The Steve Tandy era in Welsh rugby is looking more like a horror show by the minute. In a plot twist no one wanted, Captain Jac Morgan is out for the count, expected to miss the rest of the November internationals with a dislocated shoulder. This unfortunate twist came during Wales’ 52-28 thumping by Argentina in Cardiff, where Morgan, while scoring Wales' third try, ended up with his shoulder out of joint and his arm in a sling. As if the sight of their captain in distress wasn't bad enough, this was during Wales’ record home loss to the Pumas.
Post-match, Tandy didn’t sugarcoat the situation.
"It’s probably a dislocated shoulder, so it’s not looking good for Jac and the rest of the autumn,"
he said, confirming the bleak prognosis. "He’s a world-class player, he’s huge for us and we know how much he loves playing for Wales and how he leads the team. It is a massive blow, but ultimately it’s someone else’s opportunity."
With Morgan on the sidelines, the captaincy baton passes to former skipper Dewi Lake as Wales faces upcoming tests against Japan, New Zealand, and the reigning world champs, the Springboks.
Despite the heavy defeat—marking Wales’ 10th consecutive loss at home—Tandy tried to find a silver lining. "The day ended in disappointment, but there’s lots to like around the group," he noted. "To score four tries is really positive, and we left a couple out there. There’s disappointment as well to concede 50 points and a couple of those tries are probably avoidable."
The match itself was a rollercoaster. Wales was quickly down 14-0, managed to draw level, but then saw their efforts undermined by yellow cards to Ben Thomas and Tomos Williams around halftime. Thomas was particularly lucky to avoid a red after a clash with Pablo Matera, a moment Tandy described as murky at best.
"There’s not a real angle from what I’ve seen that is conclusive to what it is. There’s lots going on, but if it is lashing out, you can’t do that in a game,"
he remarked.
On the flip side, Argentina's coach Felipe Contepomi couldn't hide his delight. "You could see Wales is a new team, but they had very good things," he commented on the victory, praising his team's maturity and cohesion, a clear dig at the Welsh side's current struggles.
As the Welsh dragons lick their wounds and regroup, the rugby world will be watching closely to see if this beleaguered team can turn their misfortunes around under the interim leadership of Dewi Lake. One thing is for sure, the upcoming fixtures are not for the faint-hearted.
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The Steve Tandy era in Welsh rugby is looking more like a horror show by the minute. In a plot twist no one wanted, Captain Jac Morgan is out for the count, expected to miss the rest of the November internationals with a dislocated shoulder. This unfortunate twist came during Wales’ 52-28 thumping by Argentina in Cardiff, where Morgan, while scoring Wales' third try, ended up with his shoulder out of joint and his arm in a sling. As if the sight of their captain in distress wasn't bad enough, this was during Wales’ record home loss to the Pumas.
Post-match, Tandy didn’t sugarcoat the situation.
"It’s probably a dislocated shoulder, so it’s not looking good for Jac and the rest of the autumn,"
he said, confirming the bleak prognosis. "He’s a world-class player, he’s huge for us and we know how much he loves playing for Wales and how he leads the team. It is a massive blow, but ultimately it’s someone else’s opportunity."With Morgan on the sidelines, the captaincy baton passes to former skipper Dewi Lake as Wales faces upcoming tests against Japan, New Zealand, and the reigning world champs, the Springboks.
Despite the heavy defeat—marking Wales’ 10th consecutive loss at home—Tandy tried to find a silver lining. "The day ended in disappointment, but there’s lots to like around the group," he noted. "To score four tries is really positive, and we left a couple out there. There’s disappointment as well to concede 50 points and a couple of those tries are probably avoidable."
The match itself was a rollercoaster. Wales was quickly down 14-0, managed to draw level, but then saw their efforts undermined by yellow cards to Ben Thomas and Tomos Williams around halftime. Thomas was particularly lucky to avoid a red after a clash with Pablo Matera, a moment Tandy described as murky at best.
"There’s not a real angle from what I’ve seen that is conclusive to what it is. There’s lots going on, but if it is lashing out, you can’t do that in a game,"
he remarked.On the flip side, Argentina's coach Felipe Contepomi couldn't hide his delight. "You could see Wales is a new team, but they had very good things," he commented on the victory, praising his team's maturity and cohesion, a clear dig at the Welsh side's current struggles.
As the Welsh dragons lick their wounds and regroup, the rugby world will be watching closely to see if this beleaguered team can turn their misfortunes around under the interim leadership of Dewi Lake. One thing is for sure, the upcoming fixtures are not for the faint-hearted.