Wales v Fiji media reaction as 'rudderless' hosts staring down the barrel in 'utter calamity'

Wales slumped to possibly their lowest ebb in the professional era after going down to a 10th-straight Test defeat at the hands of Fiji at the Principality Stadium on Sunday.

The 24-19 loss equals their worst-ever run, with Fiji left to celebrate their first-ever win in Cardiff. Josua Tuisova and Caleb Muntz got the tries for Fiji, with the latter also adding four penalties and one conversion from the tee.

Semi Radrada became the first man to receive a 20-minute red card, but it failed to prevent the visitors from easing their way to a historic win that will pile further pressure on Wales boss Warren Gatland.

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Here's what the rest of national media made of it all.

Daily Mail

It’s been hard to escape the feeling in the last two years that as Welsh rugby has lurched from debacle to debacle both on and off the field, those in charge haven’t been fit to guide the ship. Gatland’s substitute confession after yet another loss seemed to sum it all up.

Gatland’s comments were mindboggling. To his credit, he was honest about the process. But it beggars belief that it can take place at the highest level of professional sport.

Gatland might say it’s the media setting the agenda. But Test rugby is a results business and Wales aren’t winning. They missed 32 tackles against Fiji in Cardiff.

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Telegraph

Another match, another defeat for Warren Gatland’s battered and bruised personnel, however close the scoreline. For large chunks of this yo-yoing contest they looked like they had the might and muscle to blunt a dangerous and frenetic Fijian side, but instead they spectacularly faded, slipping to a 10th consecutive Test loss to equal their worst-ever run.

The neutral will argue the hosts were hard done by in an eventful game that saw Semi Radradra become the first player in this autumn series to be the recipient of World Rugby’s new 20-minute red card.

The new law seemed to reinvigorate the Pacific Islanders, whose victory was built around Caleb Muntz. The fly-half scored a sensational try and kicked a quartet of penalties to steer Fiji in front and the visitors dominated the second half.

For all their attacking enterprise in a sprightly first half which saw Ben Thomas and Test debutant Blair Murray excel, there was a familiar feeling as Wales wilted. With Australia and South Africa up next, they are staring down the barrel of a winless calendar year.

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Guardian

As the full-time whistle blew in Cardiff the entire Fiji team sank on to the turf at a stadium where they had just claimed victory for the first time. They had come close in 2010 in a 16-16 draw against Wales but on a cold and cloudy day in the Welsh capital the Flying Fijians wrote another chapter in the history books. This Fijian team is one getting used to claiming records.

At last year’s Rugby World Cup they reached the last eight for the first time in 16 years, beating Australia for just the third time on their path to securing a quarter-final spot. In the group stage they narrowly lost to Wales in a thrilling encounter which made this win at the Principality that much sweeter.

The Times

An utter calamity for Wales, a tenth consecutive defeat to equal their worst run in 2002 and 2003 under Steve Hansen, and it was no less than they deserved for a shoddy, ill-disciplined, naive and rudderless performance that lacked thought, planning and execution.

Take nothing away from Fiji, they were superb, and it was no usual harum-scarum, throw-it-around effort from them. They had a plan. They were controlled and concise, winning the kicking battle with something to spare, cruelly exposing Wales’ slightness in the back three and their decision to only have two backs on the bench, which meant Sam Costelow spent far too long on the wing.