Wales v Fiji winners and losers as Gatland's gamble backfires and new red card is wrong

It was another defeat for Wales who slipped to a first ever home loss to Fiji on Sunday.

This 24-19 reverse was Wales' tenth defeat on the bounce and if they lose to Australia next weekend it will be their worst ever run. Just when you think Wales have reached their nadir, things get even worse.

Yes, there were some positive elements to Wales' game but a home defeat to a tier two nation should never be deemed acceptable. It's safe to say Warren Gatland has a lot of work to do if he is to turn Wales' fortunes around but it's difficult to see where the wins are coming from with Australia and South Africa their next opponents in Cardiff before they begin their Six Nations campaign with a daunting trip to Paris.

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Rugby correspondent Steffan Thomas selects his winners and losers from another disappointing weekend for Welsh rugby.

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Winners

Cam Winnett

Wales' best player in a losing cause. The 21-year-old was excellent, with his positional play and solidity under the high ball a big positive for Gatland's men.

Winnett is a very talented footballer who made some good decisions under pressure. The 21-year-old worked very well as a playmaker with his distribution putting others into space while it was his pass which put Ellis Bevan over at the far right-hand corner.

This is a very difficult period for this Wales side who are stuck in a rut but Winnett can keep his head up with the Cardiff man one of his country's most consistent players.

Jac Morgan

The Ospreys man made an immediate impact upon entering the fray on 46 minutes and must surely start against Australia next weekend. Morgan is one of the only forwards Wales have in their ranks who is capable of making significant post-contact metres.

It was the 24-year-old's explosive carry which gave Wales some much needed go forward in the lead up to Ellis Bevan's second-half try. He also put in a couple of big tackles, while his scramble defence was very good.

Morgan is an x-factor player who makes things happen and if Wales are to have any chance of beating a resurgent Wallabies he needs to be on the field.

Blair Murray

The Scarlets wing made the dream start to Test rugby with a try at the corner after just eight minutes. Murray looked dangerous whenever he got the ball but the problem was Wales didn't get it to him often enough.

Given his small stature, the 23-year-old found it tough going at times up against a number of powerful Fijian backs but he equally didn't shirk anything. Moving forward if Wales can find a way of getting the ball to Murray in space then he could become a real asset to this side moving forward.

Caleb Muntz and Fiji

Imagine if Caleb Muntz was fit when Wales edged out Fiji in the opening game of last year's Rugby World Cup? Things could have been very different for Wales.

The Fiji outside-half was outstanding in Cardiff yesterday, controlling the game from start to finish and was named the official player of the match. Muntz was arguably the main architect behind Fiji's victory but the whole team deserve credit.

Fiji's preparation would not have been anywhere near as thorough as Wales' with their English and French based players unavailable last week due to the clash with Scotland falling outside of World Rugby's designated international window. Wales faced a far superior Fiji side to what Scotland faced in Murrayfield with the likes of Jiuta Wainqolo, Josua Tuisova, Waisea Nayacalevu and Eroni Mawi putting in big performances.

The Wales v Fiji inquest podcast

Losers

Warren Gatland and the Wales management

This is Wales' tenth Test defeat in a row, with Gatland's side equalling the unwanted record of losses set by Sir Steve Hansen's class of 2002-03. If Wales lose their upcoming fixtures against Australia and world champions South Africa then this will be the first time since 1935 they have gone through a whole calendar year without winning a Test match.

It's not all on the coaches because Wales haven't got the players they used to have, while the four professional clubs - Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets - haven't exactly been pulling up trees which is understandable given their lack of resources. But Warren Gatland and his coaches do have to take some responsibility.

The decision to go with a 6-2 split between forwards and backs on the bench misfired badly. Granted Wales were unlucky to lose Mason Grady after just 18 minutes but they were always in danger of leaving themselves short behind the scrum.

The fact outside-half Sam Costelow and scrum-half Ellis Bevan ended up playing a large chunk of the game on the wing didn't exactly help matters. As if the optics couldn't get any worse Gatland admitted in the post match press conference that Costelow wasn't meant to come on when Grady left the field injured. You can read about that here.

There was an embarrassing mix up. It must be stressed this isn't all on Gatland because he does not have the same quality of player to work with as he had during his first stint in charge of Wales. But nevertheless it is right that journalists hold Gatland and the WRU management to account.

After all they've lost 10 Test matches in a row, picked up the Wooden Spoon in the Six Nations and are unlikely to win an international this calendar year. The buck will always stop with the head coach in professional sport and he really needs to start winning as a matter of urgency.

The Wales half-backs

Throughout the course of this losing run, one consistent shortcoming has been the lack of game management and decision-making at key moments of the game. Both Tomos Williams and Gareth Anscombe were brought in to improve this aspect of the game but Wales lacked control during the final quarter of the game.

One moment in the second-half summed up Wales' lack of game management. With the hosts trailing 16-14 after 55 minutes they were awarded a kickable penalty which would have put them back into the lead.

But instead of opting for points, Williams took the penalty quickly and a couple of phases later Fiji turned over the ball. That was a big moment in the game.

The 10-12-13 channel didn't run smoothly and it'll be interesting to see if Gatland makes any changes to his backline against Australia.

Wales' lack of physicality and discipline

Wales started the game well and if Cameron Winnett hadn't had a try disallowed after Tommy Reffell got yellow card then Wales may well have found themselves 20-3 up. But once Fiji clicked into gear they dominated Wales physically and the hosts could not cope with the power of the Pacific Islanders.

Wales simply do not have enough explosive carriers in the pack. Dewi Lake is one of the only forwards who can make significant post-contact metres in the tight, while Will Rowlands and Aaron Wainwright can do this to an extent.

All the leading nations have big carriers throughout their pack but this is something Wales do not possess and it is a big problem. Wales also missed 32 tackles, turned the ball over 12 times and conceded 12 penalties. which isn't good enough if they want to start winning Test matches again.

Semi Radradra and the 20 minute red card

Opinion has been split within the rugby family at the prospect of a 20 minute red card. There are some who believe it will benefit the game whereas others are of the opinion a red card should see the team in question lose a man for the remainder of the game.

Prior to the game Gatland came out in favour of the 20 minute red card but Semi Radradra's hit on Cam Winnett is the sort of offence which should condemn a team to 14 men for the whole game. The Lyon wing made direct contact to the head of Winnett with force.

As far as this writer is concerned, rugby is a team game and if a player sees red them the whole side should suffer in the same way they benefit if a player scores a try or kicks a penalty.