Has rugby in Wales ever faced so many challenges in short succession? And is the end of this gruelling spell in sight? Starting with the decision to dismiss Wayne Pivac at the end of 2022, it has been a calamitous few years for Welsh rugby, on and off the field.

Here are all the things that have gone wrong...

1 – Pivac dismissed

At the end of 2022 after Wales had been defeated by Georgia for the first time, and having lost to Italy at home in the Six Nations for the first time earlier in the year leading to a fifth-place finish, Pivac was dismissed. His win record was 38 per cent (13 wins in 34 Tests), which included the four victories that took Wales to the 2021 Six Nations title. At the time it was assumed that Wales could not slump much lower than their record under Pivac but, since Warren Gatland’s return, they have won only six out of 26 Test matches (23 per cent).

2 – ‘Delilah’ banned

On the eve of the 2023 Six Nations, the Welsh Rugby Union announced that Sir Tom Jones’s Delilah would no longer be performed by the Principality Stadium choirs before kick-off, given the song’s lyrics alluded to domestic violence. “The WRU condemns domestic violence of any kind. We have previously sought advice from subject-matter experts on the issue of censoring the song and we are respectfully aware that it is problematic and upsetting to some supporters because of its subject matter,” read a statement. Nevertheless, it was still sung heartily by those fans in attendance for Wales’s next game against Ireland a few days later.

3 – Strike action threatens game

With Gatland back in charge at the start of 2023, the build-up to Wales’s game against England was dominated by speculation that the Welsh would refuse to play over contract demands, which included representation on the Professional Rugby Board and for the 60-cap rule to go (it was reduced to 25). The action was eventually called off after an agreement was reached, but the comments at the time from captain Ken Owens are worth revisiting. “With the events of the last six to eight weeks, everybody in Welsh rugby needs to pull together now to find the best way forward. We need to do it collaboratively to put Welsh rugby back at the top of world rugby, and not the laughing stock which I think we are at the moment.”

4 – Sexism scandal

An independent review at the end of 2023 found that aspects of the culture at the WRU were sexist, misogynistic, racist and homophobic and not properly challenged. That review followed a BBC Wales investigation earlier that year, where former employees described a “toxic culture” within the organisation. Steve Phillips, the WRU chief executive, resigned a week after the documentary was released, with a £480,000 pay-off.

5 – Rees-Zammit leaves for NFL

While there was disappointment after losing to Argentina in the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-finals, it looked as though Wales under Gatland could build on that tournament during the next cycle even though they faced losing a number of experienced players to retirement. One of the building blocks for the future would have been Louis Rees-Zammit, the young wing who burst on to the scene under Pivac. And then, in a shock move, Rees-Zammit left for the NFL. Both on the field, given his talent, and off it, from a marketing perspective, his exit felt disastrous.

6 – Feyi-Waboso chooses England

Never ideal given the rivalry between the two nations, Wales and Gatland watched on as Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, born in Cardiff, opted to play for England before making his Test debut in the 2024 Six Nations and having an impressive campaign. Missing out on a talented winger so soon after Rees-Zammit’s decision was unfortunate timing, given Feyi-Waboso has since scored five tries in eight Tests.

7 – Jenkins’ spat with Mathieu Raynal

With Wales being well beaten at home by Italy on the last day of the 2024 Six Nations, their assistant coach, Neil Jenkins, could not stop himself from suggesting to referee Mathieu Raynal that there had been a high tackle on Tomos Williams by Italy’s Stephen Varney. Their exchange went as follows:

Jenkins: “Blue nine, high tackle.”
Raynal: “Your job is to bring the water on.”
Jenkins: “And your job is to ref the game.”
Raynal: “That’s the second time you’ve talked to me – I don’t accept that.”
Jenkins: “Blue nine – all our staff are saying it.”
Raynal: “Next time, you cannot enter on the field, do you understand?”

Gatland afterwards would not comment on the interaction but added that the tackle by Varney was “definitely high”.

8 – Gatland trying to resign

Defeated by Italy in the final game of the 2024 Six Nations, Gatland turned to WRU chief executive Abi Tierney in the changing room and said: “Look, if you want me to resign, I’m quite happy to do that.” Tierney’s response was “like hell” and Gatland remained in place. The wooden spoon (for coming last in the Six Nations) was Wales’s first for 21 years, with a limp 31-7 loss in Dublin to eventual champions Ireland arguably the low point.

9 – Georgia call out Wales

Sensing an opportunity that Wales’s wooden spoon might be the right time to press their own claims for playing in the Six Nations, Georgia laid down a challenge on social media to face Wales in the autumn of 2024. They had triumphed on their previous trip to Cardiff in 2022, defeating Wales for the first time to signal the end of the Pivac era, but were well beaten at the Rugby World Cup.

10 – Playing a home game at Twickenham

The WRU’s need to generate as much revenue as possible is no secret, and a number of concerts are now hosted at the Principality Stadium for that reason (Oasis will be there this summer). This led to an unfortunate diary clash last summer when Taylor Swift, the mildly famous pop star, and rock band Foo Fighters were booked in for gigs on June 18 and June 25, either side of Wales’s game against South Africa on June 22. As a result, the game was moved to Twickenham and, having been there in person, it felt more like a Springbok home fixture.

