Jill Douglas says Wales has too much talent to remain at the bottom of the pile

Rugby presenter Jill Douglas says there is "too much talent" in Welsh rugby for Wales not to return to the top table of the world game again.

It has been bleak times for the sport in Wales for the past few years, both on the regional and international front, with financial problems gripping the game over recent years.

The Welsh Rugby Union are intent on reducing the number of professional sides from four to three, while Steve Tandy's Test side are only now starting to arrest the slump seen at the end of Warren Gatland's tenure as head coach.

There is a still a long way to go for Tandy and Co, with this autumn's Nations Championship serving up games against Japan, Australia and New Zealand ahead of a finals weekend at Allianz Stadium Twickenham next month.

Douglas says a strong Wales is what's needed in world rugby, having been the number-one-ranked team in the world as recently as 2019. They are currently 10th.

"Wales have had a rocky time of late and rugby at its heart needs a strong Wales," Douglas said.

"We're not used to seeing Wales struggling the way they have over the last couple of years, but things come round in circles and I know there's a huge amount of work going on in Wales to try to steady the ship and there's too much talent out there for them not to be back in the top echelons of the game.

"Some of the greatest matches I've seen have involved the great Wales teams over the years. So I'm excited to see what comes next for Wales and they've got a great opportunity come November to see if they can start building again through to the Six Nations and then obviously into the World Cup which will be upon us in no time."

On the Nations Championship itself, Douglas says she can't see past reigning world champions.

"Listen, I watched all of the South Africa, New Zealand matches through the course of the last few weeks and, you know, they're both such massive rugby nations," she said.

"South Africa are a difficult team to beat the moment. They really are. I'd love to think somebody from the southern hemisphere could take them down, but, yeah, I don't know.

"It's a really hard one to call. The usual suspects will be in the mix. France look good. England will come, I'm sure. Scotland are always, you know, flattering us.

"We think, 'oh, good, what's going to happen next?' It's really hard being a Scotland rugby fan, I can tell you that. But we've been consistently really punching above our weight for the last two or three years. So we've got some great talent there. So let's see. I think South Africa will be a very difficult team to beat in November."

Douglas has fronted ITV's coverage of the Six Nations for some time now and has worked with some of most respected pundits in the game across her career.

Surrounded by Welsh colleagues Jonathan 'Jiffy' Davies, Alun Wyn Jones, Jamie Roberts and Dan Biggar, she says the pleasure is all hers due to their diligence.

"They're great," she added. "I mean, I've known Jiffy for 25, 30-odd years, so we've had some great trips across to Dublin, Paris, Rome, up to Murrayfield.

"Great comfort, great, great company and such enthusiasm and energy for the game. So it's been a great privilege to work with him. And now I work with Dan Biggar a lot. Jamie Roberts, who I love working with.

"Dan has, you know, hung up his boots and has really just thrown himself into his broadcasting career and is typically so good at it. You know, he's just going to be great at everything he tries.

"Dan and Jamie bring great presents as well and he's so universally admired and I love working with him. So yeah, I mean, I'm lucky. I work with the best pundits across the Six Nations, Nations Championship and World Cups, whether they be from the Southern Hemisphere or across the Six Nations countries as well."

Douglas’ passion for the sport extends far beyond the international gantry. As a trustee for Sported, she is backing Flutter’s £500,000 Cash4Clubs scheme, which offers £2,000 unrestricted grants to struggling adult grassroots clubs across Wales.

"You have to support the grassroots, that’s the base of the pyramid," Douglas said. "Clubs run by volunteers don't have time for complex paperwork; this gets money straight to where it's needed most." Welsh clubs can apply online before the January 1, 2027 deadline at cash4clubs.org.