"Time to go" - Former Wales international calls for Warren Gatland to go

RUCK’s 2024 Guinness Six Nations content 

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Gatland himself admitted to offering his resignation post-match, a move stemming from Wales' first Six Nations whitewash since 2003. However, Tierney reportedly declined his offer, indicating her staunch support for the embattled coach.

In a candid moment, Gatland affirmed his commitment to leading Wales until the 2027 World Cup, revealing a tense exchange with Tierney in the changing room. "Yes, absolutely. I’ve made that commitment," he stated. "I just said to Abi in the changing room 'If you want me to resign, I’m quite happy to do that'. She said ‘Like hell, that’s the last thing I want, that’s what I’m really afraid of’."

Nevertheless, Coombs, who boasts 10 caps for Wales, minced no words in his critique, suggesting that Tierney erred in standing by Gatland. "Abi Tierney fails in her first major test," Coombs declared emphatically. "Accept that resignation!"

The crux of Coombs' argument lies in what he perceives as a lack of foresight at the helm of Welsh rugby. He pointed fingers at the leadership for inadequate succession planning, asserting, "The build is a continuous thing, it does not start nor stop. There has been zero succession planning for the golden group we’ve had for the last 10-12 years. The WRU have built the problems we are now experiencing. You reap what you sow.”

Despite the swirling controversy, Gatland reassured fans of his commitment to addressing the team's shortcomings. "I can promise you we’ll go away and review this really carefully," he affirmed. "We’ve already done some review stuff and (we’ll) work on areas that need to improve."

Rugby Pass 3/10: "A neck roll killed Wales’ early momentum in the second half and it proved to be a costly penalty to give away when front-foot ball was a rarity for the men in red. Italy scored seconds later to compound the error and Warren Gatland had seen enough. A quiet game before that as the Welsh pack struggled physically against the visitors."

Planet Rugby 4/10: "Apart from his prowess in the lineouts, the British and Irish Lion brought little to the Welsh cause. Blown up for a neck roll on Federico Ruzza late in the opening half and was eventually replaced by Will Rowlands in the 52nd minute."

RUCK 5/10: "Quick over the ball at the breakdown, and helped his side win an eighth minute ruck penalty. Strong and commanding in the air, didn’t make too many errors at line-out time. Penalised at 44 minutes for a neck roll, as he halted a rare Welsh trip to the Italian 22. Dragged off for Rowlands (51)."

Wales Online 4/10: "Gave away a cheap penalty for a neck roll early in the second-half when Wales were on top which handed momentum back to Italy. Wales' main source of lineout ball but failed to impose himself physically before getting replaced by Will Rowlands on 51 minutes."

Rugby Pass 4.5/10: "Conceded three penalties inside the opening 22 minutes, twice for not releasing in the tackle when he over-did the strong-arm stuff, and a soft one for drifting offside. Tracked back well to deny Ringrose a score but couldn’t find any space in attack and was well smothered by the Irish defenders. Five tries in the Championship but remains one short of Stuart Hogg’s Scotland record."

Planet Rugby 5/10: "The behemoth wing seldom found himself in space with ball in hand as he was closely watched by the home side’s defence. Apart from making little impact with ball in hand, he was also quiet on defence and conceded three penalties."

Scotland Rugby News 6/10: "He’s been a real threat throughout this tournament but he was disappointing in Dublin. Was trying to do too much himself but he did improve in the second half a small bit."

The Offside Line 4/10: "Conceded an unnecessary offside penalty in the early exchanges. The big winger was a little lateral with the ball in hand and then penalised for holding on. He did well to regain one of Russell’s high balls in the second half. Not his best showing against an excellent Irish defence."

Planet Rugby 5/10: "The 21-year-old clearly has a bright future in the Les Bleus jumper, but his youth is clear to see, particularly on defence. Ball in hand, he is a joy to watch and played his part in some of France’s best-flowing attacks, including a perfectly timed short ball to Fickou for Le Garrec’s try."

Guardian 5/10: "His handling let him down with a knock-on as France looked to build an attack and defensively not great. Not his best performance to date."

Telegraph 6/10: "Some of his passing was sumptuous and partnership with Lawrence is developing. Still feels like the sacrificial lamb in the defensive system."

Rugby Pass 5.5/10: "With Furbank gone so early, he needed to defensively step up but he struggled. Eventually called ashore on the hour. A real pity as much more was expected."

Rugby Pass 4/10: "n a team that are seemingly incapable of getting over the gain line, inside centre is not the position to play. Nick Tompkins was frequently tasked with crashing the ball up the middle from slow ball and as a result errors did come. Crucially tripped over in Italy’s first try, and had the ball ripped from him in Wales’ best attacking position in the first half. Linked well with North on occasions, but was roped off shortly after the break."

Rugby Pass 4/10: "Like most of Wales’ players the Saracens star did not have many positive moments. He battled on attack as he made several handling errors at crucial moments and it was not surprising when he was replaced by Mason Grady early in the second half."

RUCK 5/10: "Partnering up with North for the final time, the two midfielders interlinked well in their final partnership. Unforced knock-on at 16 minutes, in what was a poor error from the back of a maul. Tripped up as Ioane is gifted an immense gap to score a try. Spilled the ball once again at 38 minutes, and punched the floor in frustration. Couldn’t halt Pani’s run to the line as the fullback split through the Welsh defence. Off at 48 minutes after an uninspired outing."

Wales Online 4/10: "Started well with one good turnover and a big carry but spilt the ball forwards too often while the Wales midfield lacked any sort of penetration. Replaced by Mason Grady who made a big difference."

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