If nothing else, it was entertaining.

Wales’ recent Autumn International campaign again concluded with limited success – as narrow wins over Georgia and South Africa were negated by the now inevitable defeats against Australia and New Zealand.

However, despite a stagnated second half on what turned out to be a deeply uncomfortable 80 minutes with the Georgians, many Welsh fans took heart from what appeared to be a new, enterprising style of play from Warren Gatland’s men.

Attacking from deep, front row forwards off-loading, turning down shots at goal – all a far cry from the notorious ‘Warren-ball’ tag that has plagued our perceived style of play in years gone by.

However, when not executed properly, innovation can often run parallel with inaccuracy.

And sure enough, the past four weeks have proven that Wales are still light years away from playing an expansive style that is backed up with prolonged precision. There were flashes of brilliance, the superb Scott Williams try against New Zealand in particular – but not in any of the four matches did we sustain high quality, or indeed a clear thought process, for 80 minutes.

Against Australia in particular the intention to play and create was evident. The areas in which Wales chose to do it from, were often questionable.

With Georgia, numerous kickable penalties were turned away in favour of attacking platforms which yielded nothing.

On paper, Gatland’s side dominated first half possession and territory against the All Blacks, and failed to capitalise.

South Africa were blown away early on as they trailed 21-3, only to end up agonisingly denied victory by a late Leigh Halfpenny penalty.

Admittedly, the above points are deliberately dwelling on the negatives. A successful transition from a regimented game-plan to an expansive style will never happen overnight.

Attacking, fast-paced rugby is magnificent on the eye when it comes off. But knowing when to implement it, whilst at the same time being able to adapt for different opposition and match scenarios, is what sparks success.

Many pundits, most notably the excellent and forthright Peter Jackson, have questioned whether the alteration has come too late to seriously challenge at the Rugby World Cup in Japan. Jackson and co are correct - the Welsh coaching staff should have realised considerable time ago that we were labouring behind the World’s best.

But for me, the problem is far more deep rooted. An expansive style that demands high skill levels should not be imposed at the top level as a reaction to inferiority.

It should be implemented, from the very bottom up.

Youth rugby in Wales has come a long way in the past decade in terms of science and physiology. Academy coaches have their young stars on specifically designed weight training programmes and diets – and gym performances are monitored regularly.

Those with potential are encouraged to work on all fitness components intensely to keep up with the demands of the professional or even semi-professional game. Even at the most amateur, grassroots levels, teams who succeed tend to be superior in terms of body mass and physical condition.

But the obsession with strength and power has become such that the importance of educating basic skills is often left behind.

Therefore, it is of little surprise that at international level, when such skills need to be executed under intense pressure, our elite are often found wanting.

Don’t get me wrong, we produce an abundance of high quality academy players who can live with the structure, intensity, and physicality that now goes hand in hand with top level rugby. But whilst the likes of Shane Williams and namesake Liam have proved exceptions in modern times, too many talented, intelligent players are ignored due to a perceived lack of size or compliance.

Youngsters are being earmarked early for regional recognition because of physical attributes and not all round ability. Handling skills and techniques can be worked and improved upon – but vision, execution, and impulsive decision making are all qualities that are often innate and should be allowed to flourish – not taught from scratch.

Size, really isn’t everything.

And don’t the All Blacks know it. It is lazy to fall back on the winners of the last two World Cups as an obvious example, but several years ago they stole a march on the rest. Realising size and power were traits of a team all too easy to neutralise as training programmes became more advanced – their players started appearing leaner.

Fast forward to now, and we are reflecting on a decade of dominance in which they have produced scintillating rugby at an often frightening pace – as we debate their standing amongst the greatest international sides of all time.

I do not possess intricate knowledge on the in-depth running of junior and youth sides in New Zealand, and yet I confidently predict their youngsters practice skills in live training situations considerably more than ours do.

So much so, than when those fortunate enough to do so arrive on the international stage, executing difficult tasks under pressure is not panic stricken. It comes naturally.

Unless we make the effort to develop individuals with natrual ability in Wales, and adapt our approach to turning promising individuals into elite ones, we will always be fighting the tide when trying to play an expansive game that is both accurate and successful.

And it is approaches like the following which need serious scrutiny.

Whilst on a short family break two years ago, I stumbled across what appeared a high level youth game on a rugby field in Wales – and yards away from me the home coach was speaking with a regional academy representative. To avoid appearing to implement scapegoats, I won’t name the host club, teams involved, or the region the coach was attached to.

The home coach spoke highly of a number of his young charges, and yet his more esteemed regional counterpart was only interested in one - a lanky second row.

“No he wouldn’t be ready – he’s quite new to the game and his hands are poor,” was the diplomatic assessment.

“Don’t worry about that,” replied the ‘scout’.

“We take them based on their size first now. The rest of the stuff can be worked on.”

This may sound extreme – but that concluding comment remains the saddest thing I’ve ever heard in relation to Welsh rugby.

And we wonder, why our national team weren’t able to complete a tactical transition overnight.