11 – Webb doping ban

Rhys Webb, pivotal in Wales’s 2023 win over Italy before retiring prior to the Rugby World Cup, was handed a four-year doping ban by the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) in July 2024 after testing positive for human growth hormone (HGH) during a training session. The ban effectively ended Webb’s career, given he was playing in France at the time for Biarritz.

12 – Hill controversy

Heading to Australia in the summer of 2004 looking to bounce back from a poor Six Nations, Gatland called up former lock Cory Hill, who was playing in Japan for Yokohama Canon Eagles. Hill at the time had not played for Wales since the 2021 Six Nations but it was an incident in that same year, when Hill was part of a group that damaged a woman’s house, which stole the headlines. Hill was not charged by police but did apologise. When Gatland then named Hill captain for a match on tour against the Queensland Reds, there was an enormous backlash. Hill subsequently pulled out of the game for personal reasons, with Gatland admitting: “I’ll put my hand up and say that I probably shouldn’t have put him in that position.” Hill is now playing in Japan for division-three side Secom Rugguts.

13 – Grace picked without a union game

Regan Grace was excellent in rugby league, scoring 89 tries in 142 games for St Helens, before a stop-start beginning to his time in rugby union saw the Port Talbot-born wing injure his Achilles while with Racing 92. He was released, joined Bath to rehab his injury, played in a non-competitive friendly against Gloucester... and then was named in the Wales squad to tour Australia in the summer of 2024, making his first competitive union appearance playing for his country and scoring on debut against the Reds. Giving Grace a go was fair enough, but it seemed to sum up how thin Wales’s stocks had become.

14 – Phillips rant

A first home defeat by Fiji in the autumn of 2024 proved too much for some, leading to a rant from Mike Phillips on social media about his former boss. As Phillips hinted, he did have a slight grievance. “Loads of positives, yeah, you’re on 600k a year and don’t even have to win! [clapping emojis],” wrote Phillips on X. “How the WRU bring this guy back is just nuts! Laughing all the way to the bank [clapping and thumbs-up emoji]. The problems are not at [sic] who’s coaching Wales! When I see this guy talking about family makes me cringe. Did he speak to me at the end of my career, did he f---! I won for this guy. This bloke is only out for himself, and it kills me to see all this b------- praise he’s getting. He deserves to be kicked out, like he did to so many quality Welsh players.”

15 – Making unfortunate history against Australia

If Wales thought the Fiji week was bad, seven days later they conceded their most points ever at home to Australia, losing 52-20, in a game where Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies looked excellent. Still, Australia fell short of their record away win over Wales (35 points). Silver linings.

16 – Women’s payment scandal

The fallout from the 2023 culture scandal saw a new chief executive appointed in Abi Tierney, with her interim predecessor, Nigel Walker, becoming executive director of rugby. Less than a year later, Telegraph Sport revealed in October 2024 that the women’s senior side were being pressured to sign up to new contracts and facing the threat of being withdrawn from major tournaments, including the following year’s Rugby World Cup, if they refused, with the side’s requests including improved pay and performance-based maternity leave. As a result, the WRU chair, Richard ­Collier-Keywood, said it was clear that the union needed to apologise to the players.

17 – Nigel Walker steps down

Walker, who had informed the women’s players they would be withdrawn if they did not sign their contracts, then left his executive director of rugby role in December 2024. In his statement, Walker said: “My tenure has not been without its challenges and we have achieved a great amount but, ultimately, it is right that I am judged on performances on the pitch and both of our senior teams have found the last 12 months extremely difficult and therefore I believe now is the right time for me to step down.”

18 – O’Gara dismissive of coach rumours

With speculation rife about Gatland’s future having finished 2024 with 12 straight defeats, Ronan O’Gara, the former Ireland fly-half and coach of La Rochelle, was asked whether he would be interested in coaching Wales after a game against Bath. O’Gara responded: “I haven’t thought about that, to be honest with you. Without lacking humility, I would prefer Ireland, England or France.” Last week, O’Gara expressed an interest in succeeding Schmidt as head coach of Australia.

19 – Tuipulotu plays for England Under-20s

After Feyi-Waboso the previous year, Wales now appear to have missed out on another prospect. Pontypool-born Kepu Tuipulotu, whose sister Sisilia plays for Wales, is now in his first campaign with England in the Under-20s Six Nations and is regarded as a huge prospect for the future. It seems clear he will be playing in white, not red.

20 – Italy made seven-point favourites

Having lost 43-0 to France in the opening match of the 2025 Six Nations, Italy were made seven-point favourites against Wales. Losing to Italy could no longer be considered an upset, and the bookies were spot on.

21 – Wales drop below Georgia in rankings

Saturday’s defeat, 22-15 by Italy in Rome, which is one point short of their record loss against the Azzurri in 2003, meant that Wales will drop below Georgia in the men’s world rankings for the first time, falling to 12th place.