Wales' Alun-Wyn Jones reflects on defeat at the hands of England © Getty Images

The moment Wales lock Alun-Wyn Jones tripped Dylan Hartley and deservedly was given a yellow card, we all knew it was going to cost us. Quite how badly it ended up costing us was still a shock - shipping 17 points in the 10 minutes Jones was in the bin cost Wales the game, and gave England the belief to kick on against a poor Italy team next week.

Of course Wales fans have plenty to grumble about, not least Simon Shaw taking out Gareth Williams as England attacked at the start of the second half - allowing Danny Care to run into the channel the hooker was covering and score. There were also schoolboy errors, the basics were forgotten, the lineout was pathetic, and all in all Wales continued the rapid spiral into futility that they began in last year's Six Nations.

What bright spots there were - when Wales started to play with pace and conviction after Adam Jones' try, before the interception try broke their resolve, did very little to calm the questions being raised about Warren Gatland's competence.

This period of positive play coincided with Wales bringing on several replacements, all of whom I suggested should be in the starting line-up earlier this week. But of course, by the time they all came on, 70 minutes in, it was far too late.

Gatland's Pet (Andy Powell for those who didn't read my previous entry) actually made some nice bursts in the second half, but he was a penalty machine as normal. Then there's Gareth Cooper - you could hear the sniggers from the Red Rose crowd when Gatland mystifyingly anointed him as starter, despite the former Gloucester man not being able to get a sniff of action this season. He was pedestrian, his service was a liability, and he showed the creativity of a tackling doll. Then his 'understudy' Richie Rees came on, and all of a sudden, Wales were firing, the backline was moving, and tries were scored. Coincidence?

Charteris looked like the player he's always been - a very tall man who's not very strong, not really all that in the loose and somehow, not good at the lineout either! Gareth Williams played like a man who'd been dropped in at the deep end out of the blue - it's hard to blame him, but his lineout throwing was dreadful. Huw Bennett's strong cameo should pencil him in for a start next week if Matt Rees is still out.

It's easy to criticise a coach more than a player, but Gatland's Wales reign is starting to have the ominous look of his last few months with Ireland. The performances are becoming an embarrassment, and he seems to be lacking the skills to arrest it. He's also again showing his worrying tendancy to stick with players when common sense says they're badly out of form. The assistants aren't doing much better - Howley's attacking plan seems to have been lost in the post, while Edwards' much-vaunted defence is leaking tries like a sieve.

Wales coaches don't have a great track record in the run-up to World Cups - just ask Graham Henry or Mike Ruddock - so Gatland will need a big performance next week against Scotland if he wants to quiet the dissenting voices. The Kiwi's blood is in the water, the sharks are circling, and the jury's out whether the Welsh side has the heart, drive and motivation to pull their coach out of the sea...

Josh Gardner