With just three tries from three matches, it’s clear that Wales’ attack is far from firing on all cylinders.

Especially when you realize that one of them was outside the area and the other was an interception. With the ball in hand, Warren Gatland’s Wales picked up where Wayne Pivac left off.

After failing in limited red-zone pressure against Ireland and Scotland, it was a similar story against England over the weekend. But are there any signs of life in Wales’ stagnant attack and how can they unlock it?

Well, first of all, it’s probably important to understand what Wales is trying to do and why he’s trying. Wales currently has a shortage of collision-winning aircraft carriers and breakdowns remain a problem, as they have been for the last four years.

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The pattern can also be erratic at key moments, which doesn’t help when trying to establish field position and take a breakaway shot into the opposition’s half.

For many people, constantly kicking has been a source of frustration, but it is simply the best and sometimes the only way to progress on the field.

Few teams in world rugby can simply tear down a defense from deep. It is clear that Wales cannot do this well enough to rely on this as a tactic.

A first-half example saw Wales get out of their own 22 before forcing a goal-line drop. It’s not groundbreaking, but it does put you in the right part of the field.

He also highlighted the work Wales still needs to do in the transition.

Wales went through several stages, clearly preparing for a free-kick. They got the ball in the air late on, but the shot was too short for Freddie Steward to claim.

Louis Rees-Zammit can get the ball and all of a sudden Wales can attack against a disorganized England defence. However, everything is a little confusing.

Tomos Williams is out of place, so Krist Tshiunza steps into scrum-half and hands him over to the front pack. There’s room, so the pod pulls the ball back and Tomos and Owen Williams sneak back to start the play.

It could be a deliberate move given Tomos Williams’ strength in wasted opportunities, but Wales don’t seem fully committed to it.

Perhaps intimidated by the presence of two midfielders, the pass is not in the money and Owen Williams has to stop his run to receive the ball.

He still receives from rookie Mason Grady, and it’s a great job by the center to read the space his carry will compensate to fill, getting behind his weak shoulder before sending a pass to Josh Adams. The lateral kicks from behind and England ends up scraping the goal.

Wales are well on their way to becoming a troubled team, but to be that team you have to be able to switch to that mode when the opportunity arises. Sure, they get a territorial advantage here, but there’s a lack of detail and accuracy, which is a constant theme.

a structural problem

Of course the biggest problem is the lack of detail in the structured level of the game. In fact, there are some good moments where the 10-12-13 combination of Owen Williams, Joe Hawkins and Mason Grady shows good results, but is somewhat undermined by other issues, be it breaks or a general lack of form.

From the endline, Grady’s late ball hits the cross on the endline before he is pulled well over the striker for a corner.

England clearly expect them to keep moving like this as the forwards line up around the ruck, but Owen Williams notices and swings to the other side of the ruck, catching the ball on the move. There he notices a hole and pulls hard for the line.

In the next phase, Hawkins drives just as hard towards the line. One good thing to look out for in recent games is the central playmaker and the pressure he takes off the attacking midfielder to survive each phase.

Sadly, Wales lacks clear details, and as a result, Tomos Williams gets to the base of cancer.

Despite this, Wales maintain possession of the ball and go through several phases. However, the ball never goes more than two passes from the ruck; in fact, there is never any threat of that happening.

When the pack carries it, it’s made up of three packs that don’t challenge the defenses too much due to being disconnected. We see this when Adam Beard tries to cross while Wales cuts in but is easily stopped.

The lack of real Welsh starters in the squad is an issue that continues to plague them, making it difficult for them to progress from one stage to the next.

Where they created some weak shoulders was when Williams got the ball in the box and pushed his three back with accurate passes. The first for Josh Adams helps them reach the limit.

Then the next sets up a line break for Rhys-Zammit to take Wales to the 22 yard line. It’s simple stuff, play flat, contain halfbacks and hit passes.

However, when Wales moves to the 22-yard line, he tries again to break through the defense, but details are lacking. Taulupe Faletau opts for the pick-and-go, but there are no other forwards around him.

While Alex Dombrandt’s jackal is illegal because it can’t carry its weight, the point is that Wales gave England that chance.

It was a similar story on their next foray on the 22nd. For the first time, the four Welsh forwards came together without a single threat of an upset, leaving England free to keep the bodies standing and dictate how they would defend.

A stage later, Beard strikes again and is quickly brought down, but it’s the number of English forwards coming out of the corner that does that for Wales.

Ellis Genge looks to go for the Jackal, absorbing Alan Wyn Jones, allowing Lewis Ludlam to pass the ball and survive while Thomas Francis cleans up.

It’s all a bit individualistic now, with little in the way of an agreed upon plan. There will be flashes where Wales’ talented defense will come up with something, taking it straight to the line, but overall Wales can’t gain enough tackles or provide enough hands to force the multi-phase Test defence.

Living on football leftovers may be their best bet for success, and they’ll build on that for their remaining games.

The midfield mix has hinted at some encouraging signs, but the playmaker is absent for the moment. Finding a workaround will be easier said than done.

Source: Wales Online