSnow said in Mid-Year Tour : Japan v Wales Test 1:

We have to look at the coaching

Agreed it all seems muddled with regards coaching and selection. You select a ball playing 12 but don't spread the ball, a 12 at 13 who was slow to react a few times today in defence.
Both halfbacks kicked terribly throughout the game.

But the cupboard is pretty bare, we have no players who can give us front foot ball.
We need to hope that Eddie James and Grady come through strongly in midfield as a focal point.

Our locks are back-rowers size wise, the Kiwi lock for Japan was towering over the Welsh locks.
> We just don't produce many big, athletic players throughout our game.

Not long ago you had huge physical backs like North, Cuthbert, Roberts, Davies and Phillips. What happened ?

Think that was just an anomaly that we had a generation like that who happened to come through around the same time.
We might get another set in a decade if we're lucky but I'm not confident on that. How many kids with potential will be turning away from rugby given how bloody awful we've become?

@pooler-fan having that generational talent without blooding new players regularly is a trap. We learned that in Australia after 2001.

@NTA said in Mid-Year Tour : Japan v Wales Test 1:

@pooler-fan having that generational talent without blooding new players regularly is a trap. We learned that in Australia after 2001.

Very much this.

A lot of Wales' generational players were kept around for far too long when the new generation needed to be ushered in earlier and given considerable game time alongside the top brass.

@NTA said in Mid-Year Tour : Japan v Wales Test 1:

@pooler-fan having that generational talent without blooding new players regularly is a trap. We learned that in Australia after 2001.

We also had this with England under Eddie, except that we didn't actually have this generational players, just see very good, dependable players.that Eddie kept on too long without blooding the next generation. Odd that his stance with Aussie the second time around was so different.

@Catogrande said in Mid-Year Tour : Japan v Wales Test 1:

Odd that his stance with Aussie the second time around was so different.

I'm going with some form of undiagnosed brain worms.

@NTA said in Mid-Year Tour : Japan v Wales Test 1:

@Catogrande said in Mid-Year Tour : Japan v Wales Test 1:

Odd that his stance with Aussie the second time around was so different.

I'm going with some form of undiagnosed brain worms.

Eddie might. be like John Hart, a large part of their coaching identity to them, deriving from being the ideas guy, continually, and exacerbated as they age. With Eddie, and I'm only guessing, he may have created such turmoil and competition that it eventually alienated senior players (when coaching England?) For Australia, he seemed obsessed with off-field stats.
I complained a lot about early Foster ABs lacking innovation, but OTOH I was impressed by how Farrell kept the Schmidt Irish rugby machine but improved around the edges.