Wales Coach Hits Back At Criticism Aimed Towards Alex Cuthbert
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Wales coach Neil Jenkins has hit back at critics and their treatment of Alex Cuthbert.
Cuthbert has come under fire for his performances in a Welsh jersey, with Shane Williams recently stating that it’s time for the coaches to take responsibility and stop picking him in the blind hope that his form will eventually pick back up
Speaking to WalesOnline, Williams said it’s time for Howley to take control of the situation.
“I feel for the guy.” Williams said.
“He is under incredible scrutiny and any mistake he makes are magnified. Knowing that, he must take the field feeling tense and that is not good for any sportsman.
“My feeling is the coaches have to take responsibility for the situation. The way forward is not to keep picking him in the blind hope that everything will magically click back into place. It rarely works like that.”
“But we all have different personalities and for 99.9 percent of us negativity isn’t easy to shrug off. That’s why Rob Howley needs to take control of the situation with Cuthbert.”
Jenkins however has hit back and told a Welsh press conference on Tuesday:
“Look, I’m a big fan of Cuthy, I’m not going to lie to you. I think he’s an outstanding rugby player.”
“For some reason, everyone seems to pick on Cuthy at this moment in time. But like I keep telling Alex he’s won a Grand slam, Championship and been a successful Lions Test series winger.
“That’s not bad is it? I don’t think it is anyway!”
“If someone says to me that I’m going to achieve that in my career, you’d probably say that I ain’t that bad a player. I’m not a believer of all that.”
“Shane was obviously an outstanding rugby player himself and he’s entitled to his opinion. But, as far as that’s concerned, I’m not too sure really.
“Cuthy is a fantastic rugby player, he’s been outstanding for Wales and my view is that we get behind players and don’t criticise them.”
What do you think? Has Cuthbert been treated unfairly? You can read our take on the situation here.
