So the cat - a particularly smelly one - is out of the bag. Take cover, Mr Rob Andrew, Mr Brian Smith...

"Among the most disturbing revelations were the comments provided anonymously by the players. A selection appear below:

On the pre-tournament preparation:

"It wasn't hard, it was just LONG. We felt physically and mentally drained at the end."

"The man-management was absolutely terrible."

"All the plans we'd worked on for weeks suddenly went out the window because they didn't happen to work in one game."

"There were two massive playbooks, which many players didn't look at because it was in too much depth."

"There wasn't enough focus on basic skills."

On the performances at the World Cup

"To go into World Cup games not having a game-plan, any structure or clear idea of what we were going to do in attack was astonishing."

"I really can't believe we lasted as long as we did in the tournament. We played like crap."

Peerless, of Wigan.

Some of the secret pie eaters in the Welsh squad will be disappointed, as well as any non tackling perma tanned types who had designs on a Welsh jersey. The boy from Wigan is now full time. No longer will our Shaun single handedly subsidise the Severn Bridge toll with all his M4 dashes, because now he's here to stay. Perhaps Cardiff gives him the environment he's happiest in, the closest experience to being in Wigan on match day, in a rugby town, warts and all.

 The clarity of the WRU move in the wake of the RWC is highlighting the ever deepening sense of confusion at Twickers. As Will Carling observed quite some time ago, it's fine to allow a bunch of gin soaked committee men to run the game as long as the national side is winning. Now, the competence of those committee men is coming under some scrutiny. The obvious question is now being asked - WHY give Johnson the job of running the national side, without ANY coaching and/or management experience?

Quote of the WC

"I'll never make a hooker and you'll never make a referee. Let me do my job' Nigel Owens. SA-Samoa

Rugby Now and Then...

The thoughts of Welsh legends - Gareth Edwards, Jonathan Davies, Shane Williams
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=r2ZnzlR5r1I

From Neil Smythe's blog, www.resolutionsquare.com

And the Dream Team ???

The following, coached by him...

Jenkins, Servat, Castro, Matfield, Thorne, Cabello, Warburton, Har'oquy, Phillips, Carter (even on one leg), Roberts, Rougerie, North, Ashton, Dagg...

"Je suis triste pour mes copains..."

"Je ne sais pas quoi dire..." tweeted Sebastian Chabal, as the reality of how close this 2011 RWC final set in.
What will the outgoing coach say, though ? Will he, like Bernard Laporte, shrug his shoulders and say "Boff" to the world and disappear ?
Both men know that their respective squads WERE good enough to win a World Cup. France produces high quality players, born into the cauldron of intensity that is the Top 14. They are usually involved in the latter stages of the Heineken Cup. These guys can play.
And today, at Eden Park, as a unit the French back row outplayed the All Blacks. Rougerie smashed into the Kiwi midfield, giving Nonu his most uncomfortable afternoon for quite some time. As is often the case when the Blacks have their backs to the wall, it was McCaw's cussedness that kept them afloat. French fans will be left ruing referee Joubert's liberal interpretation of the breakdown laws, as well as his frankly clueless control of the scrum.
Perhaps, at the last, it was All Black coherence that won through, and yes, perhaps the task of getting enough Kiwi territory in the closing minutes for Trinn-Duc to have a pot at goal was a step too far for rugby's Sans Culottes, but Lievremont will hope to get home, have a think, hopefully a shave, then find a team to coach.

The RWC according to Nessa

"So, Stace. What's occurin' ?"

An extraordinary feast of Welsh rugby is at last over, and we're left to pick over the carcass. The Grand Slams under Ruddock - a cruelly false dawn - and Gatland's first triumphal year apart, the years have not been kind to Welsh rugby fans since Gareth Edwards was feeding the Pontypool front row. Years of frustration - embarrassment, even, when the Saxons were turning up in Cardiff and expecting to win by 30 points. And against the southern hemisphere sides, Wales would be lucky to keep it to fifty.

In recent years, an improving professional set up has allowed us to close the gap with our friends across Offa's Dyke, and we have given touring Tri Nations sides a scare or two. We may have lost 3 games at the 2011 WC, but only by a TOTAL of 5 points. It is a measure of this group's progress that they are flying back feeling disappointed.

Now everyone is talking about Wales and 2015. How sweet would it be to lift the Webb Ellis Trophy at Twickenham ? Could they do it ? Gatland's contract extension is Phase 1. If Edwards could be persuaded to sign a proper full time one that would help too. Their ability to spot and nurture talent has been truly impressive. Dan Lydiate, Toby Faletau, George North - would such players have come in and been given an extended chance to show their worth in England ? Would Martin Johnson have picked out a young flank forward to skipper his side ? In the case of Rhys Priestland, the coaches took him to Twickenham to play at full back, but Stephen Jones' injury resulted in his move to the fabled 10 jersey. Gatland saw enough of the young Scarlet in that time to completely change his backline. It was brave, inspired coaching.

But over the next 4 years ( and, indeed, 8 years for a significant number of young men in this Welsh squad) the most important thing has to be a sustaining of these current high standards. Let's keep it "Tidy".