Duncan Casey: Rugby facing real problems but Irish game showing how to get it right

The continued downward spiral of Welsh rugby should worry us all - and there are challenges elsewhere too.

Wales' Head Coach Warren Gatland and Rob Howley during the Autumn International match at The Principality Stadium, Cardiff.

Far from ‘clash of the titans’, Sunday’s game between Scotland and Australia could have been billed as ‘clash of the teams who get notions after a good result or two’. Australia had their tails up after starting their November tour with back-to-back wins. There had been talk of them pulling off a clean sweep against the home nations and much lauding of Joe Schmidt for having finally steadied a sinking ship.

Those wins came against an England side who seem to have a Mayo-like curse going on at the moment and objectively speaking, the worst Welsh team in history. Their afternoon in Murrayfield was a more humbling experience as they once again looked ordinary, Scotland taking care of them with relative ease. We were reminded that while there have definitely been some encouraging signs in recent weeks, the Aussies are still a long way from being the finished article.