Saturday's match between Wales and Austraila will forever be remembered as Shane Williams’ farewell game, but as a contest in Wales’ preparation for the Six Nations Championship it was all but irrelevant as far as the Wales on Sunday's Neil Gibson.
"After the intensity of the World Cup the Wales players could have really done without this – something coach Warren Gatland inferred in the build-up – but because of the Welsh Rugby Union’s desperation to fill the coffers they were forced to get on the pitch again.
"And that the match was played just a week before the regions have important European games can be seen as a foolhardy move.
"Sometimes worries about the WRU bank balance seem to become all-important at the expense of the players’ welfare.
"It was sold on the back of Shane’s retirement, but not even that momentous occasion could attract a sell-out crowd – a reflection on desperate economic times and a lack of appetite for a meaningless friendly after Wales’ World Cup exploits.
"But let’s not take anything away from the man of the moment, and the dramatic end to an illustrious career. You could not have scripted his 81st-minute try any better if you had tried."
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