Wales have emerged from the Six Nations Championship with more world class players than England, claims former outside-half and newspaper columnist Stuart Barnes.
He told The Ruck podcast: “Wales had a lot of key players missing and they’ve changed their game radically.
“From playing narrow, kick-and-chase defensive play to playing with more width. I think a year from now Wales will have the capacity to either play wide or a driving game through the middle.
“They’ve developed a strength in depth in the back row that even New Zealand would be pleased with. I think Gatland would be very pleased with what’s happened in this Six Nations.”
In contrast, the Sky Sports commentator and pundit says England are in an ‘absolute mess’.
“What I saw when they won a Grand Slam, was a team where the collective was much better than the individual talent,” he added.
“We’ve come out of this tournament — [Owen] Farrell is borderline, Maro Itoje has gone backwards. You can argue the reasons, but the reality is that I can see far more Welsh players that are world class than England players.
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“To be positive now would be stupid. That’s not to say they can’t turn it around but right now the evidence is bad. Last season, they won the title but their performance levels were starting to dip. This season, their performance levels have continued to dip and they’re losing matches.
“The individuals aren’t coming through and the collective has fallen to pieces.”