It is rare indeed for a fellow international coach to be so derogatory about another Test side.
So it was surprising to hear South African coach Jake White blast Wales for their performance against England at Twickenham on Saturday.
White said England looked as though they were going through a training routine against opponents in red bibs.
He added that he couldn't believe how poor the Welsh pack was, claiming his Springboks had faced a tougher challenge from a local Under-21 team.
But I suppose it's an indication of the disdain at the display around the world, it really does seem as though it has damaged the reputation of the Wales team for the time being at least.
And if White is brazen enough to rubbish Wales when they are possible quarter-final opponents for his team at the World Cup, then it just shows how he perceives them as a complete lack of threat.
Otherwise he would just have spouted the usual cautious platitudes we are all more used to hearing from coaches at this level.
Let me know what you all think about this.
Jock Strap wrote...
Having read White's and other comments, Saturday has definitely been severely damaging to the already ragged reputation of Welsh Rugby. To treat a rivalry such as Wales v England (as well as the record books) with such disregard simply demonstrates that Gareth Jenkins is out of his depth.
Exactly what additional information 80 minutes of tackling and defensive mauling practice can yield for World Cup selection is beyond me.
Posted by: Jock Strap | August 9, 2007 4:07 PM