England international can’t believe what Wales were doing as he nails big issue
Former England scrum-half Ben Youngs has slammed Wales' attack shape following their 43-0 thrashing to France on Friday night.
Wales failed to fire a single shot in their Six Nations opener, with France running in seven tries to leave Warren Gatland's side without a single win in 13 Test matches. As a result Gatland and his coaching team have come under fire for their tactics in Paris.
Youngs, speaking on the podcast For the Love of Rugby, which he co-hosts with England prop Dan Cole, insists Wales' attack was far too predictable.
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"Wales just had such a lack of dent," said Youngs, referring to Wales' lack of ball carriers.
"I couldn't believe how scripted their shape was, Coley. If the first breakdown was from the touchline they'd run an arrowhead so a pod of three forwards.
"They'd hit the middle guy, which was often (Will) Rowlands, the lock. He would then carry it.
"Off that ruck it would go straight to 10 who would have another arrowhead off him. So, it would go through 10's hands and hit the middle forward.
"That guy could play out the back or tip but often he just carried it so at this point you are in the middle of the field. Then it would go to 10 again on the same way.
"He'd have one runner short off him and a player off the back and then get to that breakdown. Then they'd just repeat that coming back the other way.
"So, they'd run an arrow again, go to 10, play the arrowhead off him and do the same shape off 10. One short off the back.
"It was just rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat."
England's most capped scrum-half believes Wales are suffering from a lack of ball carriers capable of making significant post-contact metres and insists Gatland and his backs coach Rob Howley need to change the way they attack.
"They don't have ball carriers," added the 35-year-old.
"They aren't blessed with ball carriers so if you are going to play like that the shape needs to be so much tighter.
"You need little passes in it. I think they did two little passes maybe and Nicky Smith went through twice.
"Through little intricate passes with tightness in the shape but equally if you are playing France you want to go down short sides.
"So, in my opinion you should be running that arrowhead off the sideline, get into that middle guy, get passed the 15-metre line in terms of your ruck where your reference point is.
"The you want to be coming back down where you've just come from."
