Yesterday I left the Stadium ashamed of Welsh Rugby.

If last weekend was most embarrassing ever for Welsh Rugby it seems yesterday 's match against Georgia surpassed it.


Wales held on to beat Georgia in an extraordinary finish at a tense Principality Stadium.

After a promising start  Warren Gatland's experimental team took a 10-0 lead thanks to Hallam Amos' try but Georgia defended well and were predictably powerful in the forwards.

Amos was denied a second try when what was at first looked like a superb  score was disalowed.

That may have   opened the floodgates but Soso Matiashvili's boot had them within four points after 50 minutes.
Rhys Priestland's penalty calmed nerves but Georgia were frustrated late on by uncontested scrums being called with Wales' Tomas Francis in the sin-bin.

The game was already into stoppage time, with Wales leading 13-6, when the controversy began.
Georgia were pressing hard on the home line for the try that could have earned them a famous draw.

This from  the  Wasting Mule

Then replacement Wales prop Tomas Francis was penalised for driving into the back of scrum-half Giorgi Begadze at a ruck and shown a yellow card by French referee Mathieu Raynal.

That’s when things got really complicated.

Georgia were eager to opt for a scrum off the penalty. It had been an area of strength for them during the game and they would now be up against just seven Welsh forwards.

So the logical thing would have been for the hosts to bring Leon Brown back on to pack down at tighthead instead of Francis, with another forward making way for him.

Brown had come off in the 56th minute in what appeared to be a tactical change. Both he and fellow subbed prop Nicky Smith were down on the touchline in their kit, rather than tracksuits.

But it soon became apparent that something was up, with the fourth official coming onto the field to speak to Raynal.

And after their discussion, it was hooker Kristian Dacey rather than either of the props who entered the fray, with No 8 Seb Davies coming off.
The announcement was made over the tannoy at this point that there would be uncontested scrums, with Wales only having one prop - Wyn Jones - on the field.

But, taking this into consideration, Georgia then changed tack and opted to kick to the corner, with their final attack ultimately repelled and the hosts hanging on for a 13-6 win.

Wales head coach Warren Gatland said:

 "We were as confused as anyone at the end.

"Leon [Dragons prop Brown] had cramped up, his calves were no good. When we took him off it was tactical but we knew he was cramping.
"I can promise you there was nothing from our point of view to manipulate the laws. If Leon had been fit he would have gone back on."

Georgia head coach Milton Haig said: 

 "We would have got over from that scrum, absolutely. And from what happened I think they (Wales) were pretty confident about that and that's why they went for uncontested scrums. We would have backed ourselves there.
"There's perhaps a need to look at how those situations are officiated. We would have liked that scrum at the end of the game, that's for sure."
Haig said that they did not intend to seek action over Wales' claim that they could not field a prop at the end.

I was at the match and  believe Georgia had brought on a already substituted prop  before the Welsh  "tactics"  which would have probably increased their chances.

So maybe Georgia also were opportunist in  their replacement  moves?

I was not influenced by any media commentary but that did not mean that I left the ground not feeling ashamed of  the actions of the Welsh management.

We won very few  friends yesterday and Georgia have every right to be bitter.

What we need is a ruling that replacements  when substituted   should be declared either a tactical move and therefore could return or deemed  unfit to play.and will not take any further part in the game.

It is probably unenforceable because medical assessors are not going to declare a player fit  if they  are could end up with a serious injury   but the current rules seem not to be working.

I am sure most supporters would agree however that they would rather win by the actions of their team on the field rather than manipulating  the rules off it.