Wales find themselves in deepest hole yet as Gatland's men equal nation's worst ever run

Things just keep getting worse for Wales.

Warren Gatland's men simply can't find a way to get over the line and sadly losing has become a habit for this Welsh side. Wales fought hard and at one stage it looked as if they had done enough to finally get back on the winning trail, but they failed to control the key moments with a lack of experience in certain areas proving to be their downfall.

But this is more than a mere bump in the road for Wales who have now lost 10 Test matches in a row, their joint worst ever run of defeats. Not since Sir Steve Hansen's strugglers of 2002-03 have Wales found themselves on such a wretched run of form.

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With hindsight, Hansen's side, who also finished bottom of the Six Nations, went on to achieve great things. Whether Gatland's current crop follows suit, only time will tell, but currently they are stuck in a rut and it is difficult to see much light at the end of the tunnel.

Gatland has played a cool customer over the past few months, remaining steadfast about the serious potential in his side and while they have shown glimpses they have not been consistent enough within games. Wales selected both Tomos Williams and Gareth Anscombe in the hope their superior game management would have helped them close out the game.

But they were outplayed by their opposite numbers, while Williams' decision to take a kickable penalty quickly in the third quarter which would have put Wales into the lead also proved to be costly. Wales also fell off too many tackles and ran out of ideas when in the opposition 22.

Wales looked good for parts of this Test match and started very well but yet again they flattered to deceive. There are good bits sandwiched in between the bad but yet again Wales' soft underbelly got exposed.

Once Fiji woke up and put Wales under some pressure they wilted as they had for the majority of last season. There are some good players in this Wales team, with the likes of Max Llewellyn, Cameron Winnett and Dewi Lake, among one or two others, putting in big shifts, but the hosts showed their class all too sporadically.

Wales cannot be accused of not trying things, and if the last pass had gone to hand on a couple of occasions things could have been different but it didn't. The fact of the matter is this is their tenth Test match defeat in a row and it is now very difficult to see where their next win is coming from. If they do finish their Autumn Nations series campaign without a win this will be the first time since 1937 Wales have gone a calendar year without tasting victory in a Test match.

To their credit, Wales fought until the bitter end and created enough opportunities to come out on top but there are a few key components missing in this side, not least explosive carriers, while outside-half remains a problem position.

Gatland's decision to go with a 6-2 split on the bench arguably didn't pay off. Wales only had two backs on the bench and after Mason Grady's early injury, they ended up with Ellis Bevan and Sam Costelow filling out wide for the bulk of the match.

Prior to the start of the Autumn Nations Series Wales would have been upbeat at the prospect of taking on an Australia team in transition. But after the Wallabies' stunning victory over England at Twickenham on Saturday that now looks like a daunting challenge for Gatland's men.

The way Australia ripped England to shreds behind the scrum will have sent alarm bells ringing and any Wallabies player watching Wales' meek surrender would have been licking their lips. After Australia it is the world champions South Africa coming to Cardiff before Gatland's men kick-off their Six Nations campaign in Paris against Antoine Dupont & co.

Having lost the most winnable game of their autumn campaign it is difficult to see where their next victory is coming from. In years gone by a home defeat to Fiji would have caused public outcry but the Welsh public have unfortunately become accustomed to defeat and they now find themselves stuck in a very deep hole.