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Rob Howley is Welsh rugby's version of Jeremy Corbyn, in my opinion.

Just as opinion polls indicate the Labour leader is unlikely to win a General Election because the public can’t take to him, so Howley will never be accepted by Welsh fans as Warren Gatland’s permanent successor as Wales coach.

And it puts the Welsh Rugby Union in a right old pickle, because they entrusted Howley with the job on a caretaker basis. Far from winning the people over, the opposite has happened.

No matter what Howley does with the Lions in New Zealand at the end of the season, he will never win over the doubters.

It’s rare to hear anyone backing the former Wales captain as the man to take over when Gatland leaves in 2019 and the WRU would be presiding over a public relations disaster if they ignore the views of their stakeholders.

(Image: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)

Howley is a decent and hard-working bloke, but does he have the charisma to suggest he’s anything other than a No.2?

Under Howley this season, and indeed since the World Cup, Wales have at best stagnated. You could go further and suggest they have gone backwards, whilst other countries have evolved a style of play far more in tune with the modern international game.

To be fair to Howley, he probably felt his hands were somewhat tied behind his back, given Gatland had implemented a style of play for Wales and returns to the main job next season after his spell in charge of the Lions.

But the farcical nature of the finale against France shouldn't mask the fact that, yet again, Wales offered very little going forward. They were depending upon on a rock-solid defence and Leigh Halfpenny's lethal goal-kicking to win the game in Paris.

Rugby, as England, Ireland and Scotland have proved, has moved on.

On the evidence of what we have seen this season, including France at the weekend, can you really say Wales have?

Not only are Wales not winning consistently, there is no visible evidence of the injection of fresh blood so many so audibly argue for.

That's the worst case scenario for any sports team. At least if youth had been given its head, many fans would accept results believing the future could be rosy.

But only Ross Moriarty has come through since the 2015 World Cup. During that time, Wales have capped just three new players. The set-up has gone stale.

It appears Howley and Gatland have decided the group of players who have dominated selection during this Six Nations are the ones to take Wales to the 2019 World Cup.

But as results and performances have so amply demonstrated, Wales' chances of winning the global showpiece are slim unless they start bringing in fresh faces and proper creativity.

It's one thing to talk about evolving your game, another entirely to do it with the same bunch of players who have become so accustomed to Warrenball down the years. Particularly when, in the past, they have done it so successfully.

My fear is that if Wales continue on this current path, and I see no evidence to the contrary, Gatland will walk away in 2019 having left an old team that hasn’t evolved.

Whereas England, in particular, Ireland and Scotland have dramatically altered their style to employ a more modern and creative game, Wales proved against the French they are still stuck in their ways. Reliant upon defence and the goal-kicking of Halfpenny for the bulk of their points.

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It was bad enough that France v Wales lasted 100 minutes. But if the match was still going on today, Wales would probably still be searching for a try because they never looked like crossing the whitewash.

Rugby in 2017 is different to what it was in 2015, or 2013 when we so thrillingly won the title. Refereeing favours the team in possession of the ball today, more tries are scored. It's about what you do in offence more than defence.

But Wales’ pop-gun attack was as limited during the Six Nations as it was last autumn. They managed only a miserly eight touchdowns and were the only team not to get a bonus point against Italy.

England scored 16 tries, Ireland and Scotland got 14 apiece.

The Welsh public may have accepted the disappointing results and fifth-placed finish if young players like Sam Davies, Steff Evans and Keelan Giles had been given a chance.

There was excitement when Howley named seven uncapped players in his squad for the tournament - but none of them made the bench. What was the point of choosing them in the first place, Mr Howley?

Of the young brigade, only already capped Ospreys outside-half Davies featured. And his appearances were far too fleeting, Davies used only sparingly off the bench, despite Wales being patently short of creativity and ideas when it came to unlocking opposition defences.

The Wales set-up has stood still since the World Cup and the WRU should have insisted Gatland brought in new coaches for this season when the contracts of Howley and forwards guru Robin McBryde were up, rather than give them new deals.

(Image: LOIC VENANCE/AFP/Getty Images)

The worry is that unless Wales make significant changes and give some of the country’s talented young players a chance, they will be left further and further behind as their rivals continue to evolve.

The power of the Welsh defence and the marksmanship of Halfpenny has been papering over the cracks for a while. There hasn’t been any evidence this season that Wales are moving forward.

It's such a wasted opportunity because there are some truly talented players in this Wales team.

Justin Tipuric and Sam Warburton have been arguably the best back-row forwards in the Six Nations, George North on his day is a handful for any defence. Rhys Webb is one of the world’s best scrum-halves and Leigh Halfpenny and Liam Williams class acts, given a licence to run with the ball.

But the sum of the parts isn’t matching up when it comes to results and performances.

Since Gatland came in nine years ago, the Welsh mantra has been about a real honesty in the group. If errors are made, people own up to them.

But the question I ask is this - is there honest reality from the coaches about the style of play and tactics Wales need to adopt to keep up with their rivals in the modern game?

It's been patently obvious to so many that personnel change in the team was required. Instead, we've had same old, same old.

What's the upshot? Last but one in the Six Nations.

Something needs to be done to address the stagnation. Sadly, Howley did little about it during the tournament.