Warren Gatland says his Wales side let down the home fans who attended last night’s dismal 16-all draw with Fiji at the Millennium Stadium.
A last-gasp penalty from Fiji outhalf Seremaia Bai secured the south sea islanders a deserved draw in Cardiff, as the tourists revived some painful Welsh memories of the 38-34 defeat they inflicted on their hosts when they dumped them out of the 2007 World Cup.
The result will also offer the visitors more than enough encouragement to believe a repeat of their Nantes heroics will be possible when the two sides meet in their final Pool D fixture at next year’s World Cup in New Zealand.
Wales had produced an excellent performance in running world champions South Africa close just a week ago but last night, with Gatland having made nine changes to the side that started against the Springboks, the persistent problems at the lineout reared their ugly head, while a lack of tactical nous, direction in attack and assertiveness at the breakdown led to a display that must rank as the worst since the New Zealander took charge in the wake of the 2007 World Cup exit.
The 52,335 people at the Millennium Stadium would unquestionably have expected better from their side, and Gatland admitted his side had let their fans down.
“We have let them down,” said the former Ireland boss. “We feel a bit embarrassed by the performance. It would have been nice to send the kids and families here tonight away with a win and we were not good enough to do it.
“Our inaccuracy, the turnovers and penalties were very disappointing. Our lineout did not function, we probably kicked the ball away at times when we maybe should have kept hold of it.
“It is a game we should have won. We needed to show patience and composure, it’s incredibly disappointing.”
The frustrating performance had worrying echoes of similar struggles Wales have encountered in recent seasons.
When Fiji previously visited Cardiff in 2005 they were only defeated 11-10 thanks to a late Nicky Robinson drop goal, while encounters against Canada (2008) and Samoa (2009) also saw Wales pushed closer than they would have expected to be.
And Gatland acknowledged his side need to improve on how they handle the game’s perceived lesser lights when changes are made to the starting XV.
“Canada was like that, Samoa was like that,” he said. “Games where we have made changes, we have struggled and that is something we need to come to terms with.