Wales head coach Warren Gatland seeks to avoid worst losing run

Welsh rugby has long had an unhealthy obsession with the number 10 but perhaps this weekend it is justified with an unwanted record lurking.

Since the days of Cliff Morgan to Barry John and Jonathan Davies, the number has shone as a symbol of excellence.

Now it could represent a banner of failure as Wales aim to avoid a 10th Test defeat in a row.

Warren Gatland faces Fiji on Sunday desperate not to equal the worst losing run in Welsh rugby history.

It was, by coincidence, under another New Zealander – Steve Hansen – that Wales sank to new depths between 2002 and 2003 before Romania were rolled out as cannon fodder before that autumn’s World Cup.

There are clear parallels between now and then and, at times, Gatland’s words could have come straight out of Hansen’s mouth 21 years on.

The need to fast-track a new crop of players at the sharp end of Test rugby – 13 uncapped players used in 2024 alone – against a period of domestic upheaval.

In 2003, Welsh rugby was in the process of ditching 120 years of history with the formation of regions, which today is fighting to survive.

The national team is a reflection of the regions but for all the need for patience as foundations are laid, a win on Sunday is now surely a non-negotiable or Remembrance Day could be remembered in rugby for all the wrong reasons